How to Read Proverbs

Proverbs 10:4-5 turns to the issue of work ethic when it says,

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches. The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.

Solomon says two things: laziness will lead to poverty and shaming your parents, while diligence and hard work lead to riches where you are able to provide and bring joy to your parents. Again, wisdom is about the effect your actions have on you and the people around you. The problem is that hardly anyone confesses that they are a lazy person. No one has ever walked into my office for counseling and said, “I’m really wrestling with laziness.” No one thinks they are lazy because the picture of laziness in their mind is the couch potato who watches soap operas all day long while eating Klondike bars in their bathrobe. In Proverbs, laziness refers to people who cannot see their assignments through to completion (see Moore, “Finding Jesus”). They might start a task and get to the middle of it, but they walk away before it is finished. It’s the son who helped plant the crops but is not there during harvest to finish the task. In our day, the laziness of Proverbs looks like distractions that keep you from staying on task. You cannot complete your assignments because Facebook distracts you for thirty minutes. You come back and do five minutes of work, but then check Twitter for fifteen minutes. Laziness is seen in the extended adolescence of our culture where kids can’t grow up and provide for themselves but keep ending up back at Mom and Dad’s house (bringing shame to their parents, even if the parents won’t admit it). Laziness keeps you from providing for your family or from the ability to have a family, and the failure to provide for your family is a failure to believe the gospel—it’s a Jesus problem (cf. 1 Tim 5:8).

We see these same themes throughout the Proverbs. Proverbs 13:11 says in the ESV, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” Murphy and Huwiler prefer that translation as well and writes, “The sense is that when money comes too easily for a person, it will not last” (Proverbs, 65). Proverbs consistently condemns get-rich-quick schemes as disastrous. We can sit back and observe that this is truly the case. How many stories have you heard of NFL or NBA stars who made millions and were bankrupt before they hit forty? For many, they gained all that money too quickly, without having formed the kind of wisdom that was necessary for them to know how to handle and steward that money well. That is true for us as well. We have to be shaped and molded with the kind of character it takes to be able to handle money rightly. That kind of wisdom typically comes by gaining money little by little. Jesus works in your life so that he who is faithful with a few things can now be given many things.

Proverbs 10:8

Jesus grows you in wisdom when it comes to the use of your tongue. We see this theme again and again in Proverbs 10. For example, verse 8 says, “A wise heart accepts commands, but foolish lips will be destroyed.” The ESV uses the phrase “babbling fool” at the end of the verse, which Waltke seems to prefer when he writes,

The fool is so full of himself that instead of having the capacity to accept wisdom he dangerously prattles out his own ‘clever opinions,’ which are devoid of true wisdom. (Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, 459)

Here is the point, and this is a major theme in Proverbs: If you are the kind of person who loves to hear the sound of your own voice and who speaks more than you listen, then you’re probably a fool. You are probably worshiping the idol of self.

How many of you know people who, when you have a conversation with them, they look like they are not listening to a word you are saying at all but rather are just waiting for you to take a breath so they can speak? They want to tell you their thoughts on things, but they do not want to hear your thoughts at all. Maybe you are that kind of person. If you are the kind of person who loves to talk and cannot receive commands or advice from others, then you are a fool and it will end up hurting you. You will come to ruin. Why? Because if you cannot listen to someone else’s instructions, you will never learn from your own mistakes.

All of us think that we are right. Obviously, I think my views are right on everything! Otherwise I would change to a different view. If I thought I was wrong, why would I keep holding on to the wrong view? So I think that all of my views on everything are right, but I know in my heart that my views could not possibly all be right. I just can’t figure out which ones are right and which ones are wrong. But if you are the kind of person who loves to talk and never listen to others with the awareness that you may be wrong, then you will never grow as a person and you will continually make the same mistakes. You can’t learn where your views, decisions, and choices are off unless you are willing to receive commands and counsel from others. Wisdom is being able to receive advice humbly and follow it. This has everything to do with Jesus, who perfectly accepted the commands of his Father and knew when and how to speak rightly.

We see this theme throughout Proverbs. Proverbs 13:3 says, “The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.” Proverbs repeatedly says that those who speak a lot also sin a lot and are destructive to themselves and the people around them. Since we are sinners, the more we talk, sooner or later something stupid will come out of our mouths. How many times have you said something and immediately wished you could take it back? But you can’t! Jesus produces the ability to guard your tongue.

Proverbs 10:1,12

Wisdom has to do with relationships. Whether you are the kind of person who loves your neighbor or makes fun of your neighbor reveals whether you are wise or a fool (11:12). Whether you are the kind of person who can keep secrets reveals whether you are wise or a fool (11:13). Are you the kind of person who is told something in confidence, then a few days later you confide in another friend, “Hey, I’m only telling you this and you can’t tell anyone else, but did you know that . . .”? If you do that, you are an idolatrous fool. Most likely the inability to keep secrets reveals that you worship yourself because you like to be the person who has and disseminates information. That has everything to do with your relationship with Jesus.

Wisdom has to do with all kinds of relationships. Whether or not you are generous to the poor (11:24), take care of your animals (12:10), listen to your parents (13:1), keep good company (13:20), or date the right people reveals whether or not you are wise and walking with Jesus. Jesus doesn’t just reconcile you to God; he reconciles you to others (Eph 2:14).

We see an example of this here at the start of Proverbs 10. Verse 1 states, “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.” Those are parallel lines that complement each other. Do not misread the text so that you think it means that the mom will not be happy if her son is wise, or that the dad will not be heartbroken if his son is a fool. No, it is a parallelism with the father in the first line and the mother in the second line. The basic idea is that if you are a wise child, you will make your parents happy, but if you are foolish, you will break your parents’ hearts. The whole principle that Solomon teaches is that your wisdom or foolishness has emotional consequences for the people around you, specifically your parents. You need to observe the response that your behavior elicits from your parents to know whether you are wise and in right relationship with Jesus or whether you are a fool who is walking away from Jesus.^[23]Wisdom has everything to do with the emotional results you bring out of your parents. If you bring your parents shame because of foolish decisions, words, or actions, you have a problem with Jesus. If you choose friends who corrupt you, if you choose dating relationships that are harmful for you, or if you get involved with peers in drugs and alcohol and break your parents’ hearts, that reveals idolatry in your life. Plenty of parents feel this heartache because of decisions their children have made.

This reality has everything to do with your relationship with Jesus. I ( Jon) think that all of us would have to admit that we have made decisions that hurt our parents. I’m not exempt from that. The good news of the gospel is that this convicting reality points us to Jesus. Jesus is the one who perfectly fulfills the wisdom of Proverbs. Jesus was the one who was perfectly wise and perfectly honored his parents. That is why Luke 2:51 points out that Jesus submitted in everything to Mary and Joseph. That is why in John’s Gospel when Jesus hangs on the cross suffocating to death, he makes provisions for his mom to be taken care of after he dies ( John 19:26-27). Why did Jesus do that? Jesus did that because he perfectly honored his parents. The truth of the gospel is not only that Jesus kept the fifth commandment for us but also that Jesus died the death we deserved to die for shaming our parents. He offers us his perfect record of righteousness and wisdom through faith. He offers to wipe our slate clean of all the times we dishonored our parents. Through the Spirit, Jesus makes us the kind of children who bring joy to our parents.

Relationships are again addressed in Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.” Hatred, anger, and a violent temper are not good conflict-resolution techniques. That seems simple, but we all need to hear it. Again, the root of this is idolatry, most likely worship of self that prevents you from letting go of a perceived wrong against you. What is a good conflict-resolution technique? Love! Seeking the best in others, not just seeking the best in yourself. Giving the benefit of the doubt to others, not just giving the benefit of the doubt to yourself. Forgiving other people, not just overlooking your own sin while you fixate on others’ sins. If you are constantly angry, if you are the kind of person who loves a good fight, and if you are continually stirring up conflict, you are a fool. The way that you resolve conflict in wisdom is this: “A gentle answer turns away anger” (15:1). You resolve conflicts by loving others and letting go of the offenses (see Eph 4:32). Again we see this fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus—by his love on the cross—­covers our offenses against God and reconciles us to God. Not only does he resolve the conflict between us and God, but that vertical reconciliation should also lead to horizontal reconciliation where we love and forgive others around us. Being a blood-bought, wise Christian means that you see the way God dealt with you and your sin and your offense against him, and then you deal that way with others who wrong you: You love them! You forgive them!

Proverbs 10:24-32

Following Jesus leads to rewards in this life and in the one to come. Proverbs 10–31 really boils down to conduct and the consequences that come out of that conduct. Solomon is a good teacher. Solomon doesn’t just tell his son what to do, he tells him why he should do it. Here is what will happen. If you are wise, here is the good that can result. But if you are foolish in your life, here is the bad and the harm that could come out of it. He teaches his son using both the what and the why.

These themes come up repeatedly in Proverbs 10 as well. Verses 24-32 deal with the rewards and consequences of wisdom and foolishness. It is a matter of life and death. Verse 24 states, “What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them.” What do you fear? What are your nightmares? Do you fear financial ruin? Marital ruin? Do you fear your children not turning out the way that you want them to? Do you fear not succeeding at your job? Do you fear not having a good reputation? Do you fear death and the judgment of hell? Solomon says that if you are a fool—outside of Christ—those are the things you will receive. What you fear is exactly what will happen to you. But if you are wise and righteous through Christ, which means your desires have now been transformed to be God’s desires for you, then you will get what you desire! Whether that desire is eternal life, a strong marriage, a godly family, or whatever God is molding you and shaping you to desire, those are the things you will receive. Those rewards may come now in this life, but they will certainly come in the life to come because verse 25 says the righteous will be established “forever.”

Throughout Proverbs 10 and following, these consequences are presented both as present and future. Proverbs 12:21 promises stability in your life and not chaos when you walk in wisdom, whereas 12:28 promises that the righteous will never die. The problem is, none of us are righteous; so this verse means hell for us. But in Christ we are counted righteous; and even though we might die, yet we will live forever. Faith in Jesus leads to life eternal beginning the moment you put your trust in him.

Often when I ( Jon) read Proverbs, it can be very discouraging because when I read these things and take stock of my life, I think about how often I’ve messed up. I think about how often I did not listen to my parents. I think about how often decisions that I made brought sadness to my parents instead of happiness. I think of how often I’ve said things to people that were harmful and hurtful. I think of how often I did not listen to some bit of advice that I needed to hear, that someone told me because they loved me. I think of how often I shared secrets that I should’ve kept. I think of how often I procrastinated on tasks that were assigned to me. I think of how often I didn’t forgive somebody who wronged me. In all of these things that Proverbs lays out, I see how I have messed up repeatedly.

But here is how we read these things in Proverbs rightly, and in a way that brings joy and not discouragement. It is summed up in the words of Graeme Goldsworthy on the book of Proverbs:

Jesus has fulfilled in our place the perfection God demands. He was the truly wise and fully sanctified human on our behalf. Thus, as we struggle to become wise, we know that our failures do not disqualify us from life because Christ himself is our only qualification. He, when all is said and done, is our wisdom, and to possess Christ is to be accounted wise by the only judge who matters. (Tree of Life, 98)