Proverbs 10:1-4 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 10:1-4, which read,

v.1 - The proverbs of Solomon.  A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

We have made it to chapter 10 and the start of the 375 individual proverbs in couplet form.  In chapters 10 through 15 they are mostly contrasts or opposites between the two lines and in chapters 16 through 22 they are mostly similarities or comparisons.  From a teacher's point of view, these are set up to be easy to memorize and therefore instant recall for application.

The first is a contrast between the wise and foolish sons and the outcomes of their character to bring gladness or grief.  The genders given of father and mother are probably just to give both sides in this couplet but not to say that the effect would not also impact the other parent.  The wise son makes a mother glad too and a foolish son is grief to his father also. 

Our actions have an impact on those who have created, loved and cared for us.  Do you bring gladness to them or grief to them?  One who has a fear of Lord will make his or her parents glad and the one who disregards the Lord's instruction will bring grief to his or her parents.  

v.2 - Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

We see right off that these individual proverbs present different subjects from verse to verse but sometimes there is a connection.  Those who make a profit by unethical means will not receive the profit of life which is greater than the gains they received by this world.  The gains of the world are not the ends but a means played out.  The end is life or death.  The means to be played out is how we conduct ourselves in earthly practices to see progress.  Will it be ill-gotten, unethical, and wicked ways or will it be with righteousness, right living, and just ways?  One leads to temporary improper earthly gains now but eternal death in the end and the other leads to proper earthly gains now but eternal life in the end.

v.3 - The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, but He will reject the craving of the wicked.

The Lord is going to provide what you need as you proceed forward in righteousness or wisdom.  The foolish are using ill-gotten ways to make great improper earthly gains but all those things gained will not stand at death as anything the Lord will accept.  The Lord accepts those who follow after His ways and not those who reject them.  They may have a lot of stuff but it is not the right stuff when you stand before God in the end.  God will provide what you need as you live a life that is honoring to Him.

v.4 - Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

You see he looks rich but he is really poor.  He is poor because he is negligent to following after God.  The wise could look really poor but he is really rich because he is diligent to follow after God.  By whose definitions are you going to go by, the world's or by God's?  These definitions will clash at many points and actually be just the opposite in content and conclusion.  God's definitions are usually larger in sight and longer in effect than the world's that are usually smaller in scope and shorter in effect to just this world.

To have a negligent hand is to be lax or slack in the activity that is at hand and therefore in the book of Proverbs that is wisdom which is the applying of the fear of the Lord to your life.  To have a diligent hand is to be sharp and to the point in the activity that is at hand and therefore in the book of Proverbs that is the wisdom which is the applying of the fear of the Lord to your life.  What kind of hand do you have today that will qualify if you are rich or poor by God's definition of the word?  How do we know?  What is the response of your parents, gladness or grief?  How are you making your earthly gains, unethical or ethical?  Let's pray.

"Lord, thank You that the Proverbs are so down to earth practical.  They point out every day practices that we are a part of as we live our lives and the decisions on how we will respond.  Those responses show if we are negligent or diligent in respect to You.  May we see and understand Your definitions of poorness and richness and follow Your ways bringing gladness and not grief.  Open my eyes that I might see, illumine me, Spirit divine.  Amen."

Pastor Adam