Proverbs 10:1-10

A Wise Son-the Treasures of Wickedness, Etc.

Pro 10:1-10

The New Testament is careful to point out the duty of the parent as well as the duty of the child. That would seem to be neglected in some parts of the Old Testament, though not in the substance of the book. Is it not true that the father makes the son, and that the mother is responsible for her child? When a son is wise or is foolish, we are entitled to look into his antecedents, and possibly we may find that his father and mother explain the whole of his infirmity. Were this truth more profoundly considered, and more earnestly applied to life, endless mischief might be prevented. It is not to be supposed that wisdom and virtue are hereditary possessions; on the other hand, it is but reasonable to suppose that diligence in the education of the mind will end in the formation of solid and useful character. Some of the noblest parents have been burdened with children who have been unwise, unfaithful, and unworthy in all moral respects. Epaminondas used to say that he joyed in nothing more than that his parents were yet alive to take comfort in his progress and military achievements. To Abimelech was rendered the wickedness done to his father, and as Absalom hangs by his hair in the boughs of the tree we may see an instance of a man who cultivated an unfilial spirit. Parents cannot escape the consequences arising from the conduct of their children, whether those consequences be happy or unhappy. We have seen that Rebekah was weary of her life by reason of the daughters of Heth brought in to her by her son Esau. Mothers must remember that it is useless to complain and repine and indulge in reproach if they have let the opportunity of infancy and youth pass by without improvement. He is a fool who neglects the seedtime, and then complains that there is no harvest. Parents begin the work of discipline too late, and then mourn that all their best efforts are thrown away; they should watch over the opening mind as benighted travellers watch for the dawn of day, that they may take advantage of it and pursue their purposes with vigour. He that spareth the rod hateth the child. There is a kindness that is cruelty, and there is an apparent harshness which is really the expression of the truest beneficence. Families have been ruined by ill-regulated discipline: there has been no reason in it; there has been no dignity of justice about it; it has simply expressed an arbitrary will, and has revealed a tyrannical rather than a paternal spirit. Against all such discipline the Christian Church should indignantly protest. Wise love will always find out the best methods, and true affection will not fail to apply them, even though momentary pain be given to the child.

"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death" ( Pro 10:2 ).

By "treasures of wickedness" we are to understand the riches which are gained by bad methods, by sharp practice, by taking advantage of the weak, and by bartering the soul for temporary profit There is an abundance of this kind of treasure in the world, and some of it is to be found in quite unexpected places. It is always difficult indeed to make money honestly in anything like large quantities. It would almost seem that honest labour stopped at the getting of bread and water, and that to advance beyond these elements is to advance into danger and probably to succumb to temptation. Nothing is promised by heaven but bread and water; yet no one is contented with these elementary gifts; every man wants what lies beyond; much will have more, and more will have an addition still; and thus the accumulation proceeds until the mind is unbalanced and the whole circle of life is set in false and bewildering relations. By "righteousness" we are to understand almsgiving, good-doing, beneficence. Jesus Christ says, "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men," translated in the English version, "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men." In this verse we have a contrast between riches gained by wrong, and advantages arising from the exercise of righteousness or almsgiving. Beneficence delivers from death, because it is a sign of the divine life within. He who does good to others from a right motive is no longer under the dominion of death; he enters into life with Jesus Christ; his life is hidden with Christ in God: to do good from a motive like this is to show how entirely between the heart of man and the Cross of Christ a profound and joyous sympathy has been established. Good doing must not be made an investment of; that is to say, we must not try to buy ourselves off from the charge and claim of death. Done from such a motive, there would be nothing good in the action. The external relations of the action might be beneficial to others, but every action must be judged by the motive which inspires it. When a cup of cold water is given it must be given in the name of a disciple, or for the sake of Christ; and in this religious motive will be found the guarantee of that water being recognised in heaven, and turned into wine for the giver's drinking.

"The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked" ( Pro 10:3 ).

This is the wonderful promise of the Old Testament, and it is confirmed by the exceeding great and precious promises of the New Covenant. The Lord takes charge of all souls; to some giving all the beauty and comfort of heaven, and to others awarding all that is due to unfaithfulness. "All souls are mine." It is beautiful to picture the Lord as having all souls in his custody, and dealing with each according to its moral tone and purpose. Given a righteous man, and it would seem as if all the angels of God were in charge of him. If a righteous man could be driven into everlasting punishment the whole security of the universe would be violated: yea, even it a righteous man could come to permanent mischief, or be exposed to loss of an ultimate kind, even in this world; if his spirit of contentment and joy could be taken away from him because of the withdrawal of external blessings, then righteousness is vanity, and prayer is wasted breath. All the promises of God are enlisted on behalf of the good and true servant On the other hand, God "casteth away the substance of the wicked." That is to say, he repels the eager passion and desire of the wicked. However much they may long for promotion, they do not get it; though their eyes are stretched out in eager expectation of advancement and blessing, riches and honour, yet disappointment shall fall upon their vision, and they shall see nothing but grievous darkness. Wicked men have substance; they have many riches; they have a great name in the world: but all this amounts to nothing, because within there is no heart of truth, no spirit of wisdom, no genius of spiritual devotion. The Lord is against the wicked always against him, necessarily against him; nothing can ever bring about conciliation between the one and the other, except the uttermost repentance on the part of the wicked, and complete self-renunciation. Let no wicked man suppose that by the multiplication of his riches he can achieve a permanent standing in the universe as an honoured and accepted person. His wickedness will be as a millstone about his neck, and he will be drowned in the abysses of perdition.

"He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich" ( Pro 10:4 ).

Our life is dependent upon our industry. It is good for man that he should have to labour. Were God to do all, we should truly leave him to do it, not caring to co-operate with the divine husbandman in the culture of the field of life. We are called upon to labour with our hands, working the thing that is good, that we may have to give to him that needeth. By the "diligent" we are to understand the nimble-handed those who are active and agile, who will lose nothing for want of rising early and peering about in the darkness, if they may but catch a glimpse even of an outline of things. The persons referred to in the text are those who take account of microscopic matters; they are particular about the smallest coins, about moments and minutes, about so-called secondary engagements and plans. The true business man lives in the midst of his business. In this matter Boaz was an example: to the world; his eyes ranged over the whole field; he knew every servant and every reaper; yea, his eye was upon the gleaners also. Boaz lived in his business in the sense of being in the midst of his husbandry, well knowing that the eye of the master is worth more than the hands of all his servants. Let no one say that the Bible is a book of abstractions and spiritual metaphysics, having no relation to the activities and duties of the present life, with such proverbs as these before him. The spirit of wisdom here deals with the daily affairs of life, comments upon the spirit and actions of men, and withholds not criticism alike from the good and the evil. We are not far from the sanctuary of God when we are listening to proverbs like these. They seem to be indeed destitute of what we commonly know as evangelical unction, but the destitution is apparent rather than real. Nowhere in the Bible is life regarded as a piece of mechanism that may be trimmed by the hand, but always as a profound vitality that can only be sufficiently regulated, inspired, and directed by him who created it. The Bible insists upon the poor being recognised and assisted, and it further insists that the rich hand shall empty itself into the lap of the poor, and thus shall increase in riches; by an apparent contradiction, it shall have the more the more it gives.

"He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame" ( Pro 10:5 ).

Our efforts in life must be seasonable. We must know whether we are working in spring or summer, autumn or winter. The men of Issachar were popular with their king because they had understanding of the times. There is a religious forethought. To gather in summer is not to show unbelief regarding God's goodness, but rather to show gratitude for its abundance. He who neglects to gather neglects the bounties of the Lord as well as neglects his own future necessities. The very fact that God has strewn his riches so abundantly is a silent call to men to arise and claim them in the name of honour and honesty and justice. God does not give his blessings that they may be trampled under foot, but that they may be gathered and garnered, laid up against the day of evil. The man who sleeps in harvest is pronounced a fool, because he lets his opportunity slip. The historian writes concerning Hannibal that when he could have taken Rome he would not, and when he would he could not. We are to be men of opportunity; that is to say, we are to buy up the opportunity, we are to redeem the time, to say, "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." When God opens a gate he means that we should go through it, and pass into all the inheritance beyond; when God sends autumn upon the earth, with all its golden wheatfields and purple vintages, it is that men may arise and gather in the fruits of the earth, so that when winter comes there may be a garden within the walls of the house, yea, an abundant store on the hearthstone. There was a king of Sicily who was called "The Lingerer," not because he stayed till opportunity came, but because he stayed till opportunity was lost. There is a time to wait, and there is a time to act. Overlong waiting means loss of chance, for the king has passed by and the gates are closed; but to wait patiently until everything is ripe for action is the very last expression of Christian culture. "He that believeth shall not make haste;" he who only half believeth shall live in fretfulness and anxiety, shall always be clutching at prizes and never seizing them.

"Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked" ( Pro 10:6 ).

All men must acknowledge this to be not only true in fact but excellent in reason and justice. The good man is a crowned man. Find the just man where you may, you find a sceptre in his hand in token of royalty and dominion. To be just is to be like God. To be just is to care for the interests of others. "But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked." Curses and deeds of violence issue from the mouth of the wicked in great storms and blasts, as if they could by fury accomplish their purpose, but God lays his hand upon the swollen lips, and causes the profane man to swallow his own blasphemies. The Lord conceals wicked lips in silence, or he turns the evil speaker to confusion by allowing the fury of the bad man to strike down the house which he profaned by his presence. All violent and wicked men shall be shamed and condemned. They do not speak the word of justice; they are not animated by the spirit of truth; they are not swayed by the angel of love: they take everything into their own hands, and would be masters and lords and sovereigns, forgetting that the Lord reigneth, and that all creatures are greatest and best when they bow in homage before the altar of the Creator. If we would increase in blessing we must increase in the spirit of justness. We must always distinguish between violence and strength. Omnipotence is quiet because omnipotence is complete. When the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing, they are not far from the destruction which God inflicts upon those who boast themselves against him. God seizes the moment of human fury that he may confound the counsels of the wicked. To be in a passion of unreasonableness is to be within one step of doom.

"The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot" ( Pro 10:7 ).

To a statement like this all men must say, So be it; for this is wise and good and just. Who would not preserve a noble name? The recollection of such a name is a continual inspiration. From that recollection many things may be shed that are mere matters of detail, but the substance and the honour, the real quality and worth, abide with us evermore. Who need be ashamed to own that he had a just father and a virtuous mother? No man blushes when he cites the name of a conqueror who worked heroically, and succeeded perfectly in the great warfare of life. Just memories are flowers we cannot allow to fade: we water them with our tears; by them we enrich and ennoble our prayers, and by them we animate ourselves as by a sacred stimulus. Blessed are they who have a noble past, a yesterday crowded with figures and memories of things beautiful and lovable; they can never be lonely, they can never be sad; they walk in the company of the just and the true, and the silence of the communion does not diminish its music. Let the name of the wicked rot. It is a name of ill-savour; it fills the whole house with a sense of putrescence. Sad to think that many a man is so living that his own child will one day be ashamed of him, and will not, except under compulsion, venture to mention his dishonoured name. "He that perverteth his ways shall be known." The Lord shall lead forth the foolish with the workers of iniquity, and shall cause them and their cunning contrivances to be forgotten. Here is a fame which is possible to every man. It is not possible for us all to win renown in fields of battle, in walks of literature, in lines of adventure, or in regions of discovery and enterprise; that kind of renown must be left to the few, the elect who are created to lead the world's civilisation; but the renown of goodness, the fame of purity, the reputation of excellence, these lie within the power of the poorest man that lives. A good name is better than riches. The poor of this world may be rich in faith. A man who never invented anything to enrich the civilisation of his day may have so prayed as to bring down the blessing of heaven upon his times.

"The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall" ( Pro 10:8 ).

The wise in heart will look out for the word of authority, and will not consider it an indignity to submit to God's rule. This, indeed, is the very perfectness of Christian education to know that we are ignorant, and that we are under guidance, and that the true counsel and direction can come only from heaven. The consummation of all prayer is "Not my will, but thine, be done." This is not only the consummation of prayer, it is the last attainment of wisdom. We have to work faithfully and arduously in order to realise this remote conclusion. When a man has come to find that he knows nothing, and that he is in the hands of God, waiting for everything, and that his utmost might can only enable him to co-operate with God, never to go before, but always to toil behind with a willing heart, he is approaching the close of his earthly education he is getting ready for the school of heaven, where the lessons are deeper, and where the opportunity of advancement is enlarged. The prating fool is nowhere well spoken of; he is doomed to fall. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. By "fools" we are to understand persons who are self-conceited, headstrong, who will listen to no counsel, but who insist that they know everything, and are independent of every one. They prate, they talk loudly, they vex others by their criticism, they will always be heard; it is not for them to sit still and in a passive mood receive instruction; they will be instructors, leaders, loud speakers, not knowing that whilst they are holding their heads so high their feet are steadily moving down to the pit. A companion of fools shall be destroyed.

"He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known" ( Pro 10:9 ).

The man who walks uprightly is relieved from all fear, and is inspired by the very spirit of courage. He knows that he means to be right and to do right, and therefore he can challenge the world to find fault with him. He does not boast of ultimate wisdom; he simply glories in an honest purpose. Far from saying that all his counsels are founded in wisdom and must end in success, he can say, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I want to be like my Saviour, and to do all his will in simple and faithful obedience. That is enough. He has no cause to believe that he will bring discredit upon his profession; he trusts quietly in the Lord. The man who goes through life by crooked paths, sinuously endeavouring to avoid royal thoroughfares, will be discovered, and because he has a consciousness of this ultimate detection he lives a life of perpetual unrest. The man who perverts his ways shall be instructed by misfortune. He would not listen to more genial teachers, he put away from him the spirit of counsel and understanding; so the grim monitor known by the name of Misfortune comes and conducts his schooling, compelling him to read hard words, and to undergo severe discipline. To pervert the way is to make it crooked, to complicate that which is simple, and to exhibit moral cleverness at the expense of moral integrity. So we come again and again upon the solemn truth that in uprightness alone is safety, that honesty is a child of the daylight, and that true honour works for no advantage, but submits itself to the most searching analysis and criticism. "The righteous are bold as a lion." See a man who is endeavouring to pervert his way, and watch how every day brings him nearer and nearer to his fall. He may be singularly fortunate for a time, he may elude detection, he may deceive the very elect of his own household, so that they who are closest to him shall not know how true a servant of the devil he is; but in the end that which is spoken in secret shall be heard in public, the concealed place shall be as the open housetop, and a whisper shall multiply itself into thunder; and in that day of discovery it will be known that he that perverteth his ways cannot secure his purpose, but shall be foiled in the hour when he expected triumph and rest.

"He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall" ( Pro 10:10 ).

He misleads people, he gives them false hints and suggestions, and then he glories in the vexation which he inflicts upon them; he is wanting in rectitude, straightforwardness, and social honour; he does not care whom he misleads or misdirects, enough for him that he gains his point for the moment; the more people he can bring into misery the greater will be his wicked enjoyment Everything that is underhanded, that is aside from the straightforward course of virtue and wisdom, must cause sorrow, sooner or later. Have no part with men who give themselves up to tricks, to evil counsels, to the working of disappointment in the hearts of others; only believe the man whose voice is clear, simple, and direct; about whose word there is no moral mystery, whose word is his bond, whose words indeed may be few, but not therefore unwise: the man who means what he says, and who having sworn to his hurt will still carry out his covenant. The man who can submit to a mean trick will certainly not shrink from carrying it out in its fulness when opportunity serves. To wink with the eye may seem to be innocent enough, and so it may be under some circumstances, but when it is an indication of moral depravity, when it indicates knavery, trickery, deceit, the issue thereof must be sorrow of the bitterest quality.

What a table of regulations we have even so far in this Book of Proverbs! Were we to cut the book short even here, we should have enough for the guidance of our life in all practical wisdom. The Proverbs would seem to vindicate the Bible, as we have already said, from the charge of dealing in things that are merely ghostly and far off. This book brings the whole Bible down to the very level of daily life, and causes men to think seriously about matters which on first appearance may not seem to be religious. In very deed, religion is found in all the actions of life, whether we sit or rise, wake or sleep, go forth to the marketplace or enclose ourselves in the sanctuary of communion with God all has upon it a sign of relationship towards larger things, and a hint of final and irrevocable judgment. Blessed are they who know the meaning of righteousness, uprightness, truth, justice, and wisdom. Wheresoever they walk they are walking towards the light, and whatsoever the discipline through which they are passing they are moving onward to reward and higher service.