The Wisdom of Proverbs
The Wisdom of Proverbs
Proverbs 10:20-23 It is the blessing of the Lord that makes one rich
The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.
The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding.
It is the blessing of the Lord that makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.
Proverbs 10:20-22 NASB1995
Today’s verses are from Proverbs, Chapter 10. It is in this chapter that Solomon starts a series of two-phrase, single verses that continue through at least Proverbs 22:16. The previous chapters could be considered an introduction to the wisdom given to Solomon by God; in Chapter 10, he begins to impart that wisdom to his readers.
These gems of wisdom are quite short, which is why I chose three of them to study today beginning with Proverbs 10:20 — “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.”
Here, Solomon is stating that the words spoken by righteous people are beneficial to others and have much value, as if they were heavy ingots of silver. Don’t you sometimes feel that words of encouragement and kindness that others have said to you are the most valuable treasure you’ve ever received? I can still remember teachers who showed interest in my future and gave me encouragement when I didn’t understand something and felt discouraged. When I was going through some tough times in my career, it wasn’t the negative things that were said to me by managers or co-workers that I remember — it’s the small acts of kindness and concern that people showed that stick out in my mind.
A wicked heart — like that of one manager I worked for — has very little worth and doesn’t bear consideration. God will try His hardest to change that heart into something better, and that is what I pray whenever I think of that person.
Solomon continues on the theme of speaking words of wisdom or folly in verse 10:21 — “The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding.” Of course, he’s speaking in symbols here — lips don’t feed people in the sense of nutrition. But the righteous can “feed” others with love and kindness through constructive and positive speech. For the contrary statement, those who reject wisdom are eventually punished in one way or another, leading to death. Rejecting God’s ultimate wisdom leads to eternal separation from Him, a truly horrible death.
I found the next verse (10:22) — “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.” — to be confusing, until I realized that the NASB95 and NASB20 had omitted the word “one” that is found in the NKJV translation. The NKJV is the translation I am using for this verse.
What does it mean? That the wise person who has been blessed with riches understands that those blessings are from God! James 1:17 states this very well: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
To add a thick layer of sweet icing to the cake of God’s blessings, He also “adds no sorrow to it.” From Enduring Word:
This is a greater blessing upon a smaller blessing. To receive riches from God is to be blessed; to have riches without the sorrow that often come with them is an even greater blessing. There are many rich people who are miserable and have great sorrow along with their riches.
i. Adds no sorrow with it: “Those three vultures shall be driven away that constantly feed on the wealthy worldling’s heart - care in getting, fear in keeping, grief in losing the things of this life. God giveth to his, wealth without woe, store without sore, gold without guilt.” (Trapp)1
I have to admit that back in the days when I was a non-believer, I thought that our good fortune was all due to our hard work. When God brought me back into His fold, it occurred to me like a flash of lightning that none of our prosperity was our doing — every step of the way His hand was guiding and protecting us. Giving the first fruits of that prosperity to Him is a joy, knowing that it helps to grow and nourish His flock.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Gracious and loving Lord, bless us generously with Your favor. May our lives be enriched with the fruits of Your blessings, and also with contentment and joy. Let our tongues speak only wisdom, our words nourish the souls of others, and our hearts overflow with gratitude to You. In Your blessing there is no sorrow, only peace. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Quotations from Enduring Word used with written permission of the author.
Trapp, John "A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments" Volume 3 (Proverbs to Daniel) (Eureka, California: Tanski Publications, 1997)