Proverbs 10:6–12 – How ought we to live?

What we do and act in life determines the ultimate outcome of our life. Living righteously or wickedly will each bring a different outcome to life. Each will be differently valued and rewarded by God and others. The righteous will be blessed whereas the wicked will be cursed. Each will elicit a different memory after they have passed on. The righteous will be remembered pleasantly whereas the wicked will be remembered with contempt. Think of the people in history. Those who had done rightly are fondly remembered but those who had done wickedly evoke negative feelings. For example, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus is remembered with disdain. And so is Hitler, who had done great atrocities to the Jews. But when we think of people like Enoch, or David who walked with God, our life is challenged to put faith in God and to walk with Him diligently.   

Verse 8 looks at the contrasting life of a wise and a fool. The wise displays a receptive heart. They quietly and humbly absorb godly teachings and counsel. Whereas the foolish displays arrogance. They never stop talking and spewing out endless and senseless talks that lead to ruin. The wise will be seen for their resolute heart but the foolish will be remembered for their loose lips.  In verse 9 are the principles to find security in life, when we walk with integrity and sincerity. Hence, we have nothing to fear because we have nothing to hide. Such a lifestyle frees us from anxiety. The good news is that God Himself will put a hedge of protection over us. The crooked will not find security. Whatever wicked deeds, though done covertly, will be uncovered eventually. They cannot walk securely because they will have to keep scheming and deceiving to cover their falsehood. In one unguarded moment, they will be tripped by their own deceit. Wicked deeds cannot be hidden forever. They will be found out, judged, punished and put to open shame.  

Verse 10 contrasts those who are honest and sincere to people who are full of guile and craftiness. Winking of the eyes suggests guile and craftiness. It’s a secret signal to do something cunning. It is deployed to avoid being noticed by a victim so as not to alert him to a plot on his life. The second part of this verse repeats what is said in verse 8. It says, “And a babbling fool will be ruined.” The drift in verse 8 is that the foolish talk will harm the babbling fool himself but in verse 10, the foolish talks will bring harm to others. Verse 10 deals with the result of one’s speech. The words of the righteous is a fountain of life. They are speeches that bring life and refreshment to the hearers. They deliver words that vitalize, nourish, admonish and bring hope and life to the recipients. On the other hand, the words of the wicked are designed to cover real malicious intents. They are deceptive, hypocritical and harmful, and crafted to bait the innocent to destruction. And finally verse 12 seeks to impart counsel to be amiable and not to be quarrelsome. One who is magnanimous and gracious seeks ways and means to quell any misunderstanding. Whereas one who hates will stir and cause a small matter to become a huge mountain. Such a person looks for opportunities to blow up an issue, takes revenge and creates endless strife.   

We can act and live to be game changers for God. There is so much richness to living when we emulate the righteous and refuse to follow the footsteps of the wicked. Take heart to Jesus’ call to us in Matthew 5:48, “…you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”