Monday - Proverbs 10 - The Good & the Bad

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F Proverbs 9 was one big contrast, Proverbs 10 is a whole host of contrasts, which in the end again demonstrates a bigger one.  In almost every verse we are presented with 2 things which are opposite:  the wise man versus the fool... the righteous versus the wicked... the diligent versus the slacker... etc.  And, nestled in the middle of all these great tidbits of wisdom is perhaps the most significant and conclusive of them all.  In Proverbs 10:24 & 28 we are reminded that right ways and wrong ways lead in very opposite directions.  Specifically, that which a wicked man hopes against is sure to come to be, but just as surely, that which a righteous man hopes for is bound to happen.  And, a fool’s hopes are sure to be dashed.

There is simply not enough room in our venue to cover every proverb in this chapter.  In fact, even a topical listing seems a bit cumbersome, but... let's try it anyway.  Here Solomon deals with familial relations, financial investments, divine protection, the rewards of diligence, the consequences of indolence, reputations, receptivity to education, deception, gossip, verboseness and providential generosity.  Perhaps you can find even a few more primary topics.

Every specific issue that Solomon addresses is significant.  Yet, to me an overarching theme arises that is perhaps even more important than any single topic or than any combination of chief topics in this chapter.  Through compiling this list of contrasting forces, Solomon has clearly delineated a paradigm that applies universally.  Good is good and evil is evil.  One would think that pointing this out would be both redundant and unnecessary, but that assumption would be wrong (Isaiah 5:20).  Calling good things by bad names and using favorable descriptors for wickedness is unfortunately common.  Satan likes to paint with grays, to walk in the shadows, to hold hands with both saints and sinners and to smile cheerily while he guts you with your own sword.  He likes his coffee and his ice cream equally warm.  His favorite punctuation mark is the question mark.  His favorite conjunction is but.  He is the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33).