The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 10th on Proverbs 10

[If you have been here before, in May, then you might want to skip down below the green for today's post.]

"Thirty days hath September, 

April, June and November

All the rest have 31

Except February which has 28

Except during leap year when it has 29"

NO I DID NOT WRITE THIS "POEM"!  (Talk about free verse!)

Why didn't somebody just point out that the four months that do NOT have 31 days (except February, and everyone knows all about February The Exceptional) come every other month except that there is no 30 day month between July and August?  The silly poem above mixes up the order just to hide the fact that the real 30 day months come in two orderly pairs: April/June and September/November.  Can somebody please write a non-silly poem for us that will make this clear, and stick in our minds, but without gooping them up with exceptions (and please just leave February out of it!)?

And to make matters (far) worse, MILLERWRITES has created a Proverbs Pull-A-Part Plan that decimates that fine collection of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, by spreading commentary on each chapter out over 7 months (the good 31 day months)!  Oh don't ask me to explain his system.  You can try to decipher what he said about it at the top of any P31P posts from January or March if you like, or just follow along this month and figure it out.

All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied here from Biblegateway.com

REMEMBER: My ideas may be oh so mesmerizing, but you will get more benefit from simply reading the chapter itself!

So here I offer my amateur comments on verses 10-14.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

Proverbs 10


Proverbs of Solomon

1 The proverbs of Solomon:


A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.


2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,
but righteousness delivers from death.


3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.


4 Lazy hands make for poverty,
but diligent hands bring wealth.


5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.


6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.[a]


7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,[b]
but the name of the wicked will rot.


8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

10) I guess any "maliciously" related acts lead to somebody's grief.  Of these, we must be aware .  It is probably harder for the "chattering fool" to avoid the trouble he causes himself.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

11) The good fount flowing from the righteous is a joy to behold, and even better to run under and get soaked!  But scarily, it is those hidden intentions of the wicked that suddenly come to life and hit you between the eyes.

12 Hatred stirs up conflict,
but love covers over all wrongs.

12) Of course hatred stirs up conflict.  Seems like an understatement; but perhaps it's here to set up the real point of the verse here, which is echoed in first Peter 4:8.   "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I love finding examples of  the Old Testament and New saying the same thing.  God never changes.


13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

13) Not only do the discerning get to recognize and practice wisdom, they speak of it, and share the same.  And those who have no sense, to the detriment of many, need some harsh discipline.

14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

14) I love collecting facts and understanding in many subjects, BUT, I also vainly enjoy saying stupid things for a dumb laugh.  Woe is me!

15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.


16 The wages of the righteous is life,
but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.


17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.


18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips
and spreads slander is a fool.


19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.


20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.


21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.


22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
without painful toil for it.


23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.


24 What the wicked dread will overtake them;
what the righteous desire will be granted.


25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.


26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so are sluggards to those who send them.


27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.


28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.


29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.


30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.


31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be silenced.


32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.



By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?