Fools and Fool Makers

For Friday, June 3, 2005
Proverbs 10:10

Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

By "winks the eye" the proverb refers to one who plans mischief. He deceives his neighbor, perhaps in collusion with another. Even if harm is not intended, the winker may be making someone else the butt of a joke. The babbling fool appears again with the same result of verse 8: he comes to ruin. The babbler thinks he is spouting wisdom, winning respect for himself, when all he is really doing is exposing his foolishness. He cannot see himself as others see him. He certainly is being winked about by others who make fun of him or even bring him to ruin.

But the fool and the one who likes to make fools of others are in the same pit of destruction. The trouble one causes will in the end come around and bring down the trouble maker. One may be able to deceive for awhile, but he will sooner or later be revealed for the kind of person he is and become more avoided than the babbling fool. The fool is recognized for what he is and can be tolerated. No one tolerates the winker who delights in making fools of others. They may be the next targets.

Satan is the great winker, seeking to make fools of God's people. Let us heed the admonition of Peter to be watchful for this lion who seeks to devour us (cf. 1 Peter 5:8).

True Security

For Thursday, June 2, 2005
Proverbs 10:9

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

I am reading David Skeel's Icarus in the Boardroom, which is about corporate scandals. It could be regarded as an exposition of this proverb. A man rises into the sky through energy and innovation, only to eventually fall because his pride, ambition, and greed drive him to compromise his integrity and commonsense. Crooked ways will be found out, if only because the sinful impulses that take us along such ways blind us to the greatest danger of all - our own inadequacies. Always on the lookout for the dangers in our path, we neglect to look inside to see the dangers being fomented in our own hearts - pride, anger, greed, etc.

To walk in integrity by definition is to focus on the heart. A business man of integrity may desire to be successful, but because he knows the dangers of the heart, he acts with greater wisdom and thus walks securely,

That is the proverb from the perspective of human experience. The deeper and simpler truth is that the Lord protects the person of integrity and brings down the crooked person. The righteous Judge will see that justice prevails. We cannot hide our sins from God, but also know that our obedience to his commands are also seen and commended. And understand the greatest security that we have: we "by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5).

Wise of Heart

For Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Proverbs 10:8

The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

This is a recurring theme in Proverbs and the basis upon which the proverbs are offered. Solomon wrote in chapter 1:5ff, "Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and thier riddles...fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Are you looking for someone with wisdom from whom you can learn and who you can trust? Then find someone who easily receives instruction himself, indeed, someone who is eager to keep learning. Find someone who takes seriously learning and obeying God's commandments. It is the fool who delights in his own words, who desires not so much to pass on knowledge but to appear knowledgeable. The fool listens to no one; the wise are always receptive to what is true, good, and useful.

The best teacher is the best student; the wisest counselor is the humblest of learners; the strongest leader is the most willing to receive good direction.

Blessed Memory

For Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Proverbs 10:7

The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.

I have recently been visiting the historic sites of Philadelphia which are also those of our country. The names of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and, of course, George Washington have been evoked in veneration time and again for their contributions to America. Their memory is a blessing to us American citizens. Contrast their names with Benedict Arnold, whose name has become a byword for traitor.

But God gives memory of the righteous such as the biblical and church saints who stir us on to live in their example. He gives memory of good friends and relatives who have blessed us, whose very memory make us blessed. And how thankful we are for such memory. Think now of the good memory someone has left you with and thank God that he would so bless you with such a memory. And then, pray to God that through you, he will bless someone else with good memories. Someone will give thanks for the memory of a kindness you showed, of the example you modeled. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give anyone is a good memory.

Finally, let us not forget the words of our Lord, who told us the remember him. This coming celebrate is the sacrament of memory, of remembering the death, the atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And because God will never forget that death, we shall forever be known as a blessing in the memory of God.

Commentary on the Righteous and the Wicked

For Monday, May 30, 2005
Proverbs 10:6

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

I can't think of a better commentary on this proverb than Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Remember, the Lord knows. He knows the way of the righteous and the wicked, and he brings each to his just reward.