#proverbs 10 study

Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

Who doesn't want blessings on their life? I know I do! The way to get them is to live righteously before the eyes of the Lord. But what is righteous? It is defined as characterized by uprightness or morality: a righteous observance of the law, morally right or justifiable: righteous indignation. But being moral can be difficult. They are so many areas that are not defined in the Bible as well as cultural differences from when it was written. That is where working out your salvation with fear and trembling comes from.

The second half states that violence will follow the wicked and I have seen this to be so true. If the hand of God is not on your life you are opening yourself to all sorts of evil. I know for me when I am not living in the will of God it is usually manifested through nightmares and insomnia. I will have awful terrifying nightmares and sleep for about two hours a night. That is a sign to me that I need to get my life right.

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

I am by no means a great example of sharing my faith. It is more of a rarity for me to tell someone about Jesus then it is the norm. I am the disgraceful son who is sleeping through the harvest. The harvest of lost souls is there and ready but I am the last to do something about it. In Mathew 9:35-38 it says, "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” There is an abundance of people who are hungry for God and who have no traditional way of hearing about Him. They have never been in a church and don’t have plans to go. It is my job to reach out to them yet, I am a failure at this job.

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

This verse is speaking against laziness. I am so very guilty of this. Last night I consciously chose to go to sleep instead of reading my bible. I fall so very short in my duty to God. Although I read scripture in various forms throughout the day I feel like reading His word out of a physical book is so much more of a connection.

Most sins seem to be tracked back to laziness. Thief, too lazy to work for what one wants.  A liar is too lazy to tell the truth or too lazy face the repercussions of the telling the truth. I lied simply to not get yelled at. I was lazy. Laziness can be seen in just about every sin. Lord, help me to be diligent for You. Give me the wisdom to make right choices for you.

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

God will provide for His people. Provide is defined as to put at the disposal of; furnish or supply, to afford; yield.  As an American from a middle class family I have never known what it is like to go without. I have never been in a place where I did not know what it was like to go without food or shelter. I do, however, know what it is like to worry about someone not having enough.

 When someone you know and love dearly is in a desperate place, you want to do everything you can to be the provider for them. To make sure they never lack for comfort let alone basic essentials.  At that time in my life I had no job and no way to assist. I tried so hard and still do to make sure that thriving is occurring not just surviving.

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

When I read this verse the first thing my mind goes to is earthly treasures. Things like money and possessions. For me, I am not tempted to steal a valuable gem. “I’ll-gotten treasures” doesn’t apply to me. Or does it? Treasure could mean virtually anything. By definition treasure is anything we value.