Proverbs 10:17-32
One of the recurring themes of Proverbs is our words. Verses 18-21 offer worthy insights to our conversations or, as is the case in verse 19, the absence of words. The first part of the issue is word explosion. When there is a multitude of words, there will be sin. We see this in gossip, where each gossiper tries to outdo the other. We see it in heated arguments where people speak before they think. We even see it in the police investigation, in which guilty people talk a lot to explain their innocence. In contrast, the wise person says little or nothing. To add to a conversation, one must have something worthwhile to add. There is an old Latin saying that translates to "He is closest to God who knows how to be silent for a good reason." Verse 24 is historically speaking loaded with irony. Wicked people have a deep fear, and so they will work aggressively to prevent those fears from coming about? But their activity actually brings that which they fear. Let’s look at two examples. In Genesis 11:4 we see the motivation for building the Tower of Babel: “lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” What was the result of their project? That which they most feared. What was the motivation for the religious elite to arrange the judicial murder of Jesus? What the elite feared was that the Romans would “come and take away both our temple and our nation." As a result of rejecting the Messiah, the Jewish leadership led their people to the ruin of 70 A.D. In contrast, the desires of the righteous will be granted. "We must not imagine that this refers to our selfish, worldly desires. What the righteous desire is what God wants for them! When our greatest desire is for God's will to be done in our lives, God will ultimately make that happen. It is tempting to say, "God's greatest desire for me is to have—here you can insert your own agenda." The desires we impose in God's name may be nothing like what He wants in us and for us.
"Lord, help me make sure all my words honor You. AMEN."
