When to Work

Proverbs 10:5:

5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Work hard when the time is right. This isn't condemning rest or praising hard work for work's sake. It lays out when to work, during harvest. This is important when you realize what happens when you don't. The family relationship here is also not arbitrary because of how our effort impacts those closest to us.

Rewarded Diligence

Proverbs 10:4:

4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

The path to wealth is full of hard work. There are no get-rich-quick schemes. This is not so much a call for Christian capitalists as much as it is a description of the world. Though I believe it is an indictment against those able to work who don't. The Bible is full of verses calling us to help the needy. There is a clear distinction between sloth and need.

Encouraging a Good Appetite

Proverbs 10:3:

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

The wisest thing you can do is to earnestly ask for Godly wisdom. Here is the promise that the LORD (capital letters imply God's personal name, Yahweh or Jehovah) will never let a soul go hungry. On the flip side, he promises to hinder immoral desires.

Unprofitable Profit

Proverbs 10:2:

2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

As appealing as ill-gotten wealth can be, it does not satisfy. Recent economic events can attest to that. Only real righteousness brings our greatest profit.

External Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 10:1:

1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Here begins a new section of the book of Proverbs consisting of wise sayings from Solomon, a man famous for his God given wisdom. The first one here shows how our pursuit of wisdom has a direct impact not only our ourselves, but those around us. Wise children make their loved ones happy, foolish children bring them sadness. It seems obvious, but how often do we take others into account when we think about our own learning and discipline?

The Opposing Message

Proverbs 9:13-18:

13 The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way,
16 "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" And to him who lacks sense she says,
17 "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."
18 But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

The first part of this chapter we've seen wisdom, personified as a women setting a feast for all who are hungry. Here we see the opposite of wisdom, folly. Like wisdom, foolishness is in the center of town, calling out for followers. Both seek the simple, which suggests the wise will not fall for folly's trap. The difference between the two calls is in their message. Wisdom offers a feast, folly suggests stealing one. And where wisdom offers life, here the opposing message only delivers death.