Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 611 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Words and Wealth – Proverbs 10

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 611 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore Proverbs 10 from The Voice Translation which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It has been a cooler but pleasant week so far. This past weekend I was able to finish cutting up the trees that we had chopped down in February. We will wait until fall to split the larger pieces, which will give them time to dry out. We certainly will have enough firewood for a few winter seasons.

Our granddaughter Hazel is at Nationwide Children Hospital for two days again this week as she begins the next phase of her treatments. She is responding very well to the treatments, and at this point, her blood, spinal fluid, and bone marrow are all clear of leukemia cells. Her hemoglobin and immune system have also stabilized back within a normal range for a child of her age.

Although these great results will not shorten the treatment period, it does mean that the treatments will not have to be quite as extensive. We are grateful to God and to everyone who has prayed or helped out in any other manner. If you would like to keep up with the news about Hazel, and read the blog posts that her father Nat is writing about Hazel’s progress, you can access it at basilforhazel.org. We would appreciate your continued prayers for Hazel and her tribe.

Our life trek will always be full of unexpected twist and turns, obstacles and hardships, but also days where the seemingly smallest of actions can overwhelm our soul with gratitude for the blessings of another day in which we can enjoy life. The smallest of words, a smile, or a kind deed can bring wealth untold. As we begin a new section in the Book of Proverbs with Chapter 10, our focus will be called…

Words and Wealth

This chapter begins the collection of the proverbs themselves. These are short, two-line sayings that are easy to memorize and pack a punch.

This first collection of proverbs extends from 10:1 through [22:16], and we’re told that they come from King Solomon. We know it’s been carefully designed, at least as a whole. There are 375 proverbs in this section, and interestingly, the numerical value of the word “Solomon” in Hebrew is 375! Someone has thoughtfully curated these sayings for us to read and ponder.

Among all the Proverbs in Chapter 10, two themes are repeatedly highlighted: words and wealth.

There’s a strong emphasis on the power of our words and how they can create good or bring disaster. A person who is full of “meaningless chatter” doesn’t control his mouth (8, 10) and invites ruin (14). In contrast, “the mouth of the righteous is a spring of life,” and adds value to others (11, 16, 20).

You’ll also notice that verses 2-5 speak of abundance or poverty as the long-term result of one’s behavior. “A slack hand produces nothing but poverty,” but God loves to bless the “industrious” and hard work of the wise (22).

As you listen to the various proverbs, pay attention to how wealth is acquired or lost. Sometimes our own decisions play a key role, but other times forces beyond our control are at work. How does this lead to the Reverence for the Eternal One and how you think about your own money and possessions?

Now listen up as I read Proverbs 10.

¹ The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes his father glad,
but a foolish one fills his mother with sorrow.

² Riches gained through dishonest means will eventually vanish,
but doing what is right avoids a deadly consequence.
³ The Eternal does not allow the right-living to go hungry,
but He will frustrate the plans of the wicked.
⁴ A slack hand produces nothing but poverty,
but an industrious hand soon takes hold of riches.
⁵ A wise son stores up for the winter months while it is still summer,
but a shameful son lies around even during the harvest.
⁶ Blessings come to those who do what is right,
but words spoken by the wicked cover up violent schemes.
⁷ The memory of one who lived with integrity brings joy,
but the legacy of a wrongdoer will rot away.
⁸ The wise at heart will gladly obey direction,
but one who fills the air with meaningless talk will fall into ruin.
⁹ The path of integrity is always safe,
but a person who follows a crooked way will be exposed.
¹⁰ Whoever winks his eye signals trouble,
and whoever fills the air with meaningless talk will fall into ruin.
¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life,
but words spoken by the wicked cover up violent schemes.
¹² Hatred fuels dissension,
but love calms all rebellions.
¹³ Wisdom lives where insightful words are spoken,
but harsh punishment awaits the senseless.
¹⁴ The wise store up knowledge as a safeguard,
but the meaningless chatter of fools means that chaos is near.
¹⁵ The wealth of the rich is their powerful fortress;
the poverty of the poor reduces them to rubble.
¹⁶ The reward of those who do right is a satisfied life,
but the profits gained by those who do wrong is used to sin.
¹⁷ Those who accept instruction are travelers on the road to a meaningful life,
but those who refuse correction wander off and pave a path to ruin.
¹⁸ Lips that lie cover deep-seated hatred,
and whoever spreads a libelous rumor is acting as a fool.
¹⁹ The more you talk, the more likely you will cross the line and say the wrong thing;
but if you are wise, you’ll speak less and with restraint.
²⁰ The speech of those who do right is of greater value than the finest silver,
but the thoughts of wrongdoers are worthless.
²¹ The right-living teach many,
but fools die with no clue how to live well.

²² The blessing of the Eternal is what makes someone rich,
and He doesn’t add pain to it.
²³ Mischief is the sport of fools,
but wise actions bring joy to a person with insight.
²⁴ Whatever wrongdoers fear the most will happen to them,
but those who do right will receive what they long for.
²⁵ After the storm passes, the wrongdoers are blown away,
but those who do right are safe and sound on their firm foundations forever.
²⁶ As vinegar vexes the teeth, and as smoke irritates the eyes,
so a slacker annoys his boss.
²⁷ Reverence for the Eternal makes for a long and peaceful life,
but a wrongdoer will have years taken away.
²⁸ The hope of those who do right is joy and celebration,
but the only prospect for those who do wrong is futility.
²⁹ The way of the Eternal offers safety to those who love justice,
but it destroys those who perpetrate evil.
³⁰ The right-living will never have their land taken away,
but wrongdoers will be uprooted.
³¹ Wisdom flows from the mouths of those who do right,
but tongues that twist the truth will be cut out.
³² The lips of the right-living understand what is proper,
but the mouths of wrongdoers twist and pervert the truth.

That will conclude our exploration of Proverbs 10. If we use our words wisely to encourage and help others, and if we diligently work hard at whatever God has provided us to do, then the result will be both material and non-material wealth. Next week we will continue with Solomon’s wisdom with Proverbs 11. Each week we will explore a full chapter in Proverbs, so I hope that you will join us so that you can gain wisdom, insight, and understanding for yourself.

The entire book of Proverbs provides us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. I encourage you to take them and plant the seeds of wisdom in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom throughout your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged where we will discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today.  If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe at iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!