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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wisdom Project 2/10



Proverbs 10 - NIV
Proverbs 10 - ESV

Proverbs 10:19 ...

When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.


Commentary:

Solomon wrote, "He who restrains his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). But James said, "No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). He said that with the tongue we bless our God who created us, but we also curse those whom He has created (v.9). Lest we think that Christians do the blessing and non-Christians do the cursing, we need to remember that James was writing to Christians.

To tame our tongues, we need God's help. In Romans 6:13, Paul said that we need to make a choice—to present the parts of our body "as instruments of righteousness to God," not "as instruments of unrighteousness to sin."

Today and every day, choose to present your body—including your unruly tongue—as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:2) to be used by Him as an instrument of blessing.


From: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries - Online at Precept


Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H.
_________

WISDOM PROJECT: For this month, I will supply links to both the NIV and ESV versions of the chapter each day (Feb. 1 = Proverbs 1, etc.) in the post—both of which contain the audio.

And in the month of February a unique feature for the WP will be Commentaries on selected passages/verses from within the chapter for the day. And for the most part, these comments will be from links in the Online Bible Study Resources feature here on the 3 John 8 blog (scroll down in the column to the right to find the links).

Note to Proverbs class participants: this is the place where you should post your application comments for the Daily Proverbs Reading Assignment.


24 comments:

Jilli Bair said...

Verse 11 - "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." Which of these does my speech represent? As a believer my speech should be encouraging, edifying, or constructive in its criticism of other people. Too many times I fall into speech that "conceals violence". The way I talk and the things I talk about are determining factors when it comes to wisdom.

Unknown said...

2/10/10 – v19b – but he who holds his tongue is wise. When the thoughts of the heart are not what they ought to be is the time to be especially careful. The temptation is to say whatever it is the root of our feelings. As wisdom is evidenced by the bridling of the tongue; we too need to deal with the condition of the heart: why do we harbor or have those feelings that would cause us to say something un-God-like. When we genuinely deal with those issues and items that have hurt us or hindered us – from within our heart, then we should be able to forgive the offender(s). As this happens then the output of our mouths will be nothing but God-honoring. Luke 6:45 …for [our] mouth speaks from that which fills [our] heart (ESV, paraphrase mine). May the meditations of our hearts be honoring in the sight of the LORD. Mike T.

Unknown said...

This chapter really did not have a verse that stuck out to me but a whole theme. The power of words can be used not only for good but in the wrong hands or lips it can do great harm. reading these verse I can see where some of the health and wealth preachers get their principles but is that really what the people need to hear so in the long run the words are hurting the people that they want to help. We really need to sure or what we are teach to the people who are looking to us for guidance. Think Twice about what we say.

julee said...

I was just amazed at the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. There is no 'gray' area between the two--they are opposites and everything about them are opposites.

julee said...

I was just amazed at the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. There is no 'gray' area between the two--they are opposites and everything about them are opposites.

Unknown said...

You can definitely see that the advice is given from a concerned father. Correction, reproof, and discipline are common themes within the book of Proverbs. Verse 17 says, "He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray." Just like a concerned parent, they know that their children will mess up and be disobedient at times, but it's crucial that the children accept correction and discipline. God chastens and disciplines me when I need it. If I turn away from it I will surely choose a path of foolishness. Both God and concerned parents provide correction through love because it will make us wiser, disciplined, and obedient.

Tim K. said...

It is clear to me that this Proverb is focussed on the mouth or toungue. This reminds me of when Jesus taught that it was not what you put into your mouth that defiled you, but what come out of your mouth. What we do with our mouth is the witness of the condition of our heart. This passage (and James) reminds me to choose my words wisely because like the rudder of a ship, our words can stear our lives.

Anonymous said...

Response 2/10/2010 11:10 AM
Proverbs 10:19 ...
When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.
It is common for people that have followed a foolish path and are in sin to be full of excuses. They are constantly busy filling their speech with an attempt to justify their wrong choices in life. The wise have followed the Lord’s path. They know that they have no need to justify themselves before God or man. They also know that they are not perfect and have an overall humble attitude.

John Erbentraut

Carrie L. said...

19 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise".
The tongue is a powerful tool and it takes great care to use it wisely. If we do not guard what we say our words could injure people and do permanant damage. We need to know when and where to speak and when it is better to remain silent.
21 "The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgement".
I want the words that come out of my mouth to be uplifting and nourishing to those around me, not words that tear people apart. I don't want to be like the fool who dies because he lacks judgement/discretion. Each day I can improve my vocabulary by reading and studying God's word.

Danielle Cummings said...

"But whoever restrains his lips is prudent." This verse really stuck out to me because i struggle with holding my tongue. Its hard to always be conscience of God's commands especially when your one who acts on their emotions. To actually stop and think abot how you feel, what your about to say, and if its wise or not, takes alot of thinking. For someone who might not struggle with something like this, its a piece of cake. But for someone who has struggled with it and it trying to change, its a whole other ball game. I've learned that it takes time to achieve and that God will presesnt opportunities to "test" you. Thats why its so important to always be in the word so that his commands become second nature to us.

Sarah said...

The explaining between the righteous and the wicked is so clear. The righteous way is what we need to be striving for. The wicked ways are disgraceful.

Unknown said...

Verse 28a - "The hope of the righteous is gladness,". We have a great gladness that we own and can share and sometimes I don't live as if I have that great gladness.

Melissa Jordan said...

This whole Proverbs was really challenging to me. I especially liked verse 19. It is so easy to just talk and talk what we are feeling but it is not always wise to just say what we feel because that can cause a lot of hurt. What needs to be dealt with is the heart, if our heart is not right then we are more apt to speak things that are hurtful. It is wise to think before we speak and deal with our heart attitude and motives.

Nate said...

Verse 25 greatly caught my eye. Often when reading through these verses I feel like if I am righteous, then nothing bad will ever happen to me because of all the good that is said to happen to the righteous. But verse 25 says this "25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever." How interesting. Both the wicked and the righteous go through a "tempest" or trial but the wicked is destroyed because of their lack of wisdom and the wise person, the righteous person comes out of the tria established forever. How encourageing to know that if I am truly seeking to be wise and live in a christlike way then when I go through trials I will come out of them stronger.

Rachel said...

"When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."
This verse brought a number of illustrations to mind. Good sense is rarely to be found when words abound (Alexander Pope). Excessive speech, without thinking, leads to little more than harm, nonsense, misunderstandings, and sinful behavior. Thoughtfulness, speaking when necessary (of things which are necessary and appropriate), is an evidence of wisdom.

Mandi said...

The thing that stuck out most to me in Proverbs 10 was the contrast between the wise and the fool. Things like this really catch my attention because i can see if i am being wise or a fool and if i am a fool in a certain thing then i can see what i need to do to change that!

Krista Harrison said...

14 The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
This is the verse that impacts me the most as I read the proverb for the day. I work with a college student who always runs her mouth and is constantly bring strife to the job cite. People simply don't like being around her because she always has something negative or foolish to say. As I think about the various confrontations that I dealt with even this week I think about wheather or not I responded in a wise fashion. My speech should not only be ecouraging but edifying in love. The proverb is correct in saying that a rich man is full of wisdom. I know many of rich people, money wise but they offer no comfort in times of advice. Rich in wisdom people have so much more to offer in times of difficult decisions and thats why it's crucial to pursue wisdom and discernment in all phases of life.

Unknown said...

Proverbs 10:15
"A rich man's wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin."
- This one stuck out to me because of how applicable it is to me right now. In dealing with how to juggle school debt and then getting married this summer and what all has to happen to be able to be a good steward of what I have even now as I get ready for future plans. Learning how to be wise with how I spend me money now so that later it won't turn into a bigger problem and possibly even to me ruin.

Jim Morrison said...

Verse 19 - This verse was so appropriate today. While reading this I was reminded of a situation recently where it would have been very easy for me to speak out about the situation at hand, as difficult as it was I chose to remain silent because I was not sure that my response would have been the best way to handle things. I thank God for giving me the strength to refrain from saying anything at that moment and I pray that God will give me wisdom in how to approach this situation at a later time with words that would be God honoring.

Danyelle Steckiel said...

I think that we often struggle with the words that come out of our mouths, but we dont understand how powerful they are. We can make and break a relationship with somebody by the words that we use. We do understand, however, how painful they can be because we have all been hurt by someone's words towards us. vs 19b "he who holds his tongue is wise" we need to be careful with what we say; think before we speak.

Ashlie said...

These two different paths show that it is one way or the other. You can't have both. The verse that stood out to me was verse 12. Just how love covers all and that hatred will bring conflict. There are so many times that I need to put into practice the love part of the verse.

TWash said...

Wow...the tongue is very humbling. My struggle has not really been gossip, but for me it is anger. I tend to hold it in, but then it can build up. Then, well...i dont really need to say. You could imagine, but the tongue is definately vital. What has helped me is what I fill my thoughts with. My devotions and this class have been putting things in perspective.

Gabe Vanderstel said...

8."A wise heart accepts commands"
Something that our culture and generation struggles with is authority. I know that I have struggled in the past with accepting commands from people that I do not respect. This verse reminds me that a wise heart accepts commands.
verse 9 " the one who lives with integrity lives securely"
This verse is a great reminder that a life of integrity will allow a man to be above reproach and avoid much pain in life.

Bill H said...

From Josh Howard

Proverbs 10 response:
Right off the bat this Proverb stuck out to me. The first verse says that a wise son makes a glad father. What I got from that if I want to please my father and for us to have a better relationship than we have had in the past, I would need to live my life for Christ and make wise decsions, seeking wisdom from the word of God. Another verse that I took application from was from verse 9. Walking in integrity, being honest with people and not being fake or trying to hide sin will give peace to a person. This is something that I thought about for awhile and it makes total sense because if one is walking righteous and being honest with people there would be nothing to hide therefore no guilt to be felt. The second part of this verse is so true as well. When I saw that verse I thought of the verse that says your sin will find you out. We, as Christians, cannot hide anything from God. He is all knowing and eventually our sin in some way, shape, or form will come to light. The last verse that really stuck out to me was verse 24. Reading that was convicting and encouraging. If I were to continue in sin or to not want to change, then all the things I don't want to happen will happen and I would be miserable. But surrending my life to Christ and to do his will for my life, even though things may be hard for a time still, eventually God will honor that and bring me to a place of peace. Keeping the right attitude though is what I am struggling with now. I need to be patient and wait on the Lord and stop trying to do things in my own time.