Text: 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
Sermon: People of God, we continue our examination of the second collection of Proverbs in chapter 10. Proverbs 10 summarizes what the rest of Proverbs is accomplishing. Proverbs is training sons and daughters to make their Father glad. Solomon argues that we please our Father by living and possessing wisdom.
And if there is such a thing as wisdom, there is such a thing as foolishness. In our circles, we talk a lot about antithesis and the myth of neutrality. Proverbs confirms this idea. In the Scriptures, you are either a wise person or a fool. But wisdom, like everything else, does not come at once. We must work hard to mature it in our own lives. Just as the Christian works hard to grow in wisdom, the fool works hard to develop in foolishness.
We read in verse 6: “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” Proverbs trains us in wisdom by taking our bodies and changing our habits, table manners, etiquette, etc. That’s why blessing in the Bible is very much connected to the reshaping of your rhythms and rituals. The work of the Spirit is through the body; if this is the case, we need to learn to use it wisely and appropriately. In fact, you will see that in this section of Proverbs, there is an emphasis on body parts: “head” and “mouth” (vs. 6), “heart” and “lips” (babbling vs. 8), “eyes and lips” (babbling vs. 10), “mouth” (twice in verse 11), “lips” and “back” (vs. 13).[1] The body and how we use it becomes central in gaining and growing in wisdom. The fool, on the other hand, prostitutes the body. He gives it away and uses it without ever considering what is right and wrong in God’s eyes.
In these verses, there is a strong play on the idea that our words will carve out a particular eulogy in our funerals. Our use of language will paint a picture of who we are and what people will say when we die. Funerals are not made for flattery but for Christian legacy, which is why Proverbs says that blessings are on the head of the righteous because he uses his tongue with wisdom. Words are powerful.[2] Words constantly change the people around you. Consider that when God spoke, things came into being. His words are transformative. We don’t bring something into existence but we do shape our surroundings with words. So a wise man does not pretend that his words and actions are insignificant. He carries his words and actions like sacraments; like holy things.
People notice that you are blessed when your body has been shaped by good Christian habits. They desire to be with you because you build them up; you encourage them and strengthen them to follow after Christ; you go out of your way to make them feel needed. But the implied contrast is that the fool waits patiently to seduce and destroy the innocent; he uses his body to manipulate. But the end result of their quest for destruction is that what they intend for evil with their mouths boomerang against them and silence them.[3]
Our unkind remarks, our false characterization of someone, and our premature evaluations of people before ever meeting them; all build up a culture of immaturity, one that calls us to repent of the use of our tongues. This is a sobering warning to all that language is destructive, and our words travel farther than we can imagine. Are there blessings upon your head because of the words of your tongue?
Proverbs then offer the consequence for the wicked: “7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” Literally, “the memorial of the just is for a blessing.” This is a reference to the way he lived. His speech and deeds leave a lasting legacy, and it passes on blessings to his church, his family, and those who knew him. We are heirs of this great legacy. We must remember those who have gone before us with great respect and honor. The faith once delivered, has come to us faithfully through the ages. We celebrate this once a year on All Saints’ Day, but we need to rejoice more and more that God has given us a legacy of hope and faith. If you grew up in a Christian home, call mom and dad and thank them for giving you Jesus.
The memorial of the just is a blessing to those who listen. After we are gone, we continue to bear fruit in our children and our children’s children. But the wicked is the opposite. His name, his reputation will rot; it will decay like a corpse, as Bruce Waltke writes: “The name of all the wicked decays like worm-eaten wood into oblivion.”[4] No one will invoke their name in blessing.[5] These names will be used with contempt. Illustration: Every day in our home, we hear Jamie Soles singing and re-telling the story of Numbers 16. He begins singing:
“Out there in the wilderness
Korah, Dathan and Abiram
Never name your children this
If you want people to admire ’em.”[6]
We know what happened to those three. Because these men would not obey, Yahweh swallowed them up by opening the ground and their names are forever remembered for their disobedience.
Your name carries more than your familial identity; it has the identity of one chosen by God. This is what the third commandment speaks of when it says: “You shall not take the name of the Lord you God in vain.” The name of the wicked will rot because their names are an accurate picture of what it means to take God’s name in vain, but the name of the righteous lasts forever because he carries and bears Yahweh’s name not in vain, but with honor and righteousness and glory.
[1] Bruce Waltke, NICOT, 457. Commentary on Proverbs.
[2] Several of these insights come from fellow CREC minister Steve Wilkins, pastor of Auburn Avenue Presbyterians. These sermons are from 1999 and are used with permission.
[3] Bruce Waltke, 457, NICOT.
[4] Bruce Waltke, NICOT, 457. Commentary on Proverbs.
[5] Helpful thoughts from pastor Steve Dilday from Liberty and Grace Reformed Church; sermonaudio.com
[6] Jamie Soles; That’s the way my Story Goes. See solmusic.ca
