Proverbs 10:3 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Proverbs 10:3

Comments

What is in mind here? Most of the old writers see all through these verses the father on his farm, and his sons who are learning to work the farm. Now one of them is producing bad work, perhaps in the family trade, he is not paying attention, he is not diligent, he is not trying very hard, he is not interested, he wishes he could get free from his father, and get away. His fields and crops are awful, it has not been properly attended. His product is badly made, and the father casts it aside. Those who are diligent and try, the father will always look after, always support, but those of his children who are slipshod, their produce will be disregarded. No one can expect to succeed who makes war against the Lord, and yet disobedience is an act of war, for God is opposed to all those who reject his righteous standards for life. He is over all the affairs of our lives and we are dependent on him for every aspect of our daily needs. His care of his creatures goes far beyond our ability to care for ourselves, and the one who makes God his enemy forfeits all his help. Therefore righteousness not only delivers from death, but it delivers from starvation and thirst as well. The contrast is between the Lord’s vigilant care of his own, whose lives are characterised by righteousness, and his positive rejection and frustration of the desires of the wicked. God does not treat all the same way, but acts very differently towards his children; he knows who belongs to him and who does not. Advance in this life does not come through vigorous effort to secure our own gain, but it comes from the Lord to those who resign their needs into his hands and focus first on pleasing him by their conduct. The righteous may suffer much hardship in life and say with Paul that they are troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted and cast down; but they are not distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, not destroyed – these things work for them an eternal weight of glory, but the wicked who may seem to prosper will lose all at the end. Wisdom therefore pursues the one thing that matters: righteousness.

Application

How are our lives going to count? In the coming year, are we rushing about in a great muddle, rushing about to please ourselves. I am a Christian, I am very glad that my sins are washed away, I am very glad that I have a new life in Christ, and I can meet with Christian people, and I can worship. But tomorrow I am going to be completely preoccupied with my desires, and my circumstances, and my pleasures, and the week will lurch from matter to matter, all to do with me and my life in this world. Your work for the Lord, your life, what you do for Him is muddle and confusion, it is all for you.

Is it not tragic when you have to look back over the year, and say that year was wasted, ‘I do not know what was the matter with me. I did not do anything for the Lord, I did not gain much in knowledge, I did not bring a single person even to hear the Word, I did not make a single impression on anyone, because I did not even try. As far as I know, it was just a wasted year.’ God will have to deal very firmly with us as his children.

Questions

The Hebrew word translated substance, is desire. And it can be translated in one of two ways. Quite rightly, and most often in the Old Testament, it ought to be translated as substance or wealth or riches, in other words, that which you desire. But equally it can be translated as desire, or craving, or lust. Now the Authorised Version, translates it substance, but most of the modern versions translate it desire. So who is correct? Well, this is where sometimes the wise men of the Authorised Version were much more careful translators, because they got it right, because if you look at all the surrounding verses, you find that substance, not in that word, but riches, gain, is mentioned again and again: verse 2 - Treasures of wickedness; verse 4 - He becometh poor … but the hand of the diligent maketh rich; verse 5 - He that gathereth in summer. You see, it is substance, something tangible, which you possess, is in mind.

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Introduction

Proverbs 10:3 Commentary and Bible Study