Proverbs 10:5 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Proverbs 10:5

Comments

There are certain critical seasons when an intense effort must be made to obtain a goal, for at these seasons opportunities present themselves to us which will not be available at other times. Failure to exert ourselves at such times will result in a disproportionate loss and the wise man sees the decisive hour and responds accordingly. An illustration of this is the response of the farmer to the seasons of the year. Here are the two young men out on the farm. The father is directing them, but they now seem to be more advanced, and have got their own sections of the farm, and their own responsibilities. Summer is the time of harvest. ‘He who gathers in summer is wise.’ Why? Well because it shows he is exercising forethought, and discipline, and he is serious. He is saying, ‘Dad has given me this section of the farm, he is not going to support me directly now, this is my income. I do not want to have to go back to Dad and say, ‘I could not do it, I failed, I need some of your harvest.’ He knows that he cannot achieve the same results in winter as he can in summer when the weather is working for him, so he puts special energy into the summer months and especially the harvest time, because he knows that harvest time is make or break as far as his livelihood is concerned. The other fellow is a fool. Well the fellow has been brought up on a farm, he knows what harvests are all about. He knows this is the time on which everything depends. So what does he do? He goes completely off the air. He sleeps. It is almost an incredible picture in the harvest, so that his harvest is ruined, and he has got nothing. He is now dependent on rescue, and he has made a fool of himself, and it is shame, because it is not only his father and his family that know, it is all the people around.

Application

There are many young people here who love the Lord, and you are believers, and youth, it is a time of tremendous independence, and opportunity. The old writers used to like to apply it this way, it is a harvest almost. It is a time of harvest. Oh it is a time for the building of character, it is a wonderful time for Christian service. Every time is a wonderful time for Christian service, but particularly youth. One day you will be married, one day you will be looking after a family, as men, women, husbands, wives; you will have so much on your plate, you will have been advanced to rather greater responsibilities in employment. You will have responsibilities in the church, responsibilities with your family, and all things clamouring for your time and attention, and you will think, why, those times when I was a youngster, I never had such liberty, such opportunity, such freedom as I had then. What are you doing with that time friends? Some young people really put their backs into serving the Lord, and they know their priorities: that they are given to the Lord. Other young people say, ‘Oh Pastor, we are young, do you not understand, we are special, we have effervescent minds, and interests. Can’t we be provided with all sorts of special things, recreations and entertainments?’ Youth – what a time to build your character, to learn the things of God, to draw near to the Lord, to taste his power and goodness, to bring in your friends?

This is a clearly a picture of the opportunity provided by this life, for it is in this life that we must seek the Lord, find forgiveness in Christ, obtain the salvation of our souls, gain wisdom, and prepare for the Day of Judgment. But if we will not exert ourselves we stand to lose eternity, a disproportional loss. The obtaining of wisdom requires effort, discipline, single-mindedness, and, even though salvation is free and by grace alone, this is not without a cost for we must forsake the world in order to gain Christ. Wisdom however is worth all the labour we put into gaining it.

Questions

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Proverbs 10:5 Commentary and Bible Study