Proverbs 10:10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
A flirtatious man is not good to know. God says such a man causes sorrow. He will lead you along for his pleasure. He is a selfish person who is looking for a thrill and he is not concerned about hurting those who would fall for a flirt. The flirting man is also a prating fool. He uses his lips to lure you in. That person may think he is having fun for a time, but the end of this person is not good. Life is more than selfish desires. Life is about knowing God and serving Him. Life is about seeking to bring others to know the true God as well. You do not have to sacrifice life to do that.
Verse 11 makes this clear. The mouth of the righteous man is a well of life. To find a man who is honest and genuine is worth more than all the flirtatious gestures a woman might think she desires. We live in a world that is very confused. The “woke” crowd will not even admit to what a woman is. They want men playing in women’s sports. Those men who want to be involved in that are devious. God made women different from men.
God took a rib from Adam and used that as part of His design for the woman. Of course there are similarities. The rib is only one small part of the entire body. It is not confusing to live with a God-fearing woman. The woman was designed by God to be the “help meet for the man”. If you are a man looking for a real relationship, don’t cheat yourself. Submit to God and know His peace and blessing. For those men that are married, we need to make sure we put God first in our lives. If He has His rightful place in our hearts, then we will enjoy a genuine relationship with the woman He has led us to.
Again in verse 12 we see the contrast there. Violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. That is all they know. Stay away from the violent person. Too many women have been deeply hurt by a man they thought they loved, but it was not genuine love. It was an emotional drawing that did not have proper roots.
God designed the man and the woman to have an intimate relationship with one another. He designed one man to have one woman for life. It will work well when He is in charge. There will be mistakes made along the way. When there are disagreements, it is always good to look in the mirror before you lash out at the spouse God led you to. Humble yourself and look into His Word and let Him show you the way forward. Life is so short and God has designed it to be blessed. That can only be true when He is in charge.
Verse 12 talks of hatred. Too often, marriages end with disagreements that lead to hatred. Often times those disagreements are blown out of proportion in the mind because the mind is not stayed on God.
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Love covers all sins. This does not mean it ignores sin. Sin needs to be dealt with properly. There is not a person alive who can claim they never sin. Your spouse may have hurt you deeply. However, if you are saved, you can forgive your spouse and you can build protections to avoid further hurt in that area.
I Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Sin is covered when it is addressed and forgiven. In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats could cover/atone for the sin of the person bringing the offering. Jesus Christ is greater than the bulls and the goats. His blood removes the sting of sin. Forgiveness was there for the Old Testament saints, and it is here for New Testament saints. Forgiveness is always through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament saints looked in faith to the coming of the Lord. The New Testament saints look back to the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. All true saints look forward to the resurrection of the saints.
If you are struggling in your relationship with your spouse, the answer is in turning to God. No one can honestly say they cannot find peace with the spouse you chose to marry, if you truly seek God’s peace and forgiveness.
God tells us that you will never find that true intimacy and love when you reject His way and choose to throw away that which He says is right and beautiful.
In verse 13 we see that there are men who have understanding. Those men will function with true wisdom. True wisdom comes from God. True wisdom is not hypocritical. It is real and it is genuine. It works.
Those who do not want to seek God’s wisdom will need to go through the school of hard knocks.
God expects parents to use physical punishment at times on their children. Every child will need that at times. If they humble themselves through that discipline and choose to learn from it, it will benefit them greatly. If they choose to dig in their heels and cannot wait to get away from authority, they will lose out.
The same is true in a marriage. If a couple does not want to work things out God’s way, they will need to struggle through their own pitfalls and unless they repent toward God and seek His forgiveness, they will miss out on the blessings He wants them to know. Divorce and remarriage have never fixed the relationship issues. There are many that have taken that route and many have been counselled by men who are supposed to be God’s servants, but are not. In those marriages, there may seem to be intimacy, but it is not according to God’s design. In spite of what many will tell you, God cannot bless an adulterous relationship. You have to manufacture what you think is His blessing, but if you read His Word and believe it, you will find that you cannot go against His will and know His peace and blessing.
The solution too often taken is to avoid God’s Word and find a religion that agrees with your position. Keep in mind, there is only one true God. He has given us His Word. He does not lie. If you accept the perversions as all being equal to the King James version, you have a problem. They do not all say the same thing. God does not lie and so someone is wrong.
Today is the Lord’s Day. The God Who made man has a Word for you today. You will not find that Word by avoiding His house. He wants to bless you with the Truth. Be sure you go to a true church today. You will never regret that if you are willing to submit to His authority.
Pastor Bartel