Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
When you look at Proverbs 10-11, it may be hard to see what all those verses have in common. Proverbs 10:1 says, “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” We have been talking recently about wisdom, and in these two chapters we are actually seeing what wisdom looks like.
Oftentimes what you have in a chapter in Proverbs is a variety of truths about everything from marriage, to work, to success, to rearing children. You just go from one thing to the next. There is not a lot of time for your mind to sink down into one thing because there is wisdom on everything. So, is there anything that these verses have in common?
Yes, the commonality in these verses is summarized in the one word most of these verses have in common. The word is “but,” a conjunction of contrast. “But” is not a conjunction that ties together two things that are similar, but a conjunction that ties together two things that are dissimilar. Sometimes things that are not similar appear as if they are, and things that appear different are really quite similar.
There are three words to consider when you think about Proverbs 10-11. They are “contrasts,” “choices,” and “consequences.” There is the contrast between this and that, the choice between this and that, and the consequence that comes from choosing either this or that. We can learn from this chapter as a whole that your power of choice will do you no good if you don’t know how to use it. Over and again the Bible puts two things in opposition. “A wise son maketh a glad father: but [in contrast] a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.”
In order to make good use of the power of choice, you must have wisdom, and specifically discernment. Discernment is the ability by which to distinguish between two things that are different even if they appear the same.
Let me give you an example: “red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, friend of Jack.” Do you know what this little maxim is referring to? It is referring to one of the most deadly North American snakes, the coral snake. You look at a snake that has a red stripe on yellow and a snake that looks almost exactly the same with a red stripe on black and you wonder what the difference is. It is all the difference in the world! One can kill you, and you might take one home as a pet. (Well, I wouldn’t!) So, wisdom is the power to make subtle distinctions, to realize that this is different from that.
You discern the difference between bad and good. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil,” the Bible says. We are living in a day where there is no distinction and people are dull. They are unaware of the differences that exist in the good world as God created it. What about the difference between better and best? One thing may be good, and another even better. One thing may be better, and another the very best. How about a difference between short-term and long-range? You look at the consequences, good or bad, of these verses and you might be smug or discouraged, but neither one is merited because you and I need the discernment to distinguish between something that is short-term or long-range.
How do I get this power of discernment? The book of Proverbs is a good place to begin. Discernment is a God-given gift but one that we can cultivate. The bottom line is that your power of choice is a gift from God, but it will do you no good if you do not cultivate the ability to know how to use it by distinguishing one thing from the other.