Proverbs 10:32 (NASBStr)
The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.
Proverbs 10:32 (NIV1984)
The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
Today I sat in front of a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and head administrator of a school system. They asked my opinion on several employees and about their culture. As I sat there I asked God for wisdom (as in James 2), since the questions being asked carried great gravity as to ramifications for several people. As I offered my response it was evident that God gave me some insight only He could give. My answer(s) was not only plausible but also acceptable to them. They saw the ideas I presented as good and right for them. This is exactly what Solomon is talking about in the above proverb. Both the NASV and the NIV indicate to us that when we walk by faith and live in the righteousness that God clothes us with wisdom. Through Christ's work on the cross we will be blessed with wise and fitting answers to life's toughest problems. When we attempt to answer the questions asked with the wisdom of this world, or of our own flesh and mind, we fulfill the second line of the above proverb. The wicked (those who walk according to the flesh) are perverted in their responses. They only offer perverse answers. When we walk by faith and have the righteousness of Christ we can ask for wisdom and be assured that what God gives us is not only favorable to Him, but also favorable to man. We just need to make sure we are getting our answers from above and not from within. Note the other proverbs in this chapter:
Proverbs 10:20-21 (ESV)
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
Proverbs 10:31 (ESV)
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
Solomon has let us know that when their is righteousness in the heart (put there by God) there will be aptness on the tongue (enabled by God).
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