“Words and works”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, May 27, 2024

Proverbs 10: 1-12 (Forward, p. 29) CEV p. 665

Now here’s asking for a difficult assignment: how to sum up or encapsulate a bunch of disparate or seemingly unrelated sayings or proverbs. Nevertheless, I will try, at least with the ones in today’s passage. To me, they can be best summed up in two words, ‘words’ and ‘works’, and what he seems to be saying, to me, at least, is that both of these have a lasting and indelible impact.

Here's what the compiler of the proverbs has to say about words:

“Everyone praises good people, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked” (verse 6).

“The words of good people are a source of life, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked” (verse 12).

It is interesting, and noteworthy, that the second phrase shows up twice, just in these few verses.

“If you have good sense, you will listen and obey; if all you do is talk, you will destroy yourself” (verse 8).

“Deceit causes trouble, and foolish talk will bring you to ruin” (v. 10).

“Hatred [presumably expressed in words] stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do” (verse 12).

And, as if isn’t enough, the following verses, verses 14,18-21, continue to dwell heavily on the impact and power of words.

Words, the wrong kind of words, he says, have a destructive quality to themselves, whether to the one who utters them or to the one to whom they are directed. And so, it is best to be careful with what we say.

Now, as to ‘works’, these proverbs are even more eloquent:

“Children with good sense make their parents happy, but foolish children make them sad” (verse 1b).

“What you gain by doing evil won’t help you at all, but being good can save you from death” (verse 2).

“If you obey the Lord, you won’t go hungry; if you are wicked, God won’t let you have what you want. Laziness leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich. At harvest season it’s smart to work hard, but stupid to sleep” (verses 2-5).

“Good people are remembered long after they are gone, but the wicked are soon forgotten” (verse 7).

“You will be safe, if you always do right, but you will get caught, if you are dishonest” (verse 9).

Once again, he is saying that our works, our deeds, have consequences, both now and into the future. So, as with our words, it is best to be warned, and to watch ourselves, for we never know, for better or for worse, what the impacts of our lives will be. Thanks be to God.

Forward notes: “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot” (verse 7).

“In my time as a priest, I’ve officiated plenty of funerals. Every funeral has its own temperament depending on the circumstances around the person’s death and their character and relationships with the living. Even if I was not personally acquainted with the deceased, it moves me when their friends and relatives paint a picture of a strongly moral person, someone who gave of themselves, who loved well. And it is painful when it is the opposite—when the deceased died before repentance and reconciliation with those they hurt was achieved.

“Officiating funerals always puts me in the mindset of wondering what people will say about me at my passing (which hopefully will be sometime far in the future!) Am I living my life with integrity so that my memory will be a blessing? Or will those I leave behind struggle to say a kind word about me, even at my own funeral? I hope it is the former, and I pray the decisions I make today lead in that direction.”

Moving Forward: “What will people say about you? Will your obituary be full of accomplishments or relationships?”