THE LABOR AND THE LIPS OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Proverbs 10:16-21 (KJV)

The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

The text we have begins with “The labor of the righteous” and ends with “The lips of the righteous.”

I am reminded that

What we say and what we do, as Christians, connect.

It is important that

We walk our talk – to profess a faith in Christ, but not to live a life for Christ is hypocrisy.

But it is equally important that

We talk our walk – to be a Christian, but to hide it from the world in which you live is not useful or Christ like.

The righteous man labors.

He works

But he also witnesses

I want to point out five things about the quality of the work of a righteous man:

*I. IT IS LIFE AFFIRMING

Proverbs 10:16 (KJV)

The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

The righteous work jobs that are life affirming and life improving.

Almost all Baptist churches have a church covenant, which includes that no members are sell alcohol.

I suspect that the clause has its roots in the temperance and Prohibition movement of the early 1900’s.

But frankly, it has very solid Biblical backing.

The consumption of alcohol is not only rebuked in the Bible, it is easily proven to be a deadly thing to do.

I think the same thing is true of tobacco

The Bible nowhere specifically teaches against using it, but we now know it is a lethal habit.

For a Christian to earn his living in the production, distribution or sale of either of them, seems to be opposed to Biblical principle.

These days we might include marijuana.

Since pot stores are sprouting up all around us. And they can do so legally; I foresee a day when someone who attends church is offered a job in one of them.

It seems to me that the counsel of the Bible is that this would violate the principle of working in a field that “tendeth to life.”

And, by the way, I don’t want to single out these two forms of employment.

If you can think of some other occupation that supports things harmful to the life of people, that occupation would also apply.

The labor of the righteous is life affirming.

*II. IT IS CONSTANTLY IMPROVING

Proverbs 10:17 (KJV)

He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

If you have a job that is worthy of doing, you have a job that is worthy of doing well.

Whether we are talking about a minimum wage job a person takes to get started in the working world or the dream job you have always wanted, if it is honest work it is worth getting instructed, trained and mentored to become increasingly better at it.

The labor of the righteous

is life affirming.

is constantly improving

*III. IT IS HONEST AND POSITIVE

Proverbs 10:18 (KJV)

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

The righteous person succeeds in his labor by being honest and without hurting the reputation of another for promotion.

A. A small amount of dishonesty among employees is nearly expected in many fields.

There is often dishonesty with time – not working a full shift

And then there is dishonesty with equipment.

When I was an ironworker, the companies I worked for supplied our personal tools.

It was pretty much expected that many of those tools would go home with the worker when the job was completed.

I heard one time, the testimony of Ron Gearis[1], founder of Rock of Ages Prison Ministry.

He had been in a mechanic in the navy I think it was.

When he got out he took a large toolbox.

Later he got under conviction and, after spending a ton of time at the altar asking God how to fix it, he went back to the place he took it from to give it back.

He got more grief for bringing it back than he did for taking it!

B. The righteous never engage in backstabbing other employees

That’s not to say that others don’t engage in it, only that those who are righteous will not.

The labor of the righteous

is life affirming.

is constantly improving

is honest and positive

*IV. IT IS QUIET AND CONTEMPLATIVE

Proverbs 10:19 (KJV)

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

To expand further on the point about not backstabbing others at work, the righteous

·   Speak little

·   Hear double

We’ve all hear it.

God gave us two ears and only one mouth.

Wisdom says to listen a lot and speak only when it is appropriate and then speak only those words that contribute to the job.

The labor of the righteous

is life affirming.

is constantly improving

is honest and positive

is quiet and contemplative

Finally, concerning the labor of the righteous,

*V. IT IS VALUABLE AND PRODUCTIVE

Proverbs 10:20-21 (KJV)

The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

I am picking up on the words:

·   Choice silver and

·   Feed many

I do understand that the passage is still speaking about those words of the righteous:

·   He does not slander

·   He speaks little

·   His words are precious and

·   They are nutritious and helpful

But if you will allow me to continue with my train of thought concerning labor:

A. A righteous person’s labor is valuable

It not only provides a paycheck for himself but it contributes to the economy of his community.

What keeps an economy going is people who:

·   Make products

·   Earn money and

·   Buy someone else’s products

People who don’t earn, can’t spend break that cycle and therefore kill an economy.

People who receive money from government subsidies haven’t produced anything for their money. They too break the cycle and eventually kill the economy.

But those who:

·   Produce a real product

·   Earn an income for their labor and

·   Purchase other products

Create a healthy economy

And that, in turn, feeds many.

And that brings us right back to verse 16 and the first point.

Any labor that is honest and productive, stimulates the economy and creates an environment that feeds others – it “tendeth to life.”

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[1] I confess that I heard this many, many years ago. I do not remember the details and probably have them grievously mistold.  The parts I do clearly recall had to do with: the military, a toolbox and a long time at an altar.