It’s hard to choose which verses to highlight for January 10, but here are my picks. Two of them mention a chattering fool and invoke an image of the annoying gag toy with teeth that rattle when you wind it up.
“The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.” Proverbs 10:8 NIV.
“He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.” 10:10.
This one is on the same subject: “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. 10:19.
Tonight, as my daughter was cleaning the kitchen, my husband walked in and asked her about her day. She pulled her ear buds out and asked, “Are you talking to me? I heard your lips moving.” The laughter this caused was refreshing, since I’ve been sick and can’t remember the last time I laughed. She either has super powers or she knows a proverb I haven’t dug up yet.
This one is about something lips can do, however.
“The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.” 10:21.
by Kathy Sheldon Davis
kathysheldondavis.com 
Those are wonderful thoughts, Marie. You made me think of my father, and my grandfathers, as well.
Proverbs 10 – Righteousness vs. Wickedness
7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
But the name of the wicked will rot.
(I know of such men. I was blessed with a ‘righteous’ father, and his memory only brings joy. His words of wisdom still reside in me today, though he has gone on to his Heavenly reward.
On the other hand we all know of wicked men of the past, whose names only evoke revulsion – some very well-known to the whole world, and some that are only known to their own families and personal acquaintances. Men or women that we wish had never been… ones we would rather not let our thoughts linger on….)
28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
29 the way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
These are only a few of the verses that contrast the righteous and the wicked. Proverbs chapter 10 is full of promises for “the righteous” – those who serve the Lord in reverence and obedience – and woe for “the wicked” – those who turn their backs on the Lord and walk in evil ways.
Only a fool would go the way of the wicked! May we all strive to walk in righteousness all the days of our lives!
by Marie Whittaker