Dabbling With Babbling

Read Proverbs 10

Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.

Proverbs 10:14

Proverbs constantly seeks to help us understand the differences between wisdom and foolishness, and calls us to be people of wisdom. Wise people have certain characteristics; foolish people have certain contrasting characteristics. Knowing these characteristics gives us a mirror into our own lives. These also help us be discerning about the people with whom we choose to associate.

This proverb tells us that people who are wise “treasure” (or value and store up) knowledge. Wise people are constantly learning—from their own mistakes, others’ mistakes, from the world around them, from God’s Word—and they store up that knowledge so as to help them live wisely. They don’t run around talking all the time, so when they speak, we trust that what they say is knowledgeable. In contrast, the fool is “babbling” all the time, talking without thinking. That “invites disaster,” said the writer. We should seek to be people whose words can be counted on as having depth and wisdom.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Wisdom makes regular deposits in a knowledge account.

Lord, watch over every word I speak. Help me to consider my words and from where they come. Teach me how to treasure knowledge.