Proverbs 10:8 (Mini Sermon)

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1.      Pro 10:8 – “The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.”

1. The wise in heart will receive commandments:
   1. This verse, along with many others in Proverbs, contrasts a wise man with a fool.
   2. Wise adj. – 1. a. Having or exercising sound judgement or discernment; capable of judging truly concerning what is right or fitting, and disposed to act accordingly; having the ability to perceive and adopt the best means for accomplishing an end; characterized by good sense and prudence. Opp. to foolish.

• Heart n. – ** As the seat of feeling, understanding, and thought. a. = mind, in the widest sense, including the functions of feeling, volition, and intellect.  6. a. The seat of one’s inmost thoughts and secret feelings; one’s inmost being; the depths of the soul; the soul, the spirit.   9. a. The seat of the emotions generally; the emotional nature, as distinguished from the intellectual nature placed in the head.

1. Receive – I. 1. a. trans. To take in one’s hand, or into one’s possession (something held out or offered by another); to take delivery of (a thing) from another, either for oneself or for a third party. d. To take from another by hearing or listening; to attend, listen, or give heed to.
2. A man who exercises sound judgment and discernment in his thoughts and understanding, and guides his feelings and emotions thereby, will listen to and give heed to God’s commandments.
   1. He recognizes that all God’s commandments are truth (Psa 119:151).
   2. He is has the sense to realize that God’s commandments are for his good (Deut 10:12-13).
   3. He understands that God’s commandments teach us what is the best end for his life in general, or the best end for a particular situation in his life (1Ti 1:5).
   4. He perceives that God’s commandments will instruct him how to best accomplish those ends.
   5. He knows that God’s commandments will make him wiser than he currently is (Psa 19:7) and wiser than his enemies (Psa 119:98).
3. Wise men, women, and children will likewise receive commandments from those in authority over them such as parents (Eph 6:1), teachers (Gal 4:1-2), husbands (Tit 2:5), pastors (Heb 13:17), bosses (Col 3:22), civil magistrates (Tit 3:1), etc. because God has commanded in His word that all those authorities are to be obeyed.

1. but a prating fool shall fall.
   1. Conversely, a prating fool will not receive God’s commandments and will therefore fall.
   2. Fool – I. 1. a. One deficient in judgement or sense, one who acts or behaves stupidly, a silly person, a simpleton. (In Biblical use applied to vicious or impious persons.)  The word has in mod.Eng. a much stronger sense than it had at an earlier period; it has now an implication of insulting contempt which does not in the same degree belong to any of its synonyms, or to the derivative foolish.

• Prating adj. – That prates, talking idly, chattering.

1. Prate – 1. intr. To talk, to chatter: usually dyslogistic implying speaking much or long to little purpose; formerly also to speak insolently, boastfully, or officiously; to tell tales, blab.
2. Fools are known for their much speaking to little purpose (Ecc 5:3; Ecc 10:14).
3. A prating fool will not receive commandments for at least two reasons.
   1. Firstly, since he is stupid and deficient in judgment, he doesn’t want to receive them (Pro 1:7; Pro 1:22; Pro 18:2; Pro 23:9).
   2. Secondly, in order to receive commandments, one must listen (Pro 4:10; Pro 19:20).
      • But one cannot listen when he is always talking.
      • Therefore, the prating fool will not hear, receive, nor heed the word of God.
   3. Be not prating fools, brethren, but be quick to hear and slow to speak (Jam 1:19).

• Because a prating fool will not receive God’s commandments, he will fall.
  1. The wicked fool will fall by his own wickedness (Pro 11:5).
  2. He will fall because of his pride (Pro 16:18).
  3. He will fall into mischief because he doesn’t have nor heed God’s commandments (Pro 24:16).
  4. He will fall at once because of his perverse ways (Pro 28:18).
• We should take heed to Solomon’s warning that a prating fool shall fall because he said it twice in this chapter (Pro 10:10).