Proverbs (Part 135) - Pro 10:25-26

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25. Pro 10:25 – "As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation." A. As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: i. Whirlwind n. – 1. A whirling or rotating wind; an atmospheric eddy or vortex; a body of air moving rapidly in a circular or upward spiral course around a vertical or slightly inclined axis which has also a progressive motion over the surface of land or water. ii. Pass v. – 1. a. To go on, move onward, proceed; to make one's way. iii. As a tornado passes and is no more, so it is with the wicked. a. So adv. – II. Placed at the beginning of a clause with continuative force, and freq. preceded by and. 9. Denoting similarity or parallelism in some respect between two facts, actions, etc. b. There is much similarity between whirlwinds and the wicked. iv. Consider the similarity between a passing whirlwind (tornado) and the wicked. a. As the time a whirlwind spends in a certain area is relatively short, so is the time of the wicked on earth (Psa 37:10). b. As a whirlwind leaves destruction in its wake (Pro 1:27), so do the wicked (Rom 3:16). c. As a whirlwind is uncontrollable, so are the wicked who are froward (ungovernable) (Pro 2:15). d. As a whirlwind is used by God as a judgment against sinners (Jer 30:23; Nah 1:3), so are the wicked used likewise (Psa 17:13-14; Isa 10:5). v. When the time of the wicked is expired they will be "no more" on this earth and will not be remembered (Psa 37:35-36; Job 24:20, 24; Ecc 8:10). B. but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. i. Like a whirlwind, the wicked only spend a short time on this earth wreaking mayhem, havoc, suffering, and trouble. ii. The righteous, conversely, is an everlasting foundation. a. Righteous adj. - 1. a. Of persons: Just, upright, virtuous; guiltless, sinless; conforming to the standard of the divine or the moral law; acting rightly or justly. b. Everlasting adj. - 1. a. Lasting for ever; infinite in future duration; endless; = ETERNAL A. 3. c. Foundation n. – 1. The action of founding or building upon a firm substructure; the state or fact of being founded. 2. fig. The action of establishing, instituting, or constituting on a permanent basis. 6. fig. a. A basis or groundwork on which something (immaterial) is raised or by which it is supported or confirmed; an underlying ground or principle; the basis on which a story, fiction, or the like is founded. d. In other words, just and upright men who conform themselves to God's law show themselves to be established on a permanent basis, and not built on a sandy foundation like the wicked who do not endure. iii. The wicked will be cut off, but the righteous will inherit the earth (Psa 37:9). iv. The righteous man's life is built upon a firm foundation which will endure into eternity (Mat 7:24-25). v. The time the righteous spend on earth may be short, but their works follow them into eternity (Rev 14:13). vi. They have everlasting life (Joh 6:47), and an eternal inheritance (Heb 9:15). vii. They will be eternally remembered by God (Psa 112:6). 26. Pro 10:26 – "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him." A. As vinegar to the teeth, i. Vinegar is harsh tasting and destructive to the teeth. ii. Vinegar n. – 1. a. A liquid (consisting of acetic acid in a dilute form) produced by the acetous fermentation of wine and some other alcoholic liquors or special compounds and employed either pure or with various admixtures in the preparation of food (or as a relish to this) and in the arts, etc. 2. In allusive use: a. With reference to the painful or harsh effect of vinegar on a wound, or on the teeth (after Prov. x. 26). iii. Vinegar is not pleasant to drink (Psa 69:21). iv. Giving one vinegar to drink is a display of contempt (Luk 23:36-37). v. Vinegar is destructive to teeth. vi. "Like other acidic beverages, vinegar can damage your teeth. Vinegar can weaken, soften, and erode your teeth’s enamel. Damaged enamel can result in sensitive teeth and dental decay. This risk is exceptionally high for white vinegar, which is the most acidic." (The Effects Of Vinegar For Your Teeth, https://cavitiesgetaround.com/the-effects-of-vinegar-for-your-teeth, 2-28-2022) B. and as smoke to the eyes, i. Smoke n. – The visible volatile product given off by burning or smouldering substances. ii. Smoke in the eyes is painful and is a source of irritation. iii. Wicked people are as smoke in God's nose (Isa 65:3-5). C. so is the sluggard to them that send him. i. Sluggard n. – A. n. a. One who is naturally or habitually slow, lazy, or idle; one who is disinclined for work or exertion of any kind; a slothful or indolent person. a. Sluggards are lazy and won't do what they need to do or what they are commanded to do (Pro 6:9; Pro 20:4; Pro 21:25; Pro 22:13). b. They won't use the talents they have been given to do what they could do (Mat 25:24-27). c. Because of this, they leave destruction in their wakes (Pro 24:30-31; Ecc 10:18). ii. Just as vinegar is harsh and destructive to the teeth and smoke is irritable and painful to the eyes, so is a lazy, slothful man irritating, painful, and destructive to those who send him to do something. a. The way of the slothful is like an hedge of thorns: painful to try to get through (Pro 15:19). b. If one sends a message by the hand of a sluggard he will end up drinking damage (Pro 26:6). c. When a sluggard is sent to do something, he will either not complete the task, or take far longer than is necessary to do so, thus causing damage and frustration to his employer/master. iii. Just as drinking vinegar to quench thirst would be worse than drinking nothing, so is sending a sluggard to complete a task worse than sending nobody. iv. Christians must not be slothful and lazy, but diligent in all that they do (Rom 12:11). a. As Christians, we ought to bring joy to those who send us, not frustration, irritation, and damage. b. We ought to be faithful messengers who refresh our masters (Pro 25:13). c. People should know that they can count on us to do whatever we have been told to do or agree to do.