Dave's Diary

Prayer

God of Love and Truth, please guide me further down Your Way of love and truth by my reading of Your Word today. Amen.

Reading

Read Proverbs 10 slowly and prayerfully. Notice which verse particularly jumps out at you. Re-read that verse a few times slowly. Write it down in your journal. Try to memorise it so that you can reflect on it without having to read from the page.

Prayerful Reflection

Now take that Proverb and think about your life at the moment. Is there a situation in your life to which that Proverb applies. Ask the Lord how this verse from His Word is telling you to live out His wisdom in that situation. Make notes in your journal.

A Devotional Thought

Proverbs 10: 
¹⁰ Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

These wise words warn us against the dangers of associating with those who wink maliciously and those who chatter foolishly. They also warn us against behaving in these ways ourselves.

What does it mean to “wink maliciously”? Surely it means to wink at one person behind another person’s back as if the one winking and the one being winked at share the same secret sense of disrespect, dishonour, mockery or malicious intent against the third. Winking maliciously can only ever cause division and hurt. It is never productive. It never makes for peace or builds community. It is unkind at best. It is deceptively and destructively evil at worst. So the Proverb counsels us to avoid being the “winker” and also to avoid any perceived alliance with one who winks maliciously.

What about “chattering foolishly”? What does that mean? This highlights the danger of someone getting so caught up in expressing their thoughts and feelings verbally that they can’t stop. Fueled by the false sense of importance, value or acceptance that this behaviour gives them (because they have so much to say and others seem to be listening to them), the chatterer seems powerless to stop talking. Their chattering wastes their own time and that of others unproductively. Their chattering robs others of the opportunity to converse constructively, to enjoy the delight of sharing thoughts and feelings, and to find synergy in creatively discovering wisdom and solving problems together. Again the Proverb warns us to avoid being the “chatterer” but also to beware of allowing our time to be wasted by a “chatterer”.

In both instances, the behaviour named is contrary to the way the Holy Spirit works to build human community through inspiring open, truthful communication. Malicious winking and foolish chattering resist and grieve the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

God of Love and Truth, please forgive me for times I have “winked maliciously” or “chattered foolishly”. Please help me to keep in step with the Holy Spirit and to use my behaviour and my speech to build community with respectful, honest dialogue instead. Amen.