Much of the wisdom of the Book of Proverbs is stated in the expression of stark contrasts between the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish. Chapter 10 is full of those expressions. Listen to a few of them:
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offences (vs. 12).
The wise lay up knowledge, but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near (vs. 14).
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech (vs. 19).
The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense (vs. 21).
The hope of the righteous ends in gladness, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing (vs. 28).
In the midst of those contrasts between the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked, is a gem of truth — a positive expression that i…