9 He who walks in integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He who winks the eye causes trouble,
And [f]a babbling fool will be [g]ruined.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all transgressions.
13 On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But a rod is for the back of him who lacks [h]understanding.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The rich man’s wealth is his [i]fortress,
The ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The [j]wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
This passage shows once more the importance of being patient (among other things). It also emphasizes dealing honestly (walk in integrity) and building relationships (love covers all transgressions). If you mess up, and you will, those who know you will be more apt to forgive those, even more so if you’ve been doing your best to be honest.
Attempt to hide your mistakes, and you’ll be falling for short-term thinking. Even if your friends aren’t as understanding as you hoped, it’s better in the long-term to be honest than for them to find out later. Then your “house of cards” will come tumbling down in a hurry. Solomon also reminds us that the wise store up knowledge, but for the fool, ruin is at hand.
It comes quickly when you don’t take the time to make good decisions. Dave Ramsey often says that if all you have are bad options, then you need more information. So yes, the wise store up knowledge, they get more information, so then they can find a better way. It takes longer, but in the long-term it is well worth the delay.
And as we come to the end of this passage, we see the wages, the reward, of living righteous vs. wicked and foolishly. This isn’t short-term either, as it might appear evil men are prospering, companies who treat their employees like cattle get a short-term bump in stock price. But the wages of the righteous are not ultimately found in this life.
Oh, there will be perks to living right, to being honest, building relationships, etc. The real prize is in eternity, after our mortal bodies have gone to dust. Paul would later echo v. 16 as he wrote to the believers in Rome, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life…” Don’t settle for short-term thinking, in this life or the next. Seek God and His ways, and He will take care of the rewards.