Christian Philosophy: How Christ Fulfills Proverbs 10:21

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This week, we consider Proverbs 10:21 and how it pictures the Lord Jesus Christ. It reads: "The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom." So, how does Christ, as the Holy Spirit reveals Him to us in the Gospels, match this proverb?

Well, first, we have this clause: "The lips of the righteous feed many." 1 John 2:1 tells us that Jesus Christ is the Righteous. So, when it says that the lips of the righteous feed many, it's saying that Christ's lips feed many. Similar to what we saw in our previous analysis, our analysis of Proverbs 10:20, the "lips" of Christ here refers not to His literal lips but, obviously, to His speech. And, when it says that Christ's lips feed many, it obviously doesn't mean His words feed in the way literal food does. No, it's referring to the spiritual nourishment His words provide. In other words, Christ's words beget and nourish faith (and faith-generated love) in God. Indeed, it reminds one of the Lord, in John 6, talking about how He is the Bread of Life and how His words are spirit and life. In this way, the lips of Christ feed many. And those "many" are His people, those who trust Him only. So, to sum this paragraph up, the lips of the righteous feeding many means Christ's words spiritually feed the many whom God the Father has granted Him (John 6:37-40).

Second, we have the next clause: "but fools die for want of wisdom." Since Christ is wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24) and foolishness is the opposite of wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21), "fools" are those without Christ. And it is their lack of wisdom (i.e., Christ) that causes them to "die." Since all people, believers and unbelievers, die physically, the death here must refer to spiritual and/or eternal death. Indeed, it applies both of these ways to unbelievers, since they, while experiencing physical life, are "dead" in their sins (Ephesians 2:1) and will, in the future, experience the second death, eternal death, in the end (Revelation 20:14-15). In sum, this is what it means for fools to die for lack of wisdom.

Reader, do you trust the Christ of the Bible, and Him only? If so, you are fed and nourished by His words! Also, because the Holy Spirit is conforming you to His image (2 Corinthians 3:18), you can speak his words and "feed" people in the same way, all to His glory! If not, you are a fool, and your foolishness will keep you spiritually dead and will lead you to eternal death! Trust Him alone now and forever, so that you will have life (John 5:40, 6:35)!