Christian Philosophy: How Christ Fulfills Proverbs 10:6

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Proverbs 10:6 says: "Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked." Now, as we've been asking and will be asking throughout this Proverbs series, how does this proverb picture the Lord Jesus Christ? And secondly, how does this picture the Christian, the follower of Christ?

We'll strive to answer the first question here. We'll begin this section by considering the term "blessings." What is a "blessing?" To answer that sub-question, let's go to Genesis 12:3, where God is calling Abraham. He says that He'll bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. I think we have a good idea of what "cursing" means: bringing bad things to pass on people. And since "cursing" is contrasted with "blessing" here, I think we can reasonably conclude that blessing means bringing good things to pass on people. So, to say that blessings are on the head of the just means that God brings good things to pass on the just. And "the just" is another name for the righteous, and righteous means morally right [1]. And the ultimate Just One is the Son of God (Acts 3:14; 1 John 2:1). So, again ultimately, this proverb refers to God the Father showering blessings on His Son, the Righteous and Just One. And what are these blessings? All authority in Heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:18). Anointing with the oil of gladness above His fellows (Hebrews 1:9). Sitting down on the Father's right hand (Hebrews 1:3). Receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). A Name that is above every name (Philippians 2:5-11). And what mere man can list all the good things God has lavished on His Son because of His obedience? And covering this proverb wouldn't be complete without considering its second clause: "but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked." Violence covering the mouth of the wicked. What does this mean? Obviously, violence can't literally cover a mouth, for violence isn't a tangible object that can keep anything from view. So, we have something intangible (i.e., violence) acting on a mouth in such a way that it may be said (metaphorically) to cover the mouth. Since a covering over something so fills the area around that thing, perhaps it could be said that violence "fills" the mouth of the wicked. And, because the parallelism in this proverb is clearly a contrast, the "wicked" are the opposite of the "just," meaning the wicked are the morally wrong. To state it further, the wicked are the opposite of Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit reveals Him in God's Word! Do you see a man speak in such a way where, if he was acting instead of speaking, he would be violent against you? That is what Christlessness looks like! Embrace Christ, dear reader, because He is the Total Antithesis of that evil!

And, because the Christian is an imitator of Christ, insofar as love to God and to man is concerned, we should consider what truth this proverb has for us who trust and love Christ and Him only. Because the Christian is righteous, both by God's verdict and by God's purifying work by His Spirit, God will shower blessings on him. Indeed, He will withhold no (truly) good thing from those who live righteously (Psalm 84:11). And a final note that I think is necessary: although we're to have the mind of Christ, which thinking brought about His exaltation by the Father (again, Philippians 2:5-11) this DOES NOT mean we'll be exalted as God is, for Christ, unlike us, is the eternal God, along with His Father and His Spirit (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-18), and there is no other god before God, with God, or after God (Isaiah 43:10-11).

[1] "The Justice of God," a video on the YouTube channel "I'll Be Honest." Timespan: 6:10-9:29. See link here: https://illbehonest.com/the-justice-of-god-tim-conway