Proverbs 12:14 — Words & Works

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
    and the work of their hands brings them reward.

Summary: Words and works are the topics of today’s proverb. Both come in two flavors; wicked and righteous. Solomon uses this proverb to encourage us to choose righteousness for both. 

To fully understand today’s verse, we need to take it in context with (A) the whole of Proverbs and the rest of the Bible and (B) the prior verse (Proverbs 12: 13). The two verses together read like this: 

Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
    and so the innocent escape trouble.
From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
    and the work of their hands brings them reward.

It seems clear to me that the “people” whose lips are “filled with good things” are not evildoers. Once again, Solomon compares and contrasts the wicked and the righteous. This time he calls them “evildoers” and “people.” So what is it that these righteous people say that fills people with “good things?”

Looking back at earlier Proverbs, we find some clues:

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life…” (Proverbs 10:11)

“From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom…” (Proverbs 10:31)

“The lips of the righteous know what finds favor…” (Proverbs 10:32)

The picture painted here is of a person who speaks words that lead to God. The words are full of life and wisdom and they are presented in a way that finds favor with the listener.

And what about the “work of their hands?” For one thing, the hands of the righteous are doing work! They are not conspiring to steal what others have worked for. Instead, they are being productive with what God has given them.

But what is this “work” Solomon speaks of?

In ancient times, work was doing what had to be done. Do you want to eat? You helped raise, harvest, and process the food. There were no refrigerators. Eating required work. Do you want water? Water had to be carried by hand from its source. Do you want a place to live? Tents and houses were built with human hands, not power tools or union employees.

Today, “work” is complicated. Our country has outlawed learning to work. We call it “child protection” and no doubt there have been abuses in the past. But now it is illegal for a child to work and learn the blessings of work unless it is in a family situation.

Politicians keep raising the so-called “minimum wage” hurting the small businesses that used to hire and train the next generation of workers. Do you want to hire a neighbor kid to do some yard work? Chances are they won’t have a clue how to do what you need doing without being taught, and they will want ten dollars an hour for you to do the work and train them. Then, if they decide it is “hard,” they take your money and walk away, job undone.

We have made work far more complicated than it really is. Regulations, tax laws, and social expectations make it difficult for those who want to learn and those who need to learn. That doesn’t mean it is impossible, just far more difficult than it needs to be.

If we want to heal our society, following Solomon’s advice is a good start. We need to speak righteous words and teach young ones righteous work.

Application: Consider the joys of working with our hands. 

Food for Thought: What are the “good things” Solomon refers to in this passage?