Introduction
Before getting into the meaning of Proverbs 10:14, here’s different Bible translations:
King James Version
Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
American Standard Version
Wise men lay up knowledge; But the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction.
World English Bible version
Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
Proverbs 10:14 Meaning & Commentary
Many people lay up (collect/store/hoard) many different things, money, cars, coins, etc. What real value do these things have, though? They can maybe add some enjoyment to life, but usually, the enjoyment and the value fade away, and it just ends up being another material item, with no lasting, eternal value. The Bible says that the wise person lays up knowledge. Now, knowledge is something with eternal and spiritual impact! This is why The Bible says that a wise person lays up knowledge.
When we think about laying something up, it refers to putting something aside, gathering something for a time to come, or preparing for an upcoming time. So, just as we can lay aside finance, food, etc, so, we can lay up knowledge for a time to come. Knowledge can also come in handy at the right time, and for the right season. If we enter a challenging time in life, we can call on the knowledge that we have stored inside us and draw from it, as we would a treasure trove.
Proverbs 10:14 then goes on to say that the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. When the Bible says mouth here, it means their words, what they speak. A fool’s words can bring ruin near in multiple different ways; firstly, what we speak over our own lives has tremendous power and can bring about life or death (ruin) into our lives or even the lives of others: Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
So, a fool may not understand and realize the power of their words and either knowingly or unknowingly speak death over themselves or other people, or even talk themselves into difficult situations: Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
Application
We need to start “laying up” knowledge, instead of everything else which we lay up. This means seeking knowledge, gathering it, and storing it up in our hearts. Knowledge is something that cannot be taken away from us and remains with us our whole lives.
As Jesus said, earthly treasures can be stolen or be destroyed by moth or rust: Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Knowledge is something which is inside us, in our hearts and minds, and cannot be taken from us! If you have knowledge, you are positioning yourself to receive understanding and wisdom as well, which is built on top of knowledge.
So, knowledge is the foundation, or building block, which can eventually grow up into wisdom over time, which is why wise people take time to invest in knowledge. Also, the more we know and understand, and the more wisdom we have, the easier and quicker we can move towards what God has for us! There is a common saying which says that the best investment we can make is in ourselves.
This is true, and in line with what The Bible teaches us. What is the difference between someone who is a complete success in every area of life, and a complete failure in life? It’s not usually good looks or even upbringing or anything like that, but it usually comes down to things such as how they think, how they handle challenges, how they navigate life, in general, So, it can all be traced back to starting to acquire knowledge. This is what wise people do! As for a fool who brings ruin near, we need to be careful about the words we release into our lives and the lives of others, as we have the God-given ability to speak either life or death, so let’s choose to speak wisely!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus’ name, and I thank you for opening my eyes to the importance of gathering knowledge as a foundation to build in my life. I pray and ask that you would give me more and more of a desire to seek after knowledge.
I pray that you would give me an understanding of the knowledge I have, and the wisdom to correctly apply it to my life. Help me to always guard my mouth and the words that I speak so that I may bring life with my words, wherever and whenever I speak. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!
