Commentary - Proverbs 10:2

Bird's-eye view

Here in the tenth chapter, Solomon shifts gears. The first nine chapters were extended discourses, fatherly exhortations to his son. Now we come to the pithy, two-part sayings that we commonly think of as proverbs. This verse sets a foundational contrast for much of what follows. It is a sharp, black-and-white distinction between two ways of handling God's world: the way of wickedness and the way of righteousness. The subject is wealth and security, but the ultimate issue is life and death. Solomon is establishing a basic principle of spiritual economics: you cannot profit from rebellion against God. Any apparent gain is fraudulent, a bubble on the verge of popping. True, lasting profit, which is nothing less than deliverance from death itself, is found only in righteousness.

This is not a call to asceticism or a condemnation of wealth as such. The Bible is full of righteous men who were wealthy. Rather, it is a condemnation of the method of wickedness and a commendation of the fruit of righteousness. It forces us to ask the fundamental question about our own lives and ambitions: are we building on a foundation of sand, grabbing what we can in defiance of the Creator? Or are we building on the rock, living in right-standing with Him, knowing that this is the only path to life? Ultimately, this proverb points us to Christ, who is our righteousness and who delivers us from the ultimate death.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs 10 marks the beginning of the "Proverbs of Solomon" proper (Prov 10:1). This section, running through chapter 22, is characterized by antithetical parallelism. This means most verses are composed of two lines that stand in sharp contrast to one another. You see it clearly here: "Treasures of wickedness" is set against "righteousness," and "do not profit" is set against "delivers from death."

This verse functions as a heading for many subsequent proverbs that deal with wealth, labor, and integrity. It establishes the moral and spiritual framework for understanding economics in God's world. Verses that follow, like "The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry" (Prov 10:3) and "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth" (Prov 10:4), all operate under the umbrella of this foundational truth. You cannot separate your financial dealings from your standing before God. This proverb insists that your balance sheet is ultimately a theological document.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

The first clause deals with a fundamental delusion of fallen man. "Treasures of wickedness" refers to any form of wealth, status, or advantage obtained through unrighteous means. This is not just about robbing a bank. It is the profit margin padded by deceit, the promotion gained by slander, the inheritance secured through manipulation, the business built on exploitation, the quiet life funded by cutting corners and cheating on taxes. It is any asset that has the stain of sin on its acquisition papers. The Hebrew word for wickedness here has the sense of being loose, wrong, or out of joint with God's created order.

And what is the verdict on these ill-gotten gains? They "do not profit." This seems, on the surface, to be counterintuitive. The whole point of getting treasures by wickedness is for the profit. The wicked man looks at his bank account and says, "What do you mean, no profit? Look at all these zeroes." But God's accounting is different. There is no true, lasting benefit. Why? Because these treasures cannot buy off the wrath of God (Prov 11:4). They cannot purchase peace of conscience. They cannot deliver you on the day of your death. They are like Monopoly money in the real world, valuable only within the confines of a temporary, self-deceiving game. As Jesus asked, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mark 8:36)? The answer is nothing. The treasures of wickedness are a massive, soul-crushing net loss.

But righteousness delivers from death.

Here is the glorious contrast. Righteousness, tsedeqah in the Hebrew, is the opposite of being loose or out of joint. It means to be right, to be in conformity with a standard. In the Old Testament, that standard is God's holy law. It is living in a right relationship with God and, consequently, with your neighbor. It is a life characterized by integrity, honesty, justice, and faithfulness.

And what is the profit of this righteousness? It "delivers from death." This has a few layers of meaning. In one sense, a righteous life, one of honest labor and fair dealing, often leads to a more stable and secure earthly life, delivering one from the kind of death that comes from foolish risks and vengeful enemies. But the meaning runs much deeper. The ultimate "death" in Scripture is not just the cessation of breathing; it is separation from God, the fountain of life. It is the final judgment and the second death.

This is where the proverb throws open the doors to the Gospel. No man, by his own efforts, can achieve a righteousness perfect enough to deliver him from death. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Is 64:6). The proverb states a principle that finds its ultimate fulfillment only in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the truly righteous one. And through faith in Him, His perfect righteousness is imputed to us (2 Cor 5:21). It is this alien righteousness, this gift from God, that truly delivers us from death. We are delivered from the penalty of sin because Christ took it for us. We are delivered from the power of sin by the indwelling Spirit. And we will one day be delivered from the presence of sin in the resurrection. The man who builds his life on the treasures of wickedness is building on a trap door over hell. The man who receives the gift of Christ's righteousness is given a key that unlocks the gates of eternal life.

Application

This proverb is a call to radical self-examination. We must look at our lives, our work, our finances, and our ambitions, and ask the hard question: what is the source of this? Is this a treasure of wickedness or a fruit of righteousness? We live in a world that constantly tempts us to believe that the ends justify the means, that a little corner-cutting is just smart business. This proverb tells us that is a damnable lie. There is no profit in it.

For the believer, this means we must pursue our work and all our dealings with scrupulous integrity, not as a means of earning our salvation, but as a fruit of it. Our work is an act of worship. Our balance sheet should be something we can show to God with a clear conscience. We should be known as people whose word is their bond, whose dealings are fair, and whose ambition is for God's glory, not our own enrichment.

And for anyone who recognizes that their life has been spent accumulating the treasures of wickedness, the message is not to despair, but to repent. The second half of the verse shows the way out. The righteousness that delivers from death is not something you can build; it is something you must receive. It is a gift, offered freely in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Turn from your wicked gains, which will only fail you in the end, and lay hold of the righteousness of Christ by faith. That is the only treasure that will deliver you, not just from temporal troubles, but from the finality of death itself.