What follows Biblical proverbs of Solomon regarding success and how to ensure that you remain successful throughout your life.

Biblical proverbs On parents Proverbs 10:1  

Have you ever thought about the pivotal place given to the command to honour thy father and mother? It is fourth, just after the commands about our relationship with our maker. It is not a coincidence. “Honor thy father and mother, so that your days on earth may be long and fruitful”. Our very existence stems from their union. How can you pay them back for your very existence? 

Tissot - The paralysed man let through the roof Luke 5:17-39

Obtain wealth the right way, by staying within the commandments. Our moral life is a zero-sum game, blessings for good, and punishment for wrongdoing. Yes, through Christ we have grace, but we should not presume it. 

Biblical proverbs On Grace and hard work Proverbs 10:3-5 

Our lord spoke the parable of the birds of the air and the lilies in the fields. God through nature takes care of them, and divine providence does the same for the righteous. He who does not work, cannot expect to eat. And he who chooses the right time to sow and reap will have plenty. We work when we are young, sowing so that when we are old we will reap. Look carefully at those around you, and don’t be attached to the foolish who disregard the strength of their youth and end up destitute in old age. Attach yourself to the wise who see as you do. 

Kussler- Immaculate heart of Mary Luke 1:26-28

It’s good to know that wisdom forgets the wicked. Their names are not esteemed when they leave us. As for wisdom, spend more time listening to her, and only speak when you must. 

Biblical proverbs On righteousness Proverbs 10:9-12

 St Augustine defined love, as to actively will the good of the other. Thus to love one's neighbor, is to actively will the good of your neighbor, and here neighbor is as our Lord defined it, namely everyone besides yourself. 

Ivanov- Christ cleanses the temple John 2:13-22

On fools and wisdom Proverbs 10:13-21  

This is again a warning to too much talking and little listening. The first sign of foolishness is simply talking too much and listening too little. Wisdom suggests that we learn to listen before we talk, and preferably only talk when the need to do so arises, not when we feel we must speak for ego's sake. You will not burst from simply keeping quiet politely. 

Our ability to grow both in wealth and wisdom lies largely with what comes out of our mouths. Wisdom keeps repeating this and it will be a theme right through the book. Be careful what you say, spend as much time as you can listening and enriching yourself with knowledge, and speak only when you must. Speaking is how we express ourselves in word and thought. Don’t post unnecessarily, don’t weigh in on every issue online, and don’t speak when you don’t have sufficient knowledge. It’s a spiritual principle, that if you listen long enough, you will begin to see patterns and from those patterns, there is profit for both body and soul. 

On The righteous and foolish contrasted Proverbs 10:22-32

Do not go about life without a code of conduct firmly in your mind. Don’t be like an animal whose only instinct is for food and drink and anything that can aid in this purpose as prey. We are not animals; survival of the fittest cannot and will never be the code of human beings. You are created in the image and likeness of God. You are thus firstly a spiritual creature before you are a creature of flesh and blood. Within each of us is an eternal spark, wrapped in a mortal body. It is why we can have high thoughts, think about the heavens, plan for the future, empathize, and so on. You must have a code. For Christians, we have the 10 commandments and all that they teach us. Our Lord said that these are fulfilled in the love of God and Neighbour. Let these be ensconced in your heart as your code. 

 What is a scoffer? A dictionary defines him as one... 'who jeers or mocks or treats something with contempt or calls out in derision".. the something they treat with contempt is wisdom. This is someone who refuses to listen, talks too much, and is one with his baseness. How can you explain that it is better to accept insults for what is right, than feast with the wicked for what is profitable and wrong? How can they understand that meekness and humility (accepting personal injury) far surpass bullying and intimidation? How can they understand sacrificing wealth and power for the treasure of wisdom?  They choose the earth over the heavens. We can only pray that wisdom opens their eyes to her beauty.

More wickedness and righteousness contrasted Proverbs 11:1-11  

Here we have wickedness and uprightness contrasted. He who is wicked ignores the law and its two guiding principles, a love of God and a love of neighbor above self. A wicked person is only concerned with their own needs at the expense of everyone else, even God. The end in every instance justifies the means. It does not matter what stands in their way, they are simply an obstacle to be overcome. They are like carnivores when they spot prey; unless you are fast enough, they will devour you. 

The contrast is true for the upright, they love and are keen on the commandments. They choose to love God and to love their Neighbour as they love themselves. To love God is to follow his commandments, and to follow his commandments is to love your neighbor. These are still strong as Lions, but they act like sheep. In their case, the end can never justify the means, but rather the commandments justify the means. If it means exploiting one's neighbor to achieve wealth, then the wealth is not justifiable. It cannot be done if it means ignoring God to succeed. 

I for a long time failed to understand how one can steal from public coffers, knowing that the government’s primary role is to have a just society concerned largely with the poor. Is the culprit not afraid of the curses of the poor, and God's all-seeing eye? In time I have come to understand that they simply don’t care and are blinded by wealth. They consider our stay on earth as final with there being no such thing as an afterlife. I pity anyone so reckless, as not to consider their souls.

Tissot - Jesus wept John 11:35-45

The perverse against sensible minds Proverbs 11:12-23

 The passages contrast foolishness and wisdom. 

-Gossip as opposed to keeping a confidence

 -Good counsel as opposed to poor; remember Rehoboam and the split of Israel was a consequence of poor counsel

-Guaranteeing debts of strangers who have beguiled you

- Unrighteous Riches obtained through violence (ignoring neighbor and God) 

- Outward beauty, compared to what comes from within, in speech and thought. When these two are not congruent, what a tragedy. 

Biblical proverbs On Selfishness vs selflessness Proverbs 11:24-31 

These are encouragements to be righteous and the promises of rich fruit in this world and the one to come. The contrast between generosity and liberal kindness is an interesting one. Indeed some keep giving, and somehow never seem to lack as they grow in their wealth. It’s a spiritual principle, give liberally and wisdom will lavish you liberally as well. Those who see wealth as an end in itself, wrap their very existence around it. They do not see themselves as managing wealth on behalf of wisdom, but they become Gods that own wealth. Remember the parable of the rich old fool? All that we have belongs to God, including the very lives we lead. Wealth is simply a test, to see if we understand that this gift is for us to share with those that have been gifted differently.