Proverb 10:10

“He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.”

Winking around the world can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but it is most commonly recognized as a sexual gesture that ranges from a mild, flirtatious nod to an explicit and crude invitation. 

The Hebrew word for “wink” connotes malice and its definition paints an interesting picture of the gesture: to squeeze off (a piece of clay in order to mould a vessel from it). Interestingly, when we wink, the eye does take on a squeezing motion. So when you pair that image with the evil intent or desire that is malice, it’s as if winking—though harmless and innocent in and of itself—can cause harm to another.

When I think of clay—and the act of molding or shaping it—I think of the biblical reference of God the Father being the potter, and we, the clay.

So when I think of winking (and assuming its underlying sexual connotation), it seems as if, by way of sexual advances, it has the ability to squeeze off a part of a person, for the sake of reshaping, and remolding that person. 

Isn’t that just like the enemy—to recreate, or rather manipulate, what the Father has already instated? So when God shapes us with His word, the the seductress winks at us. It’s a sexy gesture and it easily allures. We fall into the trap of thinking we’ll be shaped and formed into our next best self if we respond. But really, the enemy is squeezing off a piece of who we are to mold us into his masterpiece. His intent is evil and destructive. 

After this exquisite word picture, the Proverb reiterates a statement form two verses ago: But a prating fool will fall.

The word “but” suggests an about face. Lady Wisdom knows we will be prone to weakness; that we will find the wink of our seductress tempting and desirable. “He who perverts his ways will become known”, remember? “It looks good…..but,” she says.

A prating fool will fall. In a mindless state, I will act a fool. I don’t consider the intent of her wink, but am merely wooed by the sight of it. I will be apt to engage in giddy chatter as I get tossed in a flurry of flirtatious swoons and mindlessly submit to her come-ons. But she is squeezing off a part of me. She will be my demise. 

And when my empire falls, someone else will take the throne. The seductress will viciously vie for it. 

Or, we can hand it over to the rightful King.