Proverbs 16:22-26

Proverbs 16:22-26
English Standard Version
​22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
    but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
    and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.
26 A worker's appetite works for him;
    his mouth urges him on.

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I'm sure you have heard people joke that common sense is not so common anymore.  Well, even Solomon is saying that good sense comes as a gift from God.  There isn't really anything "common" about it.  It is like a fountain of life (a source of water for the person who has it and all those around him who need it in a place that is dry and thirsty).  However, the fool has no instruction but the folly they listen to.  Foolishness somehow brings about even more foolishness.

The wise man is careful about what he says and guards his tongue.  He lets the Spirit control what he does and does not say.  When he does speak, the wisdom the Spirit gives him leads to persuasive arguments (though the fool who has no sense may even reject these arguments).  As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.  The words of the wise man are gracious and sweet.  They are pleasant desirable like honey from the honeycomb.

The wicked and foolish person does what is right in their own eyes, and the end of this is destruction.  Think of the promise given by the LORD to Adam about The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, "In the day you eat of it, you will surely die."  Also, the words of Paul in the book of Romans, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord."  The wickedness that seems right to our flesh is opposed to God and His will for us.  and leads not only to physical death, but spiritual death (eternal separation from Him in the Lake of Fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels).  We all would be lost and without hope if God had not predestined to redeem a people unto Himself by taking sin and death upon Himself (Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity) when He clothed Himself in humanity and veiled His glory, lived a perfect life and died in our place so that we might have the blessings that belong to Him and once again be image-bearers of God and citizens of the kingdom of God.  Our salvation is not based off of who we are, or what we have done, but who He is and what He has done!

The last point here that Solomon makes is that the good desires that God gives to the people who are wise will work for them to encourage them to do good work.  The worker wants to achieve a goal and is willing to work hard to save for that item or to work hard to have the extra money to have a family, or to work hard to get the promotion that he desires.  He speaks words of encouragement to himself to remind himself of why he is doing what he is doing when the work is hard, challenging, or difficult.  His desires may not even need to be selfish.  He may be working for the good of others (especially those who are in service jobs or in ministry), and he may remind himself that his job is to serve those around Him and to serve the LORD with gladness.