Proverbs 14:15-18, A Study In Contrasts Continued

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August 17, Proverbs 14:15-18

Luke 12 “When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Pet. 5:4).

A Study In Contrasts Continued

RSV and TEV, using the Greek Bible (LXX) rather than the Hebrew, completely distort this verse. They take devices in a good sense (see below), and then change is hated to is patient (RSV), is calm (TEV)! “RSV’s too-brief footnote implies, unwarrantably, that the Hebrew text is nonsense” (Kidner).

1. The Conduct of the Cantankerous: He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and [but] a man of wicked devices is hated (v.17). Hotheaded and harmful are two words that sum up this proverb. The contrast is between the folly of a hothead, and the plots of one bent on provoking hatred. Nothing warns the angry man. He knows no fear as he rushes into every mischief. So fierce is this anger that the roar of it drowns out the Voice of God, as the roaring of a stormy sea. Thus he neither hears nor heeds the beams from the lighthouse that warn of the reefs ahead. Advice that does reach him he dismisses with impatience. He tolerates no counsel or rebuke. He is soon angry, irritable, and impatient, especially with any one daring to question or caution him. The other is moved by evil thoughts that end in wicked devices. While this word devices can be used in a good sense, and rendered discretion, as in Pr. 1:4, 2:11, 3:21, the adjective wicked makes more sense here (Pr. 12:2, 24:8; Ps. 37:7). This wicked plotter is even more to be avoided than the man with a short fuse is. He sows the wind and inherits the whirlwind of merited hatred! He is both hated of men and is an abomination to God. Like Haman, he is hanged on the gallows he had built for others (Est. 9:24-25).

2. The Coronation of the Cautious: The prudent looketh well to his going, and is crowned with knowledge. This is the Prudent’s Prize. a. He dreads all evil. He fears it as he would the snake’s fang or the wild beast’s roar. b. He departs from it. In this he displays true courage. To do otherwise would be worse than death. Noah is surely an heroic figure, who moved by fear, at the warning of God, prepared an ark to the saving of his house (Heb. 11:7). Recall how Joseph fled from the very touch of evil. c. He dons a Crown. What a coronation! It reminds us of Paul’s crown of righteousness that fadeth not away (2 Tm. 4:8). How different is this from the fool who inherits the fruit of his folly. It is not that a father stipulates in his will that his foolish son will inherit the “family’s folly,” but that is what can happen. The wise son, by contrast, wins a crown of knowledge that is also passed on to him, and he adds to it, seeking true wisdom wherever found. It is a foretaste of the crown of eternal glory. Ignorance will not satisfy Prudence. “I confess,” says Dr. South, “God has no need of man’s learning; but certainly then He has much less need of his ignorance.” What a prize! What a crown! The wise, the prudent, inherit glory (Pr. 3:35) now, and in the life to come, a crown of glory and honour.

Thought: “The wise man fears sin and distrusts himself” (Arnot).

Prayer: Memorise, meditate, and pray over these four proverbs.