Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: More Wicked v. Prudent, Proverbs 14:11-15

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Proverbs 14:11–15

[11] The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

[12] There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

[13] Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and the end of joy may be grief.

[14] The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,

and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

[15] The simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps. (ESV)

More Proverbs of the Wicked v. the Prudent

v.11 This proverb is an illustration of the benefit of living by the Gospel. It brings life, both to himself and to his family. The wicked may appear to be doing better, have more possessions, and have an easier time in life according to the world's measurements, but true living is possible only with the Gospel.

v.12 There is a fundamental flaw in the human perception of right and wrong versus God’s perfect and eternal righteousness. Relying solely on human reason and sinful human rationalization inevitably leads to the path of death. We are the masters of justifying our actions—to ourselves, to others, even to God—making them out to be good, right, and proper. In the clear light of God’s Law, the wise person sees their sinfulness and the foolishness of measuring morality to flawed human standards.

v.13 One's innermost feelings can be masked by one's outward behavior. Even when we stop the actions that hide our pain, the grief remains behind undiluted.

v.14 When when turns away from God, he has an appetite for sin that can only be satisfied by sin. Likewise, the wise have an appetite for the Word of God, and that hunger is satisfied by righteous living through it by God's direction and guidance (Proverbs 3:5-6), as he is fed by the Gospel. St. Peter teaches, "As newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." (1 Peter 2:2–3). As we are nourished by the Word of God, we grow in grace.

v.15 This verse begins a series of four proverbs once again contrasting the wise and the foolish, gullible person. The gullible person trusts anything and does not possess the wisdom to discern between good and bad choices. Compare this, the proverb teaches, to the Wise, who has the ability to use his knowledge to consider the potential consequences of his choices and thus choose wisely.