PROV. 14:8-15 - NOTES
8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his.
15 The naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.
OUTLINE:
14:8-9 - The Sense of the Wise and the Deceit of Fools
14:10 - Only God Knows Your Heart
14:11-13 - Building Your House Right, Avoiding the Way Which Seems Right, and How a Fool's Life Ends
14:14-15 - Backsliders vs. the Good men and the Naïve vs. the Sensible
OVERVIEW: Proverbs 14 has no general theme but contains many wise sayings that contrast a particular concept with its opposite, e.g. patience with impatience, the wise with the foolish, and others deal with various topics such as witnesses, emotions, fear of the Lord, charity, and a king. Our section in today's text contains many well-known verses that contrast the approach of the wise and careful man with that of a man who is foolish and the naïve. We'll learn that prudent man recognizes that appearances can be deceptive-that a person's exterior may not reveal the state of his heart.
v. 8: The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit.
There is a great difference between wise men and fools. Wise men take nothing for granted. They carefully examine and prove all things. They make sure they know what they should be doing, the risks involved, and the means to accomplish them. They understand their way. They are not deceived. They have a godly plan, and they execute it.
Fools live foolishly. Their folly is due to their deceived minds. They make choices by instinct (lusts), by tradition (habit), by peer pressure (fear), by self-help books (self-love), by trial and error (chance), and by education (worldly wisdom). Life happens to them. They do not understand life or the right way to live. They deceive themselves into folly.
Few men understand what they do. Most men live deceived. They think they are wise and right, but they are foolish and wrong. They think they know the consequences of their actions, but they believe lies that hide the coming trouble (Pr 4:19). Only wise men have the prudence and discretion to examine their lives and choose what is right (Pr 22:3).
Deceit is a horrible thing. It is a destructive fault. It is the worst error a man can make. You cannot know once you are deceived, for deceit means you think a lie is the truth, or the truth is a lie. Deceit is confidence you are right, when you are actually wrong. Deceit is lying to yourself. Deceit is believing white is black, or black is white. Deceit is walking naked in public, while thinking you are fully clothed, like an infamous emperor.
v. 9: Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will.
Sin is not a joke. Only fools think so. Sin is the most horrific enemy in the universe. Yet the world laughs about it. A fool jests about sin, sneers at sin, excuses sin, and blames others for sin. He has no fear of God. Sin is not serious to him; he gives it no sober thought. But a righteous man trembles at sin, runs from it, and grieves about it. God will favor that man with blessings
Fools think they can do whatever they want. They may call it free will or the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It does not matter what they call it in their ignorant rebellion. God withholds wisdom and understanding from them, so they ignorantly think they are getting away with their sins (Ps 36:1-4; 50:21-22). Then God laughs at them!
Righteous men, who hate sin and avoid it with their wits and might, God will bless in this life and the
next. Though they sin at times through human frailty, they quickly confess those sins and God forgives them.
v. 10: The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
The proverb is an observation by Solomon about human existence. Paul confirmed it, "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. (I Cor 2:11). Each person is a unique individual with feelings, both negative and positive, unknown to others. No friend fully knows your feelings, regardless of how sympathetic. The combined factors that form another's feelings and thoughts are quite different from yours, or anyone else's. Only you know your own sadness and joy. Others may care for you or say they know you, but they truly cannot and do not. And for you to sympathize with others and help them, you must slow down and look a lot deeper.
Careful study will reveal three lessons from this general observation. The first lesson is to accept that others cannot fully grasp your grief or happiness, which may cause confusion or neglect. Forgive them. And the opposite is also true: you cannot truly know or sympathize with others. Forgive them as well for their intense feelings that alter their appearance or conduct. Wisdom makes allowances due to this individuality.
v. 11: The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.
Here is a proverb that condemns the wicked and encourages the upright. How successful is your family? How long will it last? What impact will it have for God's truth and wisdom? Solomon watched families of wicked men come and go, but he saw the godly seed of the righteous continuing in prosperity for generations (Ps. 37:34-40).
The wicked build houses - solid, substantial, and permanent dwelling places - to get themselves a name (Ps 49:6-14). They trust in their own wealth, intelligence, and power to move them upward and keep then there. The upright may begin with only a tabernacle - a fragile, temporary tent. But God will tear down the former and bless the latter. The great reversal of fortune is by the decree of the watchers, or angels - God favors the upright!
Sin is the ruin of families. If you want your family to endure and prosper, you need to pursue godliness and holiness like the upright man. You need to set the Lord first in each life in your house (Ps 101:3-8; 128:1-6; 144:11-15). But the wicked will not think about God at all; they want to do their own thing; they cannot sin enough (Ps 10:4; 58:3). The Lord has guaranteed by this proverb that He will overthrow such a man and his house. What can you do? Teach your children and grandchildren the Bible so they will fear God and keep His commandments, for His rules are the life, wisdom, and righteousness of your family tree.
v. 12: There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
This proverb refers to man's propensity to rely on his own thoughts and ideas. Putting what we think is best over what God tells us is the way to go in any given situation. This trait of humanity was first demonstrated in the garden with Eve. She knew what God had said about the forbidden fruit but Satan deceived her by getting her to focus on her own reasoning rather than what God said was best for her. (Gen. 3:1-7). We are warned to not trust our way of think in many part of the Bible. Isaiah summarized nicely: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55:8-9). Are you one that trusts in self or do you compare your thoughts to God's revealed word to mankind for direction? Paul told us, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." 2 Cor 10:4-6.
Safety is only by mistrusting your heart; obeying your teachers, parents, and counselors; bringing every thought into captive obedience to Scripture; and keeping your heart there with all diligence (Pr 4:23; II Cor 10:4-6). Do not ever let your mind think outside the word of God (Ps 119:128). Which means you must learn it, and learn it well (Ps 119:11).
v. 13: Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
The world laughs itself to hell. Jokes, cartoons, comedians, sitcoms, parties, drunkenness, and mood-altering chemicals are the rage. Laughter is used to cover inward emptiness and deceive others that all is well. But the loneliness after such frivolity is crushing.
Life is not amusing. Dying is a terrible prospect. Hell is not funny. A party or drunken folly cannot eliminate the painful reality of dysfunctional living, unfulfilled expectations, the certainty of death, and the possibility of eternal damnation. Men cannot do enough to forget their pain and trouble. When the laughter ends, the heart feels even heavier grief.
Consider a fool's life. Solomon analyzed the best that life on earth can offer, and he summarized it all as vanity and vexation of spirit (Eccl 1:14). Life is too short; it never meets expectations; it is filled with trouble and sorrow; the soul is not content with any amount of anything; death is sweet compared to the judgment that follows. (Ec 12:13-14).No matter what unbelievers say, they are unhappy. It is easy to tell. The ones with the best circumstances, the ones the world admires the most, have the greatest misery. Consider Hollywood's so-called stars. Their sorry lives of divorce, suicide, drunkenness, drugs, and other symptoms of dysfunction tell the truth. They are empty, miserable, and searching. The Bible calls them "raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 1:13).
v. 14: The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his.
First, let's define "backsliding," a term we hear a lot: The OT uses the term "backsliding" to describe those who have been near to God but have allowed sin to take them away from Him. In NT usage, it's referred to as "falling away," which is a term used to describe a process by which a Christian believer reverts to pre-salvation habits and falls back into sin when he or she turns away from God in order to pursue their own selfish desires.
Forget the common idea of backsliding - leaving the faith and returning to drugs, sex, or violence as a lifestyle. That's an extreme. Instead, keep the light of this proverb on your heart - the true source of backsliding. It is your heart that first slips away from the Lord, His word, His holiness, and your previous hatred of sin. Sin takes you from the inside out - in the heart - as James carefully explained (Jas 1:13-16). It can be as subtle, like losing your spiritual joy, praying less, singing less, minding earthly things, and becoming spiritually dull. Of course, it also is allowing your heart to consider sins that you would have fervently despised before. Solomon taught his son to diligently keep his heart, for out of it are the issues of life (Pr 4:23).
Backsliders are weakened and often fearful. The Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched in their lives, and they do not have the joyful confidence they once had. The cure for backsliding is easy, by God's grace. Jesus said, Remember from where you have fallen - repent - and do the first works (Rev 2:5). This three-step process will work. Remember the faith, joy, and peace you once had; repent of the sins of your heart or life that you have allowed; and repeat the same fervent actions you did in the beginning.
v. 15: The naïve believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.
This proverb is for safety and success. It is one of Solomon's best--memorize it! It will save you often (Pr 22:3). We live in a perilous time. Men trust sound bites instead of sound reasoning. The information explosion bombards you with new data every day. Telemarketers, mail order catalogs, advertisements, infomercials, pop-up ads, and the Internet throw opinions, suggestions, and products at you. God inspired Solomon to save you by this pithy saying.
Let's define what Solomon mean by a naïve or simple person: a person who will believe anything or everything; he isn't discerning in general and does not do the hard work of trying to determine right from wrong. We're living at a time when people who have convictions are considered to be bigots or ignoramuses. It's popular and politically correct to be open-minded and uncritical of what other people think or believe. Except when it comes to cashing a check when they're broke, getting a prescription filled when they're sick, or asking directions when they're lost, most people don't believe in absolutes. They insist that there's no such thing as objective truth. According to them, whatever "feels good" down inside is truth for you; nobody has the right to criticize you for what you believe. Apply that philosophy to money, medicine, mechanics, or maps and see how successful you will be!
Skepticism is a virtue. Caution is a sign of carefulness. Demanding proof is wisdom. Only the foolish and stupid believe all they hear or read. A wise and successful man will examine things carefully, before he makes his decision. He understands the risks and rewards before he chooses a course of action. He does nothing by chance or mere hope.
The prudent are wise. They have discretion. They are not gullible. They are skeptical of anything sounding too good, too easy, too neat. Too good to be true is their motto. They are not impressed by things in print, words by authority, or testimonials from strangers. They want evidence, and it must be valid. If the simple are excited, they conclude it must be wrong. The majority opinion, in this ignorant and perverse society, scares them away. Parent, teach your children to be skeptics, teach them there is no free lunch, teach them to demand proof over mere world
