A Dichotomy of Good and Evil (Proverbs 14:15-19)

The Bible has always laid out the differences between good men and evil men and the curses and blessings associated with each of these men. This selection of Scripture is no different.

"The simpleton believes every word he hears, but the prudent man looks and considers well where he is going." Proverbs 14:15, Amplified

This is not a blanket statement on belief, necessarily. Rather it is a statement about direction. But before we go further with this idea of directionality, I would like to focus on the simpleton. When this verse is read and we consider the simpleton, it reminds me of a child, believing everything that he or she is told. It is like "stealing their noses" and using your thumb to pretend that you actually have succeeded in stealing their nose. The child gets freaked out and believes it.

When considering directionality, I am drawn to one verse: "...we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting." (Ephesians 4:14, NKJV) The simpleton has no grounding in anything, he is like the man who built his house on the sand. But the prudent studies his way intently. He considers the cost and goes his way.

"A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil, but the fool bears himself insolently and is [presumptuously] confident." Proverbs 14:16, Amplified

The Christian cannot be the man who runs into the burning house in the hopes of finding a victim to save. That fire may be made up of different things like lust or covetousness. It is our duty to our Lord to consider every step that we take. One misstep and we risk exposing ourselves to the evilness of this world. To say to ourselves that we have overcome sin is to be like the fool.

"He who foams up quickly and flies into passion will deal foolishly, and a man of wicked plots and plans is hated." Proverbs 14:17, Amplified

Passion is part of our nature, it is one of the things that makes us human. But for us to act on those passions is to act foolishly. This "foaming up" is the same as being quick-tempered, which links together with passion perfectly. Passion and logic are rarely friends. People kill in acts of passions, they initiate adulterous relationships because of passion. Passion in the hands of the wrong person can lead to a deadly end, for that passion can lead to wickedness.

"The simple acquire folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge." Proverbs 14:18, Amplified

In every life, one accomplishes something. For the simple, folly is his reward. The the one who considers his steps is rewarded with knowledge. Not only rewarded, but also crowned. The crown is a symbol of authority and power.

"The evil bow before the good, and the wicked [stand suppliant] at the gates of the [uncompromisingly] righteous." Proverbs 14:19, Amplified

This is a promise. As we all know, in this world today, this is not the case. But when the that Day comes, rest assured that those faithful to the Lord will stand tall as the rest of the world bows. In Milton's "Paradise Lost", Satan states, "It is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven." This may be true now, in this fallen world. But when that day comes (and it will), those who were and are faithful to the Lord will live forever with Him. If one has chose to devil's side, then eternal separation awaits him.

Sin Tastes Like Sugar (Proverbs 14:14)

It is a never ending battle for the parent of a child to get that child to eat food that is good and nutritious. Too much sugar leads to a physical crash, then the child needs to be filled again. However, with nutritious meals, those times of filling are further apart. In a good meal, a child gets what he needs to make it through the day. The same can be said for the child of God. He can either choose to fill himself up with the things of God or the things of the flesh. We all know that the things of the flesh are like that sugar. There will come a crash and we will need to be filled again. But the Lord so much more satisfying.

"The backslider in heart [from God and God-fearing] shall be filled with [the fruit of] his own way, and the good man shall be satisfied from himself [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts, and in which he delights]." Proverbs 14:14, Amplified

Everyone in this world needs some form of nourishment. That nourishment is either going to come from the world or from the Lord.

Notice, though, that the beginning of the verse does not speak of the sinner, but rather the backslider. This is the one who has tasted the sweetness of God and has gone back to the world to find satisfaction. The backslider is trying to recreate the sam feelings of satisfaction that he had with the Lord without the rules and regulations and responsibility that go along with it. The moment of filling oneself with whatever is not of God causes one to forget about the pain of leaving the true God. But when that sugar rush ends, when that crash comes (and it will) what then? Keep running away? Keep trying to fill emptiness with emptiness?

Not so, the man of God knows that the true satisfaction that he needs is found in only the Lord. When he has filled himself with the Lord, he understands that there is not a set of rules and regulations. No relationship can survive that. It is not that the Lord is holding us back from sin. when we are in love with Him and He is our one and only, then we have the freedom not to sin. The backslider has no other option in this life than to fill himself up with something else or run back to the Lord.

Remember Christian, we are always moving. It will either be forward in the Lord or backsliding. There is never a moment that we can just stay in one place. Press on, fight the good fight.

The Tag Team of Sorrow and Grief (Proverbs 14:13)

What is it about sorrow and grief that is so powerful? Even in the happiest of times, both have the ability to overshadow the good.

"Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of mirth is heaviness and grief." Proverbs 14:13, Amplified

It is so true that happy times may just lead back to sorrow and grief. But why? Why is it that sorrow and grief cause us to forget about the good times that we have experienced in our lives? How is it that a wonderful marriage can end with a crying wife that is left by a husband? Or that the end of a great life ends with a sorrowful funeral?

The answer is simple. We live in a fallen world where happiness and mirth do no necessarily belong. At the point of our conversion to Christianity, we are instructed to read the "Good Book" (or the Bible) everyday. The Bible is riddled with lives surrounded by suffering and turmoil. The Apostle Paul was jailed and beaten and shipwrecked. The Apostle John ended his life exiled on an island. All the disciples that followed Christ suffered persecution and death (as they were promised). King David, a man after God's own heart, ran from his own son who desired to kill him. These men, as well as many others had times of great joy in their lives, but in the end, sorrow and grief seemed to always find them.

We live in a fallen world where sin and the devil have free reign. What once belonged to the Lord was taken from Him and now He is just an invited guest in the hearts of His children. There will be a day when He reclaims what He has made, but for now, sin and the devil have control of this world.

God had created a utopia for Adam and Eve, a wonderful Garden for them to live in. Two commands were given to them. Do not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden and be fruitful and multiply. Even before they could be faithful to the Lord on the second command, they transgressed and ate from the tree. A curse was laid upon man and this earth. "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17b-19, NKJV)

What began as a time of great happiness was suffixed by a curse of sorrow and grief. Sin and the devil had everything to do with it, as well as the free will of man. So enjoy those happy times in our lives and rest assured that the happiest time still awaits us in heaven where sorrow and grief will not and do not exist.