Proverbs | Knowable Word

Disappointment and Health

July 25, 2025 By Peter Krol

"Emergency Ambulance" by Lydia (2011), share under a Creative Commons Attribution license — “Emergency Ambulance” by Lydia (2011), share under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Health problems can be tremendously disappointing. My appendicitis hospitalized me for 3 days, and I was desperate to get back home. Once home, I couldn’t do anything for myself for about a week. All this despite asking God many times to heal me! Some people ask for healing but never receive it. What should we make of this situation?

My comments will follow the pattern I explained in a previous post.

Be not wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
And refreshment to your bones (Prov 3:7-8).

Command: Fear the Lord; turn from evil.

Consequence: Healing and refreshment.

Our meager expectation: People with strong faith will be healed of any ailment.

God’s unbelievable reward: ultimate welfare and forgiveness of sin. “A right relationship with God leads to a state of complete physical and mental well-being, not simply to the absence of illness and disease.”¹ It’s okay if you get sick or injured or exhausted. Even your death is a refuge (Prov 14:32), for it brings you one step closer to the Lord (Prov 15:24). God is at work, preparing you for the day when there will be no mourning, crying, or pain.

Echoes: To give a picture of the health of this right relationship, God often cures sickness (Ps 30:1-12). But the essence of the reward is not about physical health and wellness. If you expect God to heal every sickness, and to do it on your timetable, you will be disappointed.

Essence: Jesus underwent torture and death so we might experience God’s true healing of our sin problem. Jesus performed many healing miracles, but Matthew’s reference to Isaiah 53:4 makes it clear that the physical healings were pictures of a deeper reality: the forgiveness of sin (Matt 8:16-17). Sometimes God heals diseases and preserves lives; other times he doesn’t. But when a sin-sick soul turns from its evil and fears the Lord, God will always forgive, cleanse, and refresh. Our disappointment at sickness and injury should redirect our attention to the God who heals everlastingly.

How might Jesus’ suffering help you refashion your disappointment when an illness doesn’t get better?

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

¹Waltke, Proverbs 1-15, p.247

Disappointment and Guidance

July 18, 2025 By Peter Krol

Have you been counseled to pray before making a decision? In praying, do you expect God to give you clear direction on what to do? Friends, there’s something good here, but don’t fall into the trap of loving the wrong thing. If you pray about decisions and ask God for wisdom, he’ll give you something you might not have expected.

Again, my comments will follow the pattern I explained in a previous post.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make straight your paths (Prov 3:5-6).

Command: Trust God, not yourself.

Consequence: Straight paths.

Our meager expectation: Fervent prayers give clear direction from God for any decision.

God’s unbelievable reward: himself. Those who seek God will find him. “Trust in the Lord” and “do not lean on your own understanding” could be summarized as “fear the Lord,” which is the first step on the path of wisdom (Prov 1:7). The path of wisdom leads to God himself (Prov 2:5-8). So when God promises to “make straight your paths,” he offers to remove any obstacles that keep you from him. He’ll make himself available. He’ll loosen your yoke and lighten your burden. He will be your God.

Echoes: To give a picture of this straight path, God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at many times and in many ways (Gen 15:1, 37:5, Ex 3:2, Jdg 20:18, 23, etc.). But the essence of the reward is not about communication from God. If you expect God to speak clearly every time you ask for help, you will be disappointed.

“Anvil and Hammer” by fauxto_digit (2008), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Essence: Jesus cried out to God and was forsaken (Matt 27:46) so we who seek would find him (Matt 7:7-11). Sometimes God doesn’t give what we ask (2 Cor 12:7-8) so we might learn to ask for more of him instead (2 Cor 12:9-10). When we ask God to draw us closer to him, he will never say “No” (Jas 4:8). Raymond Ortlund describes this process: “Wisdom is the gospel of Christ reshaping us for royalty, as God places us on his anvil and we trust him enough to stay there until his work is done.”[1]

How might Jesus’ abandonment help you refashion your disappointment when your future remains unclear or your life goes in an unexpected direction?

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

[1] Proverbs: Wisdom that Works (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2012), Kindle location 272-73.

Disappointment and Relationships

July 11, 2025 By Peter Krol

"Close Friends" by makelessnoise (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license — “Close Friends” by makelessnoise (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Do you ever operate under the expectation that, if you try hard to love and serve people, they will like you in return? God has something better in mind for you!

My comments on this text will follow the pattern I laid out previously.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
Bind them around your neck;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
In the sight of God and man (Prov 3:3-4).

Command: Exude love and faithfulness.

Consequence: Favor with God and men.

Our meager expectation: Nice people will be well liked and respected.

God’s unbelievable reward: influence. Those with godly influence persuade others of God’s love and faithfulness (Prov 16:7, 21). God favors such humble people (Prov 3:34), who serve others more than themselves. Communities benefit from such people (Prov 11:10).

Echoes: To give a picture of this good favor, God often grants public recognition to the faithful (1 Sam 24:17-21). But the essence of the reward is not about recognition. If you expect every loving act to result in broad agreement and wild acclaim, you will be disappointed. For example, David’s acclaim in 1 Sam 24:17-21 took place at a pretty low point in his life.

Essence: Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12). Those children will be hated in this world as much as their master Jesus was. But in persuading some to follow Christ, they receive hope, joy, and a glorious crown of boasting when Jesus returns (1 Th 2:19-20). In other words, they may be disappointed when people don’t like them, but God uses the disappointment to teach them whose favor really matters.

How does Jesus’ rejection help you refashion your disappointment in relationships?

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Disappointment and Longevity

July 4, 2025 By Peter Krol

We get disappointed when our expectations are not met. We commonly expect that, if we honor God, we will live long and prosper, but God desires something better for us.

My comments will follow the pattern I laid out last week.

My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments,
For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you (Prov 3:1-2).

Command: Obey God’s commands.

Consequence: Long life and peace.

Our meager expectation: People who serve God won’t die young.

God’s unbelievable reward: an unbreakable relationship with God. In Proverbs, “life” often refers to more than simply having a heartbeat (Prov 3:21-22, 4:13, 8:35, etc.). Waltke comments that the meaning of “life” in Proverbs is “commonly misrepresented and/or misunderstood” as temporal life that ends with clinical death.¹ As Kidner states, “In several places it is not too much to say that ‘life’ means fellowship with God.”²

Echoes: To give a picture of his everlasting relationship with us, God often lets the righteous live to a good old age (Gen 25:8) and cuts short the lives of the wicked (Gen 38:7). But the essence of the reward is not about old age. If you expect every servant of God to live to old age, you will be disappointed.

Essence: God sent his Son Jesus to die on a cross so he might give us life. Eternal life means knowing him (John 17:3). When we seek life anywhere else, God graciously steps in and disappoints us. He leads us back to what’s best for us: loving Jesus and keeping his commandments (1 John 3:16, 23-24).

How might Jesus’ untimely death help you refashion your disappointment when someone’s life is cut short?

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

¹ Proverbs 1-15, p. 104.

² Proverbs, p. 53.

How to Refashion our Disappointment

June 27, 2025 By Peter Krol

Last week, we considered how we must see God’s fatherly love when we face disappointment. Now we’re ready to go back and explore the many realms where we so often feel disappointed.

"Cape Disappointment is Disappointing" by iotae (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License — iotae (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Proverbs 3:1-10 consists of five pairs of verses (each with a command and a consequence) that address five specific areas of life. Each pair contrasts our meager expectations with God’s unbelievable rewards. We may find echoes of these rewards in our day-to-day lives, but if we mistake the echoes for the essence, we’ll miss the point and end up disappointed. The essence is found in God’s rescue mission accomplished through Jesus. And when he rescues us, he also lovingly disciplines us to desire what he desires for us.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore our struggles with disappointment about the following life issues:

I’ll connect Solomon’s sayings to the rest of the Bible and to our lives using the following categories (I’ll link back to here from each of the next few posts to remind you of the details):

“Command” observes the command.
“Consequence” observes the consequence.
“Our meager expectation” states a common misinterpretation of these verses.
“God’s unbelievable reward” uses other Proverbs to illuminate what Solomon (and thus God) meant.
“Echoes” uses examples from Solomon’s Bible (books or stories that were available to him) to show how God taught and foreshadowed this reward through real-life object lessons. If we confuse these echoes with the essence, we will expect the wrong thing and end up disappointed.
“Essence” describes how Jesus was denied the promise so we might be granted it. Then it explains how God trains us to love what he loves.

Stay tuned!

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

God Displays His Love through Disappointment

June 20, 2025 By Peter Krol

We now arrive at Proverbs 3:1-12, but we must begin our study with the end of the section.

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
Or be weary of his reproof,
For the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
As a father the son in whom he delights (Prov 3:11-12)

To understand how God uses our disappointment to draw us closer to him through Christ, we must see four things.

"Discipline" by Grotuk (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license — “Discipline” by Grotuk (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

1. The Lord will discipline and reprove those he loves. Prov 3:12 is clear: “the Lord reproves him whom he loves.” What we consider to be disappointing circumstances, God considers to be disciplining love. God’s discipline is not optional. It is selective in that it applies only to those he loves, but it is comprehensive in that it applies to all those he loves. In a previous post, we saw that God judges people by giving them what they want rather than what he wants. Now we see the flip side: that God blesses people by giving them what he wants rather than what they want. God will not give you what you want; he will give you what you need. This is disappointing, but it will train you to expect what God expects, to desire what God desires. It will be a long road, but his discipline will draw you closer to him.

2. You will be tempted to despise the Lord’s discipline and grow weary of it. Nobody likes to feel disappointed. That’s why he commands you not to despise it or grow weary of it (Prov 3:11). When God’s discipline comes, it will not make you feel good. It won’t put the joy, joy, joy, joy down in your heart. You won’t brag about how much God is blessing you. No discipline is immediately pleasant. When your bank account is empty or people don’t like you or your love life isn’t all you’d hoped it would be, you’re not going to feel great about it. But when it drives you away from yourself and back to the Lord, it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb 12:11). Turning to the Lord helps you not to despise his loving, protective, concerned discipline.

3. You must choose not to despise the Lord’s discipline. Fight the temptation to despair over your situation. Be prepared for the Lord’s discipline to come again and again and again and again until you’re made perfect in heaven with Jesus. Don’t get worn down by it. Don’t loiter in your self-pity. Don’t cave to disappointment by spiraling in & down or out & around. Make a different choice: the choice to reinterpret your disappointing circumstances.

4. You must reinterpret your disappointing circumstances by revisiting your view of God. Unmet expectations are evidence of God’s delighted love for you. God is neither hostile nor disinterested; he is your loving father. Acknowledge that God is better than you are at knowing what’s best for you. Thank him for proving his love by giving you what you need instead of what you want. Let your disappointment draw you closer to him. If you trust in Jesus, God is not out to get you. He is your doting father, and you are his precious beloved child. God hasn’t met your expectations because he has something better in mind.

In short: When life doesn’t go the way YOU want it to go, it’s because God loves you more than you can imagine. Don’t ever let your circumstances affect what you know to be true about the Lord. As my friend Brian is fond of saying, “Remember that God loves you, and Jesus is the proof.”

A loving father might take his child to Disney World, but he wouldn’t ever leave him there. It wouldn’t be good for the child’s well-being, and the child wouldn’t even enjoy the experience. The money would run out long before the happiness did, and what then? But what child is aware of what’s truly good for him when he’s pleading for another day at the park? His contentment might return only when he adopts his loving father’s mature perspective on the matter.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Wisdom in Disappointment

June 13, 2025 By Peter Krol

My dear mother gave birth to me to me only a few weeks after Christmas in the middle of the Carter administration. And I’m the type of person who really, really enjoys getting gifts. These two ingredients mixed themselves into a toxic brew of the most disappointing kind, because, for most of my childhood, friends and relatives would give me only one (1) present – to cover two holidays – sometime during the first week of January. They’d accompany the present with a pacifying sentiment like “I hope you enjoy this Christmas/birthday gift!” But Christmas had already come and gone without any word from such interested parties. The day of my birth likewise came and went without fanfare. From the beginning, my life was designed to disappoint.

"Gift" by asenat29 (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License — “Gift” by asenat29 (2006), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Disappointment saturates our fallen existence. Some disappointments are relatively minor, like having your birthday forgotten or discovering concert tickets are sold out. Other disappointments, like receiving a notification of divorce, suffering a debilitating accident, or losing a child, might plague us for decades. Whatever the situation, God the Father is always present, using our disappointment to draw us closer to him. The way of wisdom leads through disappointment and on toward the Lord.

How Disappointment Works

Before we dig into the text of Proverbs 3:1-12, we must understand how disappointment works.

We feel disappointed when our expectations are not met. Sometimes we lose what we expected to keep. Sometimes we miss what we expected to gain. At other times we experience something we expected to avoid. Expectations infiltrate our motivations, and they come with a price tag: our happiness. They dash our hopes. They convert healthy relationships into needy ones, and they make people bitter and irritable.

Maybe you expected to enjoy your job more than you do. Maybe you expected your parents to respect you as an adult. Maybe you thought church would be more exciting, or that marriage would solve your lust problem. Maybe you expected to be financially stable by now. Maybe you just hoped to get noticed every once in a while.

In short, you wanted something, but didn’t get it (or you liked something but lost it). You feel disappointed.

Two Ways to Handle Disappointment

When unmet expectations produce disappointment, we need a way to cope. Most people take their disappointment in one of two unhelpful directions: either in & down or out & around.

"Spiral Staircase" by Roberto Verzo (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license — “Spiral Staircase” by Roberto Verzo (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

1) Those who take disappointment in & down tend to see themselves as the source of the problem. Perhaps, they reason, their expectations were too high. They mentally relive the situation and assume it won’t get any better. They might lower their expectations to avoid further disappointment, even to the point of losing hope. These people might believe God is disappointed with them for failing him. They feed the downward & inward spiral until they bottom out in full-fledged depression. They read passages like Proverbs 3:1-12, but refuse to get their hopes up. So they always go back to Job and focus there, because that’s how life really is.

For example, if your friends forget your birthday, and if you take your disappointment inward, you might begin to assume that nobody will ever remember your birthday. You don’t want to be a burden to people, so you say nothing about it. You lower your expectations to the point where you’re surprised and uncomfortable if your birthday comes up in conversation. You begin thinking of God as a distant authority figure. He’ll let you into heaven because he has to, but he’s pretty discouraged by what he ended up with when you became a Christian. As God and men continue to disregard you, you get even more discouraged, justifying your hopelessness. You’re trapped in a heartbreaking cycle.

2) Those who take disappointment out & around tend to blame others for causing the problem. They pity themselves and expect others to join the party. They might attack those whom they perceive to be the offenders, by complaining, scolding, or sucking the life out of them until they change. They’re difficult to work with because they always have a critical remark or a better idea. These people might believe God is against them and has failed them. They feed their disapproval until they gain a reputation for anger and aggression.

For example, in season one of Downton Abbey, Downton Village prepares for its annual flower show. The Grantham Cup is supposed to go to the “finest blooms” at the show, but the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played expertly by Dame Maggie Smith) has won the cup as long as can be remembered. The Countess’s flowers are clearly inferior to those of the aging commoner Mr. Molesley, but she has used her title and prestige to pressure the judges for so long that she’s certain to win again. She’s become so skilled at enforcing her expectation of victory that she doesn’t even realize when she’s doing it. Only when she chooses to deny herself and award the trophy to Mr. Molesley, does she handle her own expectations in a non-abusive manner.

We get trapped in these two spirals (in & down, out & around) all the time, and there’s no end in sight. But, God enters our disappointment to break the cycles. He helps us to look up & over our disappointment that we might see him, our loving father.

Jesus Enters Our Disappointment

We feel disappointed when our expectations are not met, and then we tend to blame either others or ourselves. But God came to earth to rescue us from slavery to disappointment.

"Cemetery Cross" by Joel Kramer (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license — “Cemetery Cross” by Joel Kramer (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license

He sent his Son, Jesus, to live among us and experience our disappointment. The night Jesus was betrayed, he expressed his great disappointment to his closest companions: “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death…My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me…[Friends,] could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matt 26:38-40). On the cross, his disappointment climaxed: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46).

But Jesus’ disappointment didn’t turn him away from his Father. He didn’t blame himself for expecting too much from a dark, dark world. He didn’t bend the situation to his own will, coming down from the cross or calling platoons of angels to fight for him. No, rather than running away from God, Jesus let his disappointment bring him closer to God. His dying words were: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

As Hebrews puts it, Jesus was a son who “learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Heb 5:8-9). In other words, because Jesus drew close to God through his suffering and disappointment, he opened the way for you and me to do the same. He died to bring us salvation, and he lives to bring us close to the Father, despite our disappointment. But how?

Next week, we dive into Proverbs 3:1-12 which will help us along the way.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Wisdom Delivers for the Long Haul

June 6, 2025 By Peter Krol

We’ve seen how wisdom delivers from evil and adulterous people in Proverbs 2:12-19. Now we see what it delivers us for.

So you will walk in the way of the good
And keep to the paths of the righteous.
For the upright will inhabit the land,
And those with integrity will remain in it,
But the wicked will be cut off from the land,
And the treacherous will be rooted out of it (Prov 2:20-22).

Deliverance FOR endurance on the right path (20-22). When you become wise and keep seeking wisdom, you will persevere on the paths of the righteous (Prov 2:20). The Lord promises to preserve you to the last day, when he will judge the wicked and treacherous (Prov 2:22) but stabilize the upright in his kingdom forever (Prov 2:21).

"Holy Land - Pool of Bethesda, Jerulsalem" by Jenny King Mellon (2009), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License — “Holy Land – Pool of Bethesda, Jerulsalem” by Jenny King Mellon (2009), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Solomon here describes those who “inhabit the land,” referring to God’s treaty with Abraham and his offspring to give them a good land (Gen 12:1, 7; 13:15-17, etc.). They wearied of living in tents and wanted to establish roots in a land of their own. About 500 years later, Joshua pioneered this promised frontier on behalf of Abraham’s descendants. Yet after another wait of more than 1000 years, Jesus the True Joshua (“Jesus” and “Joshua” are the same name in Greek and Hebrew respectively; like “Peter” and “Pedro” in English and Spanish) led those who would believe in him to find ultimate and lasting rest (Gal 3:16). We who trust in Jesus now find stability “in the land,” resting from our works as God did from his (Heb 4:8-11). In other words, we don’t need to do anything to make God happy; by living the life we ought to have lived and dying the death we deserved to die, Jesus already did it all for us.

This last point is critical, for our hope for becoming wise must not be in getting everything “just right.” We’re all guilty of failing to listen, doing crooked things, and entertaining ungodly sexuality. Our own brokenness condemns us, and the consequences of our choices gnaw at us. But it’s never too late to turn around. We’re never beyond the reach of God’s rich mercy in Christ. The only way to qualify is to realize we’re not qualified. This weakness will strengthen us in wisdom. We’ll quit depending on ourselves, and instead turn to the Lord of wisdom. As we trust in him, we’ll draw closer to him and become more like him. In short, that’s how we become wise.

The process for becoming wise is really quite straightforward. Get in the habit of listening to advice and seeking out help. Trust in the Lord and become more and more like him. Then you’ll become a different person who loves what God loves; you’ll make choices that take you away from evil and immorality and toward righteousness and stability.

Do you think it’s worth it to become wise?

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Wisdom Delivers from Adulterous People

May 30, 2025 By Peter Krol

Last week we saw that wisdom delivers from evil people. Proverbs 2 moves on to yet another deliverance that occurs when we make different choices.

So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
From the adulteress with her smooth words,
Who forsakes the companion of her youth
And forgets the covenant of her God;
For her house sinks down to death,
And her paths to the departed;
None who go to her come back,
Nor do they regain the paths of life (Prov 2:16-19).

Deliverance FROM adulterous people. An understanding person will choose not to engage in sexual activity with anyone but a spouse. This lifestyle means avoiding even flirtatious speech (Prov 2:16) and emotional intimacy or companionship (Prov 2:17). God designed erotic activity to build oneness in marriage. Pursuing a sexual relationship outside of marriage results in a type of death (Prov 2:18) that leaves a lasting stain in one’s history and memory (Prov 2:19). A failure to repent of such a lifestyle will ultimately lead to everlasting death in hell.

empty road leading through misty forest — Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels.com

We must understand that Solomon’s warning is not limited to sexual intercourse with a married person (one overly-literal way to interpret “going to” an “adulteress”). All sexual activity is, well, sexual. Thus, all sexual activity and flirtatious speech with someone other than a spouse is included in Solomon’s warning. The discerning person will stay far from that path, delighting in God’s generous plan for marriage. Solomon gives much more detail on this theme in Proverbs 5 and 7.

Note that, as with the first category, the most dangerous and deceitful relationships can be with those who attend church or who claim to follow the Lord. Some people who would never consider something clearly immoral, like spending the night with a prostitute, will give themselves to various forms of sexual activity with another person who has a smattering of religious commitment. In his perceptive satire Evangellyfish (Moscow, ID: Canon, 2012), Douglas Wilson illustrates such a scene through the eyes of a fictional youth pastor:

Every month or so the stress of youth ministry—dealing with the kids and all their issues—would get to Johnny, and so he would head on over to Brandy’s apartment to have her give him a neck rub, followed by her specialty back rub. But somehow her giving him a back rub always turned into him giving her a front rub, and then they would fall again.

…Brandy gave him a few back rubs back [when she was a student in his youth group] that brought them perilously close to the edge, but honestly, there was no front rubbing until after she graduated… That meant that when they finally followed the manner of all the earth, they were not violating the professional standards of youth ministry, but rather simply the seventh item on an ancient list which was from the Old Testament anyway.

Here in Proverbs 2:16-19, the adulterous woman “forgets the covenant of her God” (Prov 2:17). In chapter 7, she’s someone who offers sacrifices at God’s temple (Prov 7:14), so we can see that in some sense she was indeed a member of the community of God’s people. Such people can be chief among those who offer temptations. We must constantly guard our hearts and set up boundaries for healthy relationships. The wise – whether male or female – will exercise discernment and turn from “the forbidden woman.”

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Wisdom Delivers from Evil People

May 23, 2025 By Peter Krol

Wisdom delivers by enabling us to make different choices.

Delivering you from the way of evil,
From men of perverted speech,
Who forsake the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness,
Who rejoice in doing evil
And delight in the perverseness of evil,
Men whose paths are crooked,
And who are devious in their ways (Prov 2:12-15).

"Deception Pass" by gemteck1 (2008), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License — “Deception Pass” by gemteck1 (2008), Creative Commons Attribution

Deliverance FROM evil people. A discerning, godly person will choose not to join evildoers in their evildoing. This lifestyle means rejecting hurtful speech (Prov 2:12), deceitful cover-ups (Prov 2:13), godless delights (Prov 2:14), and devious behavior (Prov 2:15). The wise person knows that the most dangerous of all potential influencers are those who claim to follow God, but who by their actions have forsaken his way (Prov 2:13).

I’ll give an example. We once hired a contractor to upgrade one of the mechanical systems in our house. About a week after the work was completed, we discovered that we should have gotten a permit from the local code office for this work. So I called the contractor to ask if he had gotten one and had just forgotten to communicate with us about it. Now he claimed to believe in God, but his response was something like: “Is the code office after you? Just tell them you had only a little bit of work done, and they’ll leave you alone.”

This course of action was unacceptable to me; I knew that a deceitful cover-up would dishonor God and come back to haunt me someday. I should have researched the local ordinances more carefully, and I had to deal with the consequences. So I contacted the code office and told them of my situation, offering to do whatever I needed to do to make it right. The assistant at the office told me to fill out an application and include a note saying that I wasn’t aware of the permit requirement before the work completion date. Once I did, the permit was issued, and I don’t think they even charged a penalty.

The point is: I had to make a different choice. Part of that choice involved not being influenced by an outwardly godly but inwardly deceptive approach to the situation. Those who have heard and received God’s wisdom are equipped to label “the way of evil” correctly so they can avoid it and its consequences.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.