Proverbs 14:16

"A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident."
-Proverbs 14:16 (NKJV)


In some other translations, rages might be "is hotheaded" or "is reckless" or something like that.

Translation notes aside, I was quite struck by this verse. So much so that I left my comfortable chair in the library next to Kevin Harris and his hair which is now shorter than mine, and thought I would write a little bit about it. It struck me because I thought it was a perfect description of how we as Christians should handle temptation, and also how we fail.

First, the wise man fears. What does he fear? He fears God. He fears evil, but not the power of evil, but the consequences of evil. Have you read Daniel's attitude when he was first brought to Babylon in Daniel 1? He was so concerned about defilement from the king's food and wine, that he refused them. I would say that he feared the consequence of potentially being defiled by the food of so much because what was at stake was his soul. Is it appropriate for a Christian to risk defiling our souls over something so minor as food? He sacrificed choice food for vegetables and did not risk his soul and was rewarded by God for it. We, if we would be godly must also fear evil in this sense. We hold something of so much more value in our souls than we should ever risk defiling through any measure of evil. So we should fear evil.

The second thing that the wise man does is that he departs from evil. I don't think that there is a better (or funnier) example of this in the Bible than the example of Joseph.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

-Genesis 39:6b-15


Joseph was so committed to avoiding evil that he left his garment (his clothes) in his mistress’s hand and fled outside. This caused her to lie about it and cost Joseph many years in jail. When faced with the temptation to sin Joseph departed, like the wise man. Now Proverbs doesn't mention running around outside nude to escape the grasp of lusting women, but I guess if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. We are to flee temptation. Flee. The wise man departs. Depart. Flee. Get Away. Avoid at all costs. There is too much at risk, there is too much that can be forfeited.

But, if you dear reader, are anything like me, you are too stupid to run away. You are like the fool. You are self-confident. I say things like this. "I can watch an R-rated movie with several sex scenes without sinning. I'll just close my eyes during those parts. I mean, hey, it's a good movie, and I can control myself." But what am I doing? What am I doing? I am risking something so valuable (my purity) in order to be entertained for a couple of hours. Without even considering how much better that time could be spent than entertainment (reading the Word, studying, exercise, fellowship...) I am fulfilling an absolutely trivial desire at the potential risk of something so incredibly valuable that I have to call myself an idiot. What am I doing? Why do I do things like that? I linger around sin thinking I am strong. But what happens? I grow weaker if I stay around it long enough, and in my weakness I indulge my flesh. Why am I such an idiot? I am the fool in this verse so often that it scares me. Avoid evil, depart from evil, flee temptation, don't be an idiot, consider the cost. Consider the cost.

So, in an attempt to cultivate wisdom, I want to see this aspect of wisdom characterize my life. But I don't want to rage in self-confident that change will be effectual. I need the Lord for that.

Lord God, let me be wise. I don't want to be an idiot, I want to be pure. Help me to depart from evil before I am ensnared. You are God.