Proverbs 14:18 ESV
The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A18&version=ESV]
Preparation is the nine-tenths success, the saying goes. Making bread is significantly easier if you have the flour, the eggs, the clear space on your kitchen counter, and an idea of what exactly making bread involves. None of us, of course, can be prepared for every eventuality. Forcing me to wager my life on how well I can crochet might as well be a death sentence; I’d be lucky to make a recognizable mistake, let alone actually succeed. We humans just aren’t able to know how to do everything, and that’s how it should be. Most skill are, after all, essentially useless to us most of the time. Nevertheless, when they’re needed, they’re really needed, and this proverb points out the two attitudes towards such preparation: foolishness and prudence.
The path of foolishness runs in many directions, but always towards the same end: not being ready for God’s world. The simple, as the verse says, inherit folly. In other words, they accept whatever they have, whether from others or from their own past actions, and assume it will be sufficient. The compass of this verse, of course, is to the whole life of its hearer. In this field, the simple man takes what he has inherited- man’s innate foolishness, the foolishness of his ancestors’ society, the foolishness of those he grows up among- and does not so much build himself out of it but let himself be piled up out of it, an accumulating heap in a drain rather than a finely formed building. Then, in the particular, he is unprepared for life. He has some skills, sure, but he does not apply them well, does not seek to expand them, does not recognize when he is insufficient.
The fool will step into his life with all the self assurance of a Looney Tunes character with a blind fold on. Worse, when the cartoon character would, upon looking down and falling, at least recognize the fault for its bad estate, the fool, in the ancient way of man which we too share, likes to blame others for the problem. He says that he was not taught how to live in this world, when he neglected to learn. There may even be real fault here with his teachers; it is a shame to a parent or mentor if the child remains a fool precisely because it is the parent’s job, (to a lesser extent) the mentor’s job, to tutor the child out fo foolishness into wisdom. Yet, at the end of the day, the fool will bring destruction on himself of his own actions and will be responsible for that destruction, whether it is physical (poverty, sickness, etc.), societal (isolation, divorce, etc.), or spiritual (that he is not right with God). These sins, though usually not often participated in by his surroundings, are still his sins, rising from a foolishness which says, “I can do this” when he cannot, says “I am doing this right” when he is not, and “It’s not my fault” when it is.
The prudent man, meanwhile, prepares. The prudent man learns what he is taught, yes, but he learns it differently and he doesn’t stop. He seeks to apply what he has learned and to learn more from the application. Further, he looks forward to be sure not only that he learns something but that he learns the right thing. What do I mean by this?
The prudent man learns differently because he not only learns the bare bones necessary to get by in the moment, he seeks to understand all that is good and true in what he is taught. He seeks to understand also how to learn, setting himself up for later stages. When he learns a skill, therefore, he does not merely seek to get “good ‘nuff” with it to pass inspection; he seeks to master it to a level appropriate to his anticipated need and to his task of glorifying God in all that he does (1 Cor. 10:31).
The prudent man doesn’t stop learning because, even when the immediate necessity wanes or his teachers cease to actively teach him, he still seeks greater understanding. This understanding may be in a different field than before. It may be in a skill he did not formerly have knowledge of. The essential truth, though, is that he continues to pursue excellence and to build himself up; he does not lay back and laze about, for there is a world to be won (Matt. 28:16-20).
The prudent man seeks to apply what he has learned. He does not, as the foolish man might, assume he’s doing it right or put as little effort as he can into the application. Instead, he considers what he has learned, considers what he is unsure of, and takes care to work out and implement the right solution to the best of his ability. This does not guarantee success or immunity from blow-back, but it has a much higher rate of both than the fool’s path does.
The prudent man, finally, exercises forethought. He does not simply learn whatever looks appetizing; enjoyment is a part of life, but it comes second. First comes responsibility, comes duty, and the prudent man considers not just what he wants to do but what he needs to do, what he must do. Then, he learns the skills and knowledge necessary to do those things well, to do them in a way which not only accomplishes the necessity but glorifies God in the process.
The difference between the foolish and the prudent, ultimately, comes down to the fact that the prudent man acknowledges God’s order for the universe and the foolish man does not. The foolish man expects the universe to conform to his desires without work, without forethought. He walks forward, unheeding of history and of God’s Word, and he trips, stumbles, falls, and keeps going, blaming others- but especially God, if he’s like all his other kin who do the same, blaming God for their own failings- and refusing to learn, refusing to pass beyond the foolishness he has inherited, refusing to become more than simple. The prudent man, meanwhile, listens to the voice of the Lord, in His creation (general revelation) and in His word (special revelation). He listens and remembers; for this, He receives a crown. This crown is a crown of great worth, of honor in following Him. Yet it is the second crown, which God alone gives, which he ultimately strives towards: the crown of life, the salvific gift of Christ to His people (Rom. 6:23).
God bless.
Written by Colson Potter.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
