Proverbs 14.11
“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.”
This is the basic message of the book of Proverbs, indeed of the whole bible. If you are foolish and wicked, you will eventually be destroyed. If you are wise and do the right things, you will flourish. As the redeemed followers of Jesus, we are constantly reminded that our righteousness before God is not achieved by our behavior, it is received by faith in Christ crucified and resurrected..
The use of the metaphors “house” and “tent” communicates that our behavior has an impact beyond self. Our behavior also affects our families, our organizations, our communities, and our nation. For any group to flourish, the people in the group must act rightly. Put another way, the culture of an organization (or team or nation) begins with the character of its people.
Proverbs 14.14
“The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.”
We live in a world of cause-and-effect. It is the Creator’s design; it is how life works. You make choices, and your choices have consequences. It is the immutable law of God: you reap what you sow. The fruit you get is the result of the seeds you sow. The “backslider” does foolish things and gets bad fruit, the good man does wise things and gets good fruit.
The message is made very clear in the book of Galatians: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6.7-9)
To “sow to the flesh” is to indulge the passions and impulses of your old nature. It is to set your mind on the things of the fallen world. It is to pursue what 1 John describes as “the desires of the flesh (pleasure) and the desires of the eyes (coveting) and the pride of life (ego).” It is to pursue and participate in things that God forbids.
To “sow to the Spirit” is to study the word of God, seek God in prayer, and align your life with his commands. It is to love and serve others. It is to worship God in spirit and in truth. It is to set your mind on the things of the Spirit. It is to reject the temptations and seductions of the world and seek first the kingdom of God.
Proverbs 14.17
“A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.”
When you operate from a quick temper, you are sowing the seeds of your old nature, and it will bear bad fruit. People who are easily angered act impulsively and then do stupid, thoughtless things, which gets them into trouble.
However, the second statement intensifies the principle. It is one thing to be short-tempered and do foolish things, but it is worse if one commits evil acts after long reflection and planning. That is the meaning of the Hebrew word for “evil devices” (mezimma).
Depending on the context, mezimma can have either a positive or negative meaning. In 2.11 it is the positive sense of “discretion,” but here in 14.17 it is the negative idea of “devising, plotting or scheming” evil. It describes a calculating, malevolent person who premeditates and plans to do evil things. Needless to say, this kind of person is to be avoided at all costs.
Proverbs 14.22
“Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.”
You can use your thinking and planning skills to devise evil, or you can use those same skills to devise good. The Lord has given us the capacity to think and plan strategically, and he calls us to apply our strategic thinking as wise agents of his kingdom.
Our thinking was distorted at the Fall, and then redeemed by Jesus at Calvary. However, even after redemption, the old nature still clings closely. We must not allow the old nature to hijack out thinking; rather, we must trust God and renew our minds so that we plan and “devise good.” The fruit of effective thinking and disciplined action is “steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Think wisely, plan diligently, and sow the seeds of the Spirit.
