Devotional: How to Deal - Proverbs 13:15-16

Devotional: How to Deal

Proverbs 13:15, 16  

15 Good understanding gains favor,

But the way of the unfaithful is hard.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

But a fool lays open his folly. 

Footnotes from the Nelson Study Bible: 

Favor with God and other people-- a good reputation-- is highly desirable because it assures that you will not be alone in life.  It comes from good understanding.   

Independent Study Notes

 Verse 15:  Good understanding gives the ability to act and speak tactfully.  It makes you mindful of what you say and how you say it as well as what you do and how you do it.  The way of the unfaithful is hard:  Hard is synonymous with tactless and overbearing…harsh.  Too strong and “in your face” tactics are counterintuitive and counterproductive to the furtherance of the Kingdom.  It makes sense because the way of the unfaithful is completely out of the corridors of God’s will.  The unfaithful are ignorant of God’s will and don’t have the tools to function in wisdom, so it’s no wonder their way is hard.

 Verse 16:        Prudent - adjective; meaning--  

Wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment.  Marked by wisdom or judiciousness.    

 The only way to deal wisely with any situation is if you have knowledge of all sides of a situation.  If there are two sides, Proverbs cautions to listen to both sides because the knowledge you obtain from both sides will assist you in making a wise decision.  Even in daily personal decisions, a prudent person has regard for what he/she will say and do and will think things out before taking action of any kind.  “..a fool lays open his folly” because every time he opens his mouth, only confusion and idiocy (or foolishness) comes out because a fool stands for and thrives on foolishness and confusion. 

The ultimate point is for your fluency to mirror your congruency...that it may lead to the affluence of wisdom.  In other words, may the methodology of your use to decide what you speak and do equal what God wills consistently, so that in doing what God wills, you become affluent—that is, RICH—in wisdom.   

© July 2007