“The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. The Lord will not let the godly go hungry, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked. Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich. A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace. The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed. People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace. The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.”
Proverbs 10:1-11 NLT
Now that Solomon has spent time introducing the two options of Wisdom and Folly, he sets to the daunting task of applying outcomes. The conventional wisdom of the day would state that outcome isn’t as important as choice. It would state that the only thing that mattered was whether there was something to learn about ourselves, and whether it was learned through our freedom to choose. Effectively, this undoes the relevance of any meaningful outcome. Instead, everything is about the journey. Solomon notes that outcome is important. It’s a simple syllogism that a young man is meant to memorize. Everyone should know that ,”if outcome of choice is not godly, than choice is not wise.” It’s funny how that works since Wisdom is universally regarded as positive. Romans 1 shows that the outcome of denying God was a foolish heart that believed itself to be wise. Solomon notes that wise choices are about outcomes and not journeys. A good man can be made by his journey, and that is a good thing. A wise man learns from the journeys of others, never making the same mistakes. Those who find solace in the journey as outcome are those who made a series of foolish choices on the road to being good. Solomon outlines a better way. Know the differences between outcomes and journey and choose wisdom over folly.
JOSH McGARY.COM 