“A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction. Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper. The godly hate lies; the wicked cause shame and disgrace. Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin. Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor. The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise. Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. People who despise advice are asking for trouble; those who respect a command will succeed. The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain; those who accept it avoid the snares of death.”
Proverbs 13:1-14 NLT
Solomon has noted that Wisdom has enemies in foolishness, lust and laziness. Here he adds me of its biggest foils. Easily its most prolific antithesis, most people are familiar with the adage that “Pride goes before the fall.” Yet, Solomon outlines how that happens. Like most things that run from wisdom, it generally starts with the way one speaks. In this case, he opens the passage speaking of those who mock sound advice. Mockery is a type of humor. It doesn’t simply point out humorous truths, but seeks to demean its subjects. It seeks to replace their mindshare with its own thoughts. This is the nature of pride. The Devil’s pride was an attempt to replace God with himself. He encouraged Eve to do this in the garden, and brazenly instructed Jesus to do this for a piece of bread. These aren’t just words, they are evil words. But because they are words, they can be controlled and stopped by a disciplined tongue and mouth. This is why Solomon links so much if his wise advice with how we speak. As Christians, we ought to be weary of pride and a loose and quick tongue.
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