Commentary - Proverbs 13:13

Bird's-eye view

This proverb sets before us the two paths that define all of human existence, and it does so by contrasting two foundational attitudes toward God's revealed will. On the one hand, you have the despiser, the man who scoffs at the Word. He treats God's instruction as a trifle, a thing to be ignored or mocked. The proverb tells us that this man incurs a debt, a liability that will surely be called in. Reality itself will foreclose on him. On the other hand, you have the man who fears the commandment. This is not a craven, slavish terror, but a joyful, trembling reverence for God's holy instruction. He knows that the commandment is not a burden but a gift, and so he receives it with awe. This man, the proverb says, will be rewarded. The verse is a compact summary of the covenant: contempt for God's Word leads to ruin, while reverent submission to it leads to blessing and life. It is a fundamental law of the universe, as fixed and certain as gravity.

At the heart of this contrast is the nature of the Word itself. The despiser thinks the Word is just an opinion, a set of arbitrary rules he can disregard without consequence. But the wise man knows the Word is a description of reality as God constituted it. To despise the Word is to despise reality, and no one gets away with that for long. The debt incurred is not arbitrary; it is the natural consequence of fighting with the grain of the universe. The reward, likewise, is the natural fruit of living in harmony with the way things actually are. Ultimately, this points us to Christ, who is the Word made flesh. To despise Him is to be crushed; to fear Him is to find life and a reward beyond all measure.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs 13 is a chapter full of these sharp antithetical pairings, contrasting the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked, the diligent and the lazy. This verse fits squarely within that pattern. It follows verses that discuss the fruit of a man's mouth (v. 2), the importance of guarding one's speech (v. 3), and the results of diligence versus sloth (v. 4). It is part of a larger tapestry that illustrates a central theme of the book: wisdom is not simply about knowing facts, but about having a right disposition toward God that works itself out in every practical area of life. Verse 13 provides the theological bedrock for the practical advice surrounding it. Why should you guard your lips? Why should you be diligent? Because there is a Word, a commandment from God, and your ultimate destiny hinges on whether you despise it or fear it. This verse elevates the surrounding ethical instruction from mere good advice to a matter of covenantal life and death.

Key Issues

The Unpayable Debt

The central metaphor in the first half of this proverb is striking. The one who despises the word "will be in debt to it." The Hebrew can be translated as "will be destroyed" or "will be held liable." The idea is that the Word of God is not a mere suggestion that you can take or leave. It is a fixed reality. When you sin against it, you are not just breaking a rule; you are creating a deficit. You are borrowing against a future you cannot afford. Every act of contempt for God's instruction is like taking out a high-interest loan from a lender who never fails to collect.

This is a foundational concept. Sin creates a debt to the holy justice of God. This is not a debt that can be worked off with good intentions or future improvements. It is a capital debt, and the wages of sin is death. The scoffer, in his pride, thinks he is "getting away with it." He despises the word, and the sun still comes up the next morning. But the books are being kept. Reality itself is taking notes. The universe, which was spoken into being by the Word, has a sort of immune system, and it will eventually deal with the man who is at war with its basic structure. The debt will come due. This is why the gospel is such good news. It is the announcement that Christ, the living Word, has paid a debt He did not owe for debtors who could never hope to pay it themselves.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13a The one who despises the word...

To despise something is to treat it as worthless, to look down on it with contempt. The "word" here is God's instruction, His revealed will. This is the man who hears the sermon and scoffs. He reads the Bible and considers it a collection of ancient myths or quaint moralisms, certainly nothing to bind his conscience. He is the modern man, the sophisticated man, who believes he has outgrown the need for divine revelation. He trusts in his own reason, his own appetites, his own autonomy. He sees the Word of God not as a fountain of life but as a cage, and he despises it for constraining his liberty. This attitude is the very essence of folly. It is the posture of the fool who says in his heart, "There is no God," or, what amounts to the same thing, "There is no God who has the right to tell me what to do."

13b ...will be in debt to it,

And here is the consequence. The King James says he "shall be destroyed," and this is the ultimate end of the debt. The word he despises is not a passive object. It has power. It is the very fabric of creation. To defy it is to defy gravity. You can despise the law of gravity all you want, but if you step off a cliff, you will find that the law has the final say. You become "in debt" to it; you are liable to its consequences. The man who lives a life of sexual license despises God's word on marriage, and he will pay the debt in the coin of broken relationships, disease, and heartache. The man who despises God's word on honesty will pay in the coin of mistrust and ruin. The despiser thinks he is a free man, but he is actually enslaving himself, piling up a debt that will eventually crush him. This is not God being vindictive; it is God being realistic. He is simply telling us how His world works.

13c But the one who fears the commandment...

The contrast could not be more stark. Over against the despiser is the one who "fears the commandment." The "commandment" is parallel to the "word", it is God's authoritative instruction. And the attitude is fear. This is not the cowering dread of a slave before a tyrant. This is what the Bible calls the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. It is a profound sense of awe, reverence, and submission before the majesty and holiness of God as expressed in His law. The one who fears the commandment knows that it is good, just, and holy. He trembles at the thought of violating it, not simply because he fears punishment, but because he loves the Lawgiver. He sees the commandment not as a restriction on his freedom, but as the pathway to true freedom. This fear is a gift of grace, a work of the Holy Spirit in the heart that causes us to delight in the law of God after the inward man.

13d ...will be rewarded.

The outcome for this man is a "reward." The Hebrew word here is related to the idea of being at peace, or being made whole. While the despiser is destroyed by his debt, the fearer is made complete by his obedience. This reward is not a wage earned, as though our obedience puts God in our debt. That would be to turn the gospel on its head. Rather, the reward is the natural and gracious fruit of walking in the ways of the Lord. There is a reward in this life, the peace, stability, and blessing that generally follow a life of wisdom. But the ultimate reward is God Himself. In keeping His commandments there is great reward because in keeping His commandments we walk with Him. The reward is not something other than God, but the enjoyment of God Himself, now and forever. This is the glorious liberty of the children of God. We are freed from the debt of sin in order to freely and joyfully obey, and in that obedience, we find our deepest satisfaction and our eternal reward.

Application

This proverb forces a fundamental question upon every one of us: what is your posture toward the Word of God? There is no middle ground. You are either a despiser or a fearer. You either treat the Bible as a buffet from which you can pick and choose, or you receive it as the very Word of God, to which you must submit your entire life. The temptation to despise the word is subtle and constant. It comes when we find a commandment inconvenient, a doctrine offensive, or a promise hard to believe. In that moment, we are tempted to set ourselves up as judges over the Word, instead of allowing the Word to judge us.

The application, then, is first to repent of all our despising. We must confess the pride that leads us to believe we know better than God. We must ask God to replace our cynical and rebellious hearts with hearts that tremble at His word. Secondly, we must cultivate the fear of the Lord. This is done by steeping our minds in Scripture, meditating on the holiness and majesty of God, and praying for the Spirit to grant us a spirit of reverence. We must treat the Bible not as a textbook to be mastered, but as a love letter from our King to be cherished and obeyed.

And finally, we must rest in the gospel. We all have, by nature, despised the word and have accrued an unpayable debt. But the good news is that Jesus Christ, the perfect Fearer of the Commandment, lived the life of perfect obedience in our place. And on the cross, He took our entire debt upon Himself and paid it in full. Because He was destroyed for a time, we who believe in Him will never be destroyed. Because He paid our liability, we are credited with His reward. This frees us from the craven fear of punishment and enables us to pursue obedience out of grateful, joyful, reverential fear.