Commentary - Proverbs 14:14

Bird's-eye view

Proverbs 14:14 sets before us a stark and fundamental contrast, one that runs through all of Scripture and all of life. It is the contrast between two kinds of men, living in two kinds of ways, heading toward two kinds of destinies. On the one hand, we have the man who turns away from God in his heart, the backslider. His end is to be glutted with the sour fruit of his own rebellion. On the other hand, we have the good man, the righteous man. His end is a deep and abiding satisfaction that comes from a source outside himself, but which has taken up residence within him by the grace of God. This proverb is a pithy summary of the doctrine of consequences, both foul and fair. It teaches us that what a man cultivates in the secret garden of his heart will one day be served up to him as a banquet, and he will have to eat every last bite.

The verse operates on the principle of spiritual cause and effect. The backslider's ways are not just actions; they are a chosen path that produces a harvest of dissatisfaction, a fullness of emptiness. The good man's satisfaction is not self-generated pride, but rather the fruit of a life aligned with God's created order. His satisfaction is 'from himself' in the sense that it is an internal reality, a wellspring of life bubbling up from a heart made good by grace, not an external validation from the world. Ultimately, this proverb forces us to ask where we are seeking our satisfaction: from the broken cisterns of our own devising, or from the fountain of living waters offered in Jesus Christ?

Outline

Context In Proverbs

This proverb sits in the midst of a chapter full of contrasts between wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness. The surrounding verses paint a picture of the two paths. The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps (v. 15). A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless (v. 16). The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge (v. 18). Proverbs 14:14 distills this overarching theme into a sharp, memorable antithesis. It doesn't just describe the outward actions of the wise and foolish; it goes to the root, to the heart, and describes the ultimate internal state that results from their chosen way of life. It is a crucial piece of the book's larger project of showing that the fear of the Lord is not an arbitrary set of rules, but is rather the only path to true life and satisfaction, because it is the only path that aligns with reality as God has made it.

Key Issues

Two Ways to Be Full

The central idea in this proverb is fullness, or satisfaction. Both men described here get what they are after; both are "filled." The issue is not whether you will be filled, but what you will be filled with. This is a profound spiritual principle. God has so ordered the world that every man will reap what he sows. Every man will eventually sit down to a banquet of his own consequences.

The backslider is filled with "his ways." He gets to eat the fruit from the tree he so diligently watered. He wanted autonomy, he wanted to be his own god, he wanted to define good and evil for himself. And God, in a sense, says, "Alright, have it your way." The most terrifying judgment God can visit upon a man is to give him exactly what his sinful heart desires. The backslider is force-fed the sour mash of his own rebellion until he is sick of it, and sick with it. The good man, in contrast, is satisfied "from himself." This does not mean he is the source of his own satisfaction, but rather that the satisfaction is a settled, internal reality. It is a spring of water welling up to eternal life, a gift from God that becomes a part of who he is. One man is filled with the external consequences of his sin; the other is filled with the internal fruit of righteousness.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14a The one who turns back in his heart will be satisfied with his ways...

The subject here is the backslider in heart. This is not describing a believer who has a bad day or a rough week. This is describing a fundamental orientation of the heart. The turning is internal before it is external. This is the man who was once numbered among the covenant people, who perhaps made a profession of faith, but whose heart has grown cold and has turned away from the living God. He has not just stumbled; he has taken another road entirely. His apostasy begins in the heart.

And what is his end? He "will be satisfied with his ways." Other translations say he will be "filled with his own ways." This is not a promise of blessing. It is a curse. It means he will get his fill of the life he has chosen. He will drink the consequences of his rebellion down to the dregs. Think of the prodigal son in the far country, who finally got his fill of worldly living when he was staring at pig slop and his stomach was growling. The backslider chooses his own path, and God ensures that he experiences the full weight of that choice. The road away from God always promises freedom and excitement, but its final destination is a desolate land where you are force-fed the gravel of your own foolishness.

14b But a good man will be satisfied with his.

The contrast is now drawn with the "good man." Who is this good man? In the ultimate sense, there is none good but God. In the context of Proverbs, a good man is a righteous man, one who fears the Lord and walks in His ways. He is not good because of his own intrinsic merit, but because he has been made good by the grace of God. His heart has been turned toward God, not away from Him.

And this good man "will be satisfied with his." The older King James says he shall be "satisfied from himself." This is a crucial distinction. It does not mean he is self-satisfied in a smug or prideful way. It means the source of his contentment is internal. It is not dependent on his circumstances, his bank account, or the approval of others. Because Christ dwells in his heart by faith, he has a wellspring of joy within him. His satisfaction is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, and so on. While the backslider is filled with the external consequences of his actions, the good man is filled with the internal reality of his renewed nature. He is satisfied with the fruit that God's grace is producing in and through him. He has tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and that taste lingers, creating a deep and abiding contentment that the world can neither give nor take away.

Application

This proverb is a crossroads, and it forces every one of us to answer a question: Which man are you? There is no third option. You are either turning from God in your heart or you are, by grace, a good man turned toward Him. You are either seeking to be filled by your own ways, or you are finding your satisfaction in the life that God gives from within.

For the one tempted to wander, this is a stark warning. The path of compromise, the path of worldliness, the path of turning back in your heart, will end with you being force-fed a banquet of ashes. God will see to it that you get your fill of what you have chosen, and you will come to loathe it. The only sane response is to repent, to turn back to the Father's house before you end up in the pigsty.

For the believer, this is a glorious promise. The life of righteousness is not a life of grim duty, but a life of deep satisfaction. The world thinks holiness is boring and sin is exciting. This proverb tells us the exact opposite. The path of sin leads to a glut of misery. The path of righteousness, the path of the good man, leads to a satisfaction that is deep, internal, and lasting. This is because the good man is not drawing from his own shallow reserves, but from the infinite well of Christ's own life within him. Therefore, let us not seek our satisfaction in the broken cisterns of this world, but let us drink deeply from the fountain of living water, which is Christ Himself. In Him, and in Him alone, is true and lasting satisfaction to be found.