Commentary - Proverbs 14:15

Bird's-eye view

Proverbs 14:15 sets before us one of the central antitheses of the book, and indeed, of the entire Bible. It is the great divide between two fundamental ways of walking through the world. On the one side, you have the simpleton, the naive man, the fellow who is spiritually gullible. On the other, you have the prudent man, the discerning man, the one who walks with his eyes open. This is not a contrast between two levels of intellectual horsepower. It is a contrast between two kinds of hearts, two ultimate allegiances. The simple man has no anchor, and so is tossed about by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14). The prudent man has his anchor cast in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, and so he is able to test the spirits (1 John 4:1) and weigh his steps. This proverb, in its compact wisdom, is a call to forsake the wide and easy path of credulity and to take up the narrow, deliberate path of godly prudence.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

This proverb sits in the midst of a collection of Solomon's wisdom that consistently draws a sharp line between the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked. Chapter 14 is filled with these contrasts. The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down (14:1). The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but the fool is hotheaded and careless (14:16). Our verse fits seamlessly into this pattern. It provides another facet of the great, overarching antithesis. The world is not a spectrum of slightly different opinions; it is a battlefield of two opposing worldviews. One worldview leads to death, even if it "seems right to a man" (14:12), and the other is a "fountain of life" (14:27). This proverb defines one of the key operational differences between these two camps: how they process information and determine their course of action.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 15a, The simple believes everything...

The Hebrew word for "simple" here is pethi. It doesn't mean simple in the sense of being mentally deficient. It refers to someone who is open, naive, and undiscerning. Think of an open door that lets in the refreshing breeze, but also the flies, the dust, and the neighborhood burglar. The simple man's mind is like that door. He has no filter, no doctrinal immune system. He "believes every word."

This is not a virtue. In our relativistic age, this kind of open-mindedness is often praised. But the Bible calls it folly. Why? Because we live in a fallen world, a world teeming with lies, deceit, and "cunningly devised fables" (2 Pet. 1:16). The simpleton's problem is not that he believes in truth, but that he also believes in lies, and he can't tell the difference. He is prime material for the cult leader, the smooth-talking salesman, and the false prophet. Paul warns the Romans about those who, "by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive" (Rom. 16:18). The simple man's credulity makes him perpetually vulnerable. His problem is fundamentally a theological one. He does not begin with the fear of the Lord, and so he has no standard by which to judge the deluge of words that come at him.

v. 15b, But the prudent one discerns his steps.

Here is the antithesis. The prudent man, the arum, is the opposite of the simple. This is the same root word used for the serpent in Genesis 3, who was "more crafty" than any other beast. Now, that craftiness was twisted to evil ends, but the word itself points to a shrewdness, a keen awareness. The prudent man, in a godly sense, is shrewd. He is not cynical, but he is careful. He does not believe every word because he knows the world is full of liars. He does not take every path that opens up before him.

Instead, he "discerns his steps." The verb here means to consider, to understand, to pay close attention. He looks well to his going. He ponders the path of his feet (Prov. 4:26). He understands that choices have consequences and that a misstep can lead to ruin. The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it (Prov. 22:3). This discernment is not native intelligence. It is a gift of God that flows from a heart that has been humbled by the fear of God. Because he trusts in the Lord with all his heart, he does not lean on his own understanding (Prov. 3:5). He tests all things and holds fast to what is good (1 Thess. 5:21). He knows that the gospel is true, and therefore anything that contradicts it must be false. This is his plumb line, his standard, his rock. The simple man builds on the sand of every passing word; the prudent man builds on the rock of God's revealed Word.

Key Words

Pethi, "Simple"

The word pethi describes the untaught, the naive, the person who is morally and spiritually open to any and all influences. It is not an intellectual disability but a spiritual vulnerability. This person lacks the wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7). Consequently, they are easily misled and are called to receive prudence and knowledge through the teaching of Proverbs (Prov. 1:4). Their love of simplicity is a dangerous condition that leads to destruction if not remedied by the pursuit of wisdom.

Arum, "Prudent"

The Hebrew word arum carries the idea of being shrewd, crafty, or sensible. While it can be used in a negative sense (like the serpent in Gen. 3:1), in Proverbs it almost always describes the man who is wise with godly wisdom. He is discerning and possesses foresight. He is not easily duped because he evaluates situations carefully. The prudent man is contrasted with the simple and the fool. His prudence is not worldly cynicism but a Spirit-given ability to navigate the world's deceptions by holding fast to God's truth.

Application

The application of this proverb is direct and strikes at the heart of modern Christian living. We are swimming in an ocean of information, and every voice is clamoring for our belief. The television, the internet, the universities, and sometimes even the pulpits, are broadcasting "every word." The temptation is to be simple, to be intellectually lazy, to just go with the flow. This verse is a divine command to stop it.

We are to be prudent. This means we must be men and women of the Book. Discernment is not a mysterious feeling in your gut. It is the skill of applying God's Word to the situations of life. Do you want to discern your steps? Then you must know the map. You must steep your mind in Scripture so that you can distinguish truth from error, good from evil. You must cultivate a biblical worldview that provides the categories for understanding everything, from politics to parenting.

This means we must also be suspicious of our own hearts, which are deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9). The prudent man doesn't just trust his instincts. He brings his instincts, his plans, and his desires to the bar of Scripture. He is slow to speak, quick to hear, and he surrounds himself with wise counselors. In short, to move from being simple to being prudent is to move from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity. It is to put away the gullibility of the world and to put on the mind of Christ.