Two Inheritances, Two Crowns Text: Proverbs 14:18
Introduction: The Great Sorting
The book of Proverbs is a book of sharp distinctions. It is a book of black and white, light and darkness, wisdom and folly. It does not trade in the murky grays of our modern therapeutic culture. God, through Solomon, is constantly sorting humanity into two distinct piles. There are the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked, the diligent and the slothful. And in our text today, we are presented with another fundamental division: the simple and the prudent.
This is not an academic exercise. This is not a personality test where you find out whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. This is a matter of spiritual life and death, of eternal destinies. Every person in this room, every person on this planet, falls into one of these two categories. You are either simple, or you are prudent. And the defining characteristic of your category is what you receive as your ultimate possession. One group gets an inheritance. The other group gets a coronation.
Our age despises such sharp lines. It wants to believe that everyone is basically good, that all paths lead to the same destination, and that the most important virtue is a kind of thoughtless, non-judgmental niceness. But the Word of God is a sword, and it cuts. It divides. It forces a choice. And Proverbs 14:18 places before us the stark reality of this choice and its inevitable consequences. You will either inherit a fool's estate or be crowned with a king's wisdom. There is no third option.
The Text
The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
(Proverbs 14:18 LSB)
The Fool's Inheritance (v. 18a)
We begin with the first half of this divine parallel:
"The simple inherit folly..." (Proverbs 14:18a)
Now, we must be careful with our definitions here. When the Bible speaks of "the simple," it is not talking about those with a low IQ. It is not a reference to a lack of formal education. The Hebrew word, pethi, refers to someone who is naive, gullible, and morally open-minded. The simple man is the man whose front door is unlocked and wide open. He is credulous. He believes anything and everything. As Proverbs 14:15 says, "The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps."
The simple man thinks being non-judgmental is the peak of virtue. He has no doctrinal immune system. Any passing spiritual virus, any new cultural fad, any foolish philosophy can find a home in his head because he has no antibodies of biblical conviction to fight it off. He is a feather in the wind, tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine, whether it comes from a university lectern or a cable news channel.
And what is the result of this determined open-mindedness? He inherits folly. Notice the word "inherit." This is a passive reception. Folly is not something he has to strive for. It is his birthright. By refusing to choose wisdom, he automatically receives foolishness. Folly is the default setting of the fallen human heart. You do not have to teach a child to be selfish; you have to teach him to share. You do not have to work hard to become a fool; you just have to coast. Folly is the spiritual equivalent of entropy. Just leave the garden of your mind untended, and the weeds of folly will take it over completely.
This inheritance is not a treasure; it is a liability. It is a spiritual estate that is deeply in debt. It is the accumulated foolishness passed down from our father Adam. It is the rebellious stupidity that says, "My ways are better than God's ways." This folly is not just about making dumb decisions, like buying a boat with a hole in it. Biblical folly is a moral and spiritual category. It is the active rejection of God's created order. It is calling evil good and good evil. It is the insanity of shaking your fist at the God who gives you the breath to do it.
The Wise Coronation (v. 18b)
In stark contrast, we see the destiny of the prudent.
"But the prudent are crowned with knowledge." (Proverbs 14:18b LSB)
If the simple man's door is wide open, the prudent man's door is guarded. The prudent man is shrewd, discerning, and careful. The Hebrew word, arum, is the same word used to describe the serpent in Genesis 3. Now, this should get our attention. It tells us that prudence, in itself, is a neutral tool. It is shrewdness, cunning, the ability to see how things work and make calculated decisions. The serpent used his prudence for wicked ends. But the believer is commanded to redeem this trait and use it for righteous ends. "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves," Jesus said, "so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
The prudent man does not believe everything he hears. He tests the spirits. He measures every claim against the straight edge of God's Word. He understands that the world is filled with lies, traps, and spiritual poison, and he walks carefully. He gives thought to his steps.
And what is his reward? He is "crowned with knowledge." Notice the contrast. The simple passively inherits; the prudent is actively crowned. A coronation is a public ceremony of honor. This is not something that happens by default. It is the result of a diligent pursuit. Wisdom is not for the lazy. You must seek it, dig for it, and prize it above all else (Proverbs 2:1-5).
The crown is knowledge. Not just a collection of random facts, but deep, biblical understanding. It is the knowledge of God, of His world, of His law, and of His gospel. This knowledge is not a burden; it is a crown. It is a thing of beauty, of glory, of authority. The one who has this knowledge is the one who can rule his own spirit, his household, and his affairs with skill and righteousness. He is a king in his own domain, exercising dominion under God. While the simple man is enslaved by every passing folly, the prudent man reigns in life through the knowledge that God provides.
The Ultimate Prudence
So we have two paths, two destinations. The path of the simple leads to the inherited bankruptcy of folly. The path of the prudent leads to the royal coronation of knowledge. How do we get off the one path and onto the other?
The Bible is clear that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). The fundamental difference between the simple and the prudent is their starting point. The simple man starts with himself. His own feelings, his own opinions, his own desires are his ultimate authority. He is his own god, which is the essence of folly.
The prudent man starts with God. He submits his mind, his will, and his life to the authority of the Creator. He builds his house on the rock of God's revelation, not the sand of human opinion. This is the first step of prudence.
But the book of Proverbs points us beyond itself, to a greater wisdom. The New Testament tells us that in Jesus Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). Jesus Christ is the incarnation of prudence. He was the wisest of serpents and the most innocent of doves. He navigated the snares and traps of the Pharisees with perfect shrewdness and lived a life of perfect obedience.
And He offers us the great exchange. On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself our inheritance of folly. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us. He wore our foolishness, our rebellion, our simple-minded rejection of God, and He bore the curse for it. He inherited our debt so that we could be crowned.
And what is the crown He gives? It is the crown of His own knowledge, His own righteousness. "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30). When we, by faith, repent of our simple-minded autonomy and bow the knee to Christ, we are transferred from the family of Adam to the family of God. We trade our foolish inheritance for a royal coronation. We are crowned with the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the call of this proverb is a call to the gospel. Stop being simple. Stop believing the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Repent of your open-mindedness to sin and your closed-mindedness to God. The beginning of prudence is to see your desperate need for a savior. Flee the inheritance of folly that awaits all who remain in Adam. Come to Christ, and be crowned with the true knowledge that is eternal life.