Commentary - Proverbs 21:24

Bird's-eye view

This proverb provides a divine diagnosis of a particular kind of fool. It is not describing a momentary lapse into pride, but rather a settled character, a man whose very identity is wrapped up in his arrogance. The verse functions like a spiritual field guide, giving us three distinct but overlapping names for this individual: "Arrogant," "Haughty," and "Scoffer." These are not just insults; they are descriptions of his core being. The proverb then moves from identity to action, showing that this internal corruption inevitably boils over into external behavior, described as acting with "arrogant fury." This is a man who has made himself the center of his own universe, and as a result, he relates to the true universe, God's universe, with contempt and insolent rage. He is a walking rebellion, and this proverb puts a name to his condition so that the wise might identify and avoid him, and more importantly, so that we might identify and mortify these same tendencies in our own hearts.

The central theme is the anatomy of pride. Pride is not simply thinking too highly of oneself; it is a fundamental misapprehension of reality. It is to forget that you are a creature and that God is the Creator. The scoffer's rage is the natural expression of a man who believes he should be sovereign but is constantly bumping up against the fact that he is not. This proverb is a warning, but it is also a mercy, for in naming the disease, it points us toward the only possible cure: the humility of the gospel, where the true King humbled Himself to save proud rebels like us.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs is a book of contrasts. It relentlessly sets the wise against the foolish, the righteous against the wicked, the humble against the proud. This particular verse fits squarely within that framework. It follows a series of warnings and observations about human behavior and its consequences. For instance, the preceding verse (Prov 21:23) commends the man who guards his mouth and tongue, keeping himself from trouble. Our verse, then, presents the polar opposite: the man whose inner pride cannot be contained and erupts in furious speech and action. The book of Proverbs is intensely practical, designed to teach young men, particularly, how to navigate God's world successfully. A crucial part of that navigation is learning to identify dangerous characters. The scoffer is one of the most dangerous, because he not only rejects wisdom himself, but he also actively mocks it, creating a toxic environment for any who would listen. This verse serves as a bright red warning label on a bottle of spiritual poison.

Key Issues

The Scoffer's Résumé

The Bible does not just describe sin; it names it. It gives us a vocabulary for understanding the darkness. This proverb is like a divine nameplate on the office door of a particular kind of fool. It tells you who he is and what he does. God gives us this information not so that we can become adept at pointing the finger at others, but so that we can first examine ourselves. The spirit of the scoffer is the native air of the unregenerate heart. Every sin we commit has its roots in this same soil of pride. We are all, by nature, arrogant, haughty scoffers. The difference for the Christian is that we have been given a new name and a new nature, and are now called to fight against what we once were. This proverb, then, is not just a description of "those people over there." It is a description of the enemy within, the old man who must be put to death daily.

Verse by Verse Commentary

24 “Arrogant,” “Haughty,” “Scoffer,” are his names,

The verse begins by piling up a series of titles. This is his résumé, his business card. The first name is Arrogant, or proud. This is the root sin. The arrogant man is one who has an inflated view of his own importance. He is the star of his own movie. At its core, this is a theological error. He has usurped God's place at the center of reality and installed himself there. Every decision, every relationship, every thought is refracted through the lens of self. He is his own ultimate standard of measurement.

The second name is Haughty. This is arrogance with its nose in the air. If arrogance is the internal disposition, haughtiness is how it presents itself to the world. It is a spirit of disdain and contempt for others. The haughty man looks down on others because, from his self-made pedestal, everyone else seems very small. He cannot receive instruction or correction because he cannot conceive that anyone else is qualified to give it. His posture is one of looking down, which means he never looks up to God.

The third name is Scoffer. This is the most active of the three terms. The scoffer is the man who takes his arrogance and haughtiness and weaponizes them. He does not simply disagree with wisdom, righteousness, and truth; he mocks them. He treats holy things with contempt. The scoffer is the man at the back of the crowd, jeering at the preacher. He is the one who rolls his eyes at a display of sincere piety. He uses ridicule as a defense mechanism to protect his own fragile ego from the claims of God. He cannot argue with the truth, so he laughs at it instead. As Psalm 1 warns, the final degradation is to take your seat in the "seat of scoffers."

Who acts with arrogant fury.

This final clause shows the inevitable result of the scoffer's internal state. The poison within must come out. His pride is not a quiet, contemplative pride. It is an active, raging pride. The phrase here is literally "in the wrath of pride." His actions are driven by a furious sense of entitlement. Why is he so angry? Because the world is not cooperating with his delusion. God has not abdicated His throne. Other people have their own wills. The laws of reality do not bend to his desires. This constant friction between his fantasy of self-sovereignty and the reality of God's world produces a state of perpetual, simmering rage. When he is crossed, when his pride is pricked, this rage boils over into what the text calls arrogant fury. It is the tantrum of a would-be god who discovers he is merely a man.

Application

The immediate application of this proverb is to learn to recognize this character type and to keep our distance. We are not to make friends with such a man or walk in his counsel. But the deeper, more searching application is to recognize the scoffer in ourselves. In which areas of our lives are we operating as though we are the center of the universe? Where do we harbor a haughty spirit, looking down on the brothers and sisters God has given us? When are we tempted to scoff, even subtly, at the demands of radical, wholehearted obedience to Christ?

The disease described here is pride, and there is only one cure. The gospel is the death of this kind of pride. The Son of God, the only one with any right to be proud, humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant. He did not act with arrogant fury, but when He was reviled, He did not revile in return. He endured the ultimate mockery and scorn on the cross. He became the object of the scoffer's rage so that scoffers could be forgiven. He took the fury of God against our pride so that we could be clothed in His humility.

Therefore, the way we fight the scoffer within is not by trying really hard to be humble. It is by looking to Christ. It is by confessing our arrogance and acknowledging that His blood is our only hope. It is by seeing that all our self-important projects are a pile of filthy rags compared to the glorious righteousness He offers as a free gift. When we are truly gripped by the gospel, the scoffer in us begins to wither and die. He cannot breathe in the atmosphere of grace. He is choked by gratitude. And in his place, God raises up a new man, one who is learning, slowly but surely, to walk in the humility and love of the Lord Jesus.