Bird's-eye view
This proverb sets before us a sharp and insightful contrast between two kinds of men, distinguished not by their circumstances but by their character. On the one hand, we have the wicked man, whose defining feature is a hard, defiant, and unashamed posture before God and man. On the other hand, we have the upright man, who is characterized by stability, thoughtfulness, and a well-ordered life. The verse is a study in spiritual posture and its practical consequences. The wicked man's hardness is a facade, a brittle defense against reality, while the upright man's stability is the result of a life ordered according to God's reality. At its root, this is a contrast between a life of rebellion and a life of faith, between the man who tries to create his own truth and the man who submits to the truth as it has been revealed by God.
In the gospel, this contrast finds its ultimate expression. The brazen face of the wicked is the face of every man who stands in his own self-righteousness, defying God's verdict. The established way of the upright is the path of the one who has abandoned all such pretense and has been established in the righteousness of Christ. The proverb, therefore, is not simply good moral advice; it is a diagnostic tool for the soul, forcing us to ask where our confidence lies: in our own hardened resolve or in the finished work of Jesus.
Outline
- 1. The Posture of Two Men (Prov 21:29)
- a. The Hardened Face of the Wicked (Prov 21:29a)
- b. The Established Path of the Righteous (Prov 21:29b)
Context In Proverbs
Proverbs 21 is a collection of individual sayings that cover a wide range of topics, from the king's heart to the contentious woman. A recurring theme throughout the chapter, and indeed the entire book, is the stark contrast between the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the fool. This verse fits squarely within that central concern. It follows immediately after proverbs dealing with the sluggard's desires and the false witness, and it precedes a statement about the futility of wisdom against the Lord. This context highlights the moral and spiritual realities that govern the world. The "brazen face" of the wicked man is a form of folly, a refusal to deal with reality, while the "established way" of the upright is the essence of true wisdom, which is to order one's life in accordance with God's created order and revealed will.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Wickedness as Defiance
- The Meaning of a "Brazen Face"
- The Character of Uprightness
- The Relationship Between Character and Stability
- The Gospel Foundation for an "Established Way"
The Face and the Feet
This proverb gives us a picture of two men by focusing on two different parts of their persons. For the wicked man, we are shown his face. For the upright man, we are shown his way, or his path. This is not accidental. The face is the primary means of expressing one's inner disposition and attitude. A brazen face is a face set in defiance, a face that refuses to show shame or fear. It is the face of rebellion. The feet, on the other hand, determine a man's direction and stability. A man's "way" in Scripture refers to the whole course and conduct of his life.
So the wicked man is defined by his defiant attitude, his rebellious posture toward God. He hardens his face. The upright man, in contrast, is defined by the stability and right direction of his life. He doesn't need to harden his face because his confidence is not in his own defiant willpower but in the path God has set for him. The wicked man is all bluster and front; the upright man is all substance and stability. One is a performance; the other is a reality.
Verse by Verse Commentary
29A wicked man displays a brazen face...
The Hebrew here for "displays a brazen face" is literally "makes his face strong" or "hardens his face." This is the man who is shameless in his sin. He is beyond blushing. When confronted with his wickedness, he does not soften or show remorse; he doubles down. He stares back, unblinking. This is the face of Cain, defiant before God. It is the face of Pharaoh, hardening his heart against the commands of the Lord. It is the face of the mob crying "Crucify Him!"
This brazenness is a defense mechanism. The wicked man knows, deep down, that his position is untenable. He is at war with reality, and so he must put on a show of strength. He polishes his armor, sets his jaw, and dares anyone to challenge him. But it is a brittle strength. It is the hardness of a rock that can be shattered, not the strength of a tree that can bend. In our day, we see this brazen face everywhere: in the activist who celebrates what God calls abomination, in the politician who lies without flinching, in the theologian who denies the plain words of Scripture. They have hardened their faces against the truth, and this hardness is the very essence of their wickedness.
...But as for the upright, he establishes his way.
The contrast is stark. The upright man is not concerned with putting on a brave face. He is concerned with his "way," the actual path he walks. The word for "establishes" can also mean directs, prepares, or makes firm. The upright man gives careful thought to his conduct. He considers his steps. He is not reactive, defiant, and posturing like the wicked man. He is proactive, thoughtful, and stable.
But how does he establish his way? The book of Proverbs is clear that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The upright man establishes his way by conforming it to the way of the Lord. His path is firm because it is built on the bedrock of God's revealed truth. He is not trying to invent the path as he goes along; he is seeking to walk in the ancient paths. His stability does not come from an inner hardness or a defiant will, but from an external reality: the character and law of God. He is not strong in his face, but rather firm in his footing. He knows that if his way is right with God, he has no need for a brazen face before men.
Application
The application of this proverb must begin with a gospel diagnosis. Which of these men are you? The natural man, every son of Adam, is born with a brazen face. Our native posture toward God is one of defiance. We want to be our own gods, establishing our own truth, and when God's reality confronts us, our instinct is to harden our face and stare Him down. We do this through overt rebellion, or, more subtly, through our self-righteousness, which is just as defiant. When we trust in our own good works, we are hardening our face against the gospel's claim that we have no righteousness of our own.
The gospel is the great face-softener. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, our brazenness is shattered. We see ourselves as we are: wicked, defiant, and lost. Our hard face melts into tears of repentance. It is only then that God can begin to establish our way. He does this not by giving us a new set of rules to perform, but by giving us a new identity in Christ. He takes our feet of clay and sets them upon the Rock. Our way is "established" because we are now "in Christ," who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
For the believer, the proverb is a continuing exhortation. We are still tempted to harden our faces. When we sin, we can try to brazen it out, to justify ourselves, to refuse to confess. This proverb calls us back to the way of the upright, which is the way of humble confession and repentance. Don't be the man with the hard face; be the man with the firm footing. And that footing is found nowhere else but in the grace of God offered to us in Jesus Christ. Your stability in the Christian life comes not from your own resolve, but from resting in His finished work. Your way is established because He has prepared the way for you.