Proverbs 2:11-15

“prudence will watch over you;
and understanding will guard you.
It will save you from the way of evil,
from those who speak perversely,
who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil;
those whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.” NRSV

Anyone know a person who is simply evil? I’m sure we know those with whom we have butt heads, and if we are honest, we might admit that we are sometimes perverse in our own way. But I’m talking about someone who is really evil? who gets their kicks out of hating God and Jesus and Christians?

I knew someone like that once. And I was caused to think of him the other day when I got an email about a college student who’s receiving a failing grade from a philosophy professor because she refuses to denounce her Christian faith. Most of us aren’t going to have many encounters these days with truly evil people, mostly those who are either simply having a bad day or who disagree with our perception of a matter. But there are out there a few truly evil people, people who relish in sinfulness and rebellion against God’s commands.

What do you try to do about them?

Me, I’m a fixer. I like to fix things. I’m always attracted to quirky, eccentric, fixer-upper homes. Not that I have the time or the money to do what I’d like (and, after living in this fixer, I don’t know how much I want to tackle another one), but the idea of taking something that could be changed for the better is appealing to me.

Sometimes I’m like that with people. I see them as sort of my personal fixer-upper project. Bad idea! Most people don’t want me to come and change me. Thankfully, the Lord is there to protect me (if I’ll let Him).

This passage talks about prudence (sometimes translated “discretion”). We don’t talk much about prudence these days (except as a girl’s name), but it has a very interesting meaning: “the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason.” You know what I like about this? It’s about me, what I can do about me, not what I can do about someone else. Prudence is going to govern and disciple me and leave that someone else to God’s control. I’m way too concerned about trying to change everyone around me (usually to fit my idea of what would be perfect), rather than trusting God to take control. And this passage isn’t even talking about those around me who simply see things differently than I do. This is talking about those truly evil people! If prudence can watch over me when I’m dealing with them, then certainly it can watch over me when I’m butting heads with my neighbor.

I think that, as Americans, we are far too concerned about our rights and what we think is morally correct and less concerned about loving people and ministering to them. There are things that are obviously right and wrong (abortion, murder, abuse) and then there are things that are less clear (contracts and things). But at what point does the “stuff” become more important than the people involved? Are we intuitive enough about our own motives to ascertain whether or not we’re following the Lord’s will or protecting our own interests? I think these are important questions for us to ask ourselves all the time.

I think if we were honest, we would admit that often what we do in the name of “morals and justice” is really about our own fear in the situation, our desire to control. Prudence (the ability to govern and discipline ourselves) is a gift from God, a gift of wisdom. It’s certainly something I want and need in my own life.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).