Avoiding Disasters

Thinking God’sWay, Lesson 10

Thinking God’sWay is a series of Bible studies that help believers meditate on theWord of God for the purpose of Christian growth. Each lesson features a verseof Scripture in English and the original language (whether Hebrew or Greek). Italso provides basic background information, followed by basic word definitionsand other key insights. Each lesson concludes with some questions formeditation and for applying the truth to life.

InitialThoughts

Life presentsus with a variety of overwhelming and difficult experiences which we calltrials. Though many of these experiences are unavoidable, others are quiteunnecessary and avoidable instead. Perhaps your suffering through some problemsnow which you could have avoided! This proverb teaches us the importance ofmaking choices that prevent unnecessary problems from happening in the future.

Key Verse: Proverbs22:3

In English(NKJV)

A prudent manforesees evil and hides himself,

but the simple pass on and are punished.

In Hebrew

עָר֤וּם רָאָ֣הרָעָ֣ה וְיִסָּתֵר

וּ֝פְתָיִ֗יםעָבְר֥וּ וְֽנֶעֱנָֽשׁוּ

English andGreek Together

A prudent man (עָר֤וּם) foresees evil (רָאָ֣ה רָעָ֣ה) and hides himself (וְיִסָּתֵר),

            butthe simple (וְיִסָּתֵרוּ֝פְתָיִ֗ים עָבְר֥וּ) and are punished (וְֽנֶעֱנָֽשׁוּ).

Background Information

This statementappears in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, which provides an extensivecollection of insights for a wide variety of situations. They teach you how tolive in a skillful, successful, and satisfying way.

Mostimportantly, they teach you how to make choices in light of what you know aboutGod, for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7). SinceGod is who he says he is, does what he says he does, and rules over everyaspect of our lives, we should give him the respect he deserves by makingchoices that reflect this awareness.

Keywords andtheir Meanings

Mounce’sComplete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006) together with an interlinearBible, like The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament (ThomasNelson, 1994) is an excellent way to get accurate definitions for your Biblestudy based upon Greek and Hebrew meanings.

• Prudent (‎עָרוּם‎): “wise and understanding; with a positive connotation: prudent, clever.” This refers to a person who is sensible and uses common sense and is shrewd or clever in a good way.

• Foresee(רָאָה): “to see, look, view;to realize, know, consider.” It describes how a person looks at things, whilealso alluding to how what he sees affects the decisions that he makes.

• Evil(רָעָה): “bad, disaster, harm,trouble; by extension: ethical evil, wickedness; what is ‘bad’ to God isethically evil; God’s actions of judgment are ‘bad’ to the wicked (Jer 18:8) butare not ethically evil.”

• Hide(סָתַר): “to be hidden, beconcealed, have a refuge.” Implies putting yourself in a place or position ofsafety, shelter, and protection.

• Simple(פֶּ֫תִי): “simple, naive,someone easily deceived or persuaded.” This is a person who lacks informationand perspective but is able to increase his knowledge and improve his perspectivethrough personal initiative and good choices.

• Passon (עָבַר): “to pass over, crossover, travel through,” as in “to keep on going” or in a more colloquialspeaking, “to plow forward, forge ahead, and barge ahead.”

• Punished (עָנַשׁ): “to be fined, punished” (see Exo 21:22; Deut 22:19; 2 Chron 36:3; Prov 17:26).

Other KeyInsights

This statementis written in a format called Hebrew parallelism. In this case, it features twolines (a “couplet”) written as antithetical (or contrasting) parallelism, whichmeans that the second line (or “B line”) presents an idea that’s opposite ordifferent from the first life (the “A Line”).

The parallelismformat helps you memorize Scripture and think about it in a thought-provokingway. When you think about a proverb, don’t just ask questions about theindividual words and lines, but also ask questions about how the lines relateto each other.

This proverbreappears in Proverbs 27:12. Furthermore, Proverbs 22:5 teaches a similarperspective through a more picturesque metaphor.

Questions forMeditation and Reflection

How does aperson become prudent and clever in a good way?

By receivingparental advice (Prov 2:1-5), knowing and internalizing the Word of God (Prov 2:6-11),and by receiving correction (Prov 15:5).

How is itpossible to “foresee” what will happen in the future?

By learningfrom the mistakes and consequences of people who’ve made the same decisionsbefore you. By doing good research. By learning from your own past mistakes andexperiences. Most importantly, by knowing what the Bible teaches about the situationor decision you are facing.

What types ofbad, disastrous, harmful, or troublesome things should we be able to see aheadof time?

Excessive debt,broken family relationships, other relationship struggles, financial fines andpenalties, lawsuits, jail sentences, STDs, other physical health problems (suchas lung/throat cancer from smoking, etc.), church discipline, wayward children,a shattered reputation, addictions, and more.

What makes aperson “simple” and “naïve?” (Are you born this way, or do you somehow becomethis way over time?)

Everyone is bornthis way, but the longer you live, the more instruction you receive, and themore your mental and volitional abilities develop, the more you are able (and heldresponsible) to move from natural simplicity to a more informed awareness aboutthings. It’s one thing to be simple by nature, but another thing to be simpleby choice. It is irresponsible and negligent to be simple by choice.

Whose fault isit that a person is “naïve”?

For an infant,it is nobody’s fault since babies are born this way. For a young child, it isthe parents’ fault (at least to some degree) since it is there responsibilityto teach their children what they need to know. As children grow (especially inadolescence and into adulthood), it becomes their own fault since they have theability and responsibility to make informed decisions for themselves.

Describe how aperson “passes over” and “travels through” life.

They refuse toacknowledge their ignorance, acting like they know something when they knownothing or little at all. They don’t do any research, get counsel, or study theBible beforehand. They ignore Bible teaching, previous examples, godly advice,parental guidance, and common sense. They even repeat bad behavior that gotthem in trouble before or choose to take advice from people who are just as simpleor worse.

A PersonalTranslation

Before youconsider how to apply this truth to your life by allowing it to change yourmindset and approach to life, write out a personal translation. Use what youhave learned  to write this verse in yourown words.

Questions forPersonal Application

• What are some examples of decisions you’ve made with a naïve perspective, but without knowing it until later?

• Whatare some examples of decisions you’ve made with a naïve perspective, but youknew or “had a hunch” that it was a bad decision?

• Whatare some fines you’ve received as a result of “pushing forward” with baddecisions?

• Whatare some punishments (besides fines) you’ve received as a result of “pushingforward” with bad decisions?

• Whattype of attitude does it reveal when you reverse change your mind, reverse yourdecision, and change your course of action or direction because you realize itwill be a bad choice in the end?

• Whatare one or two instances of how you’ve avoided major problems in the past bybehaving this way?

• Whatare you doing in your life today to become less “naïve” and more prudent?

• Whatdo you know about God – his character qualities and his ways – that supportswhat this Proverb teaches?