Proverbs 14:9-13--The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 14:9-13
English Standard Version
​9 Fools mock at the guilt offering,
    but the upright enjoy acceptance.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no stranger shares its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,
    and the end of joy may be grief.

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There's quite a mishmash of different topics here, but if I have to point to something that appears more than once in these verses, it's that one of the consequences of foolishness and evil is broken hearts for people among you.  Sin does not just affect the person doing the sinning, nor does it just affect the people that you engage in sin with, nor does it only affect those you sin against.  Sin affects the entire community.  There is a need for restitution, which is part of the idea of the guilt offering.  A price must be paid to restore the broken relationship between God and man, but also between man and man.  There is no "cheap forgiveness" in the Bible where someone simply says, "I'm sorry."  The righteous understand this because they understand the price that has been paid on their behalf in order to be acceptable to God, and there is nothing we can do to make God reject that sacrifice that was paid on our behalf.  Part of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was to be the guilt offering on our behalf (He was also our sin offering, our fellowship offering, and many other offerings from the Old Testament.  He fulfilled all of the sacrificial requirements on our behalf).

No one else (other than God) can truly see how we are feeling at any moment in time.  We know the depths of our grief and despair (which we try to hide from others many times) and our times of elation when we are bursting with joy (which we also try to keep bottled up inside sometimes).  No one can feel either our pain or our joy for us.  Our emotions are our own to process and deal with, but God is there with us each and every step of the way.  While others may keep a distance when we need a companion to share our grief or joy with, He is always nearby.

The life of the wicked man that looks so impressive from the outside will come to destruction (imagine the image of a mansion that has termite damage or some kind of rot going on and the foundation is cracked, and the structure falls in on itself because it doesn't have a good foundation).  Yet the tent of the righteous (notice the contrast of a smaller and temporary dwelling place) will stand forever.  Why the contrast in permanent housing and temporary dwelling?  I think it's significant because the righteous are only sojourners in this world.  It is not our final home, and we look forward to the place that the Lord Jesus Himself is preparing for us where there is no more moth, rust, death or decay of any kind.  Everything that the wicked trust and hope in from this life and this creation will be destroyed--if not by moth, rust, and decay, then by the fire of God's final judgment.  The righteous do not need to live lavish lives to flourish.  We depend on the day-to-day blessings of the LORD.  He gives us exactly what we need for each and every day, and then the next day, and then the next, just like He did for the children of Israel when they lived in the wilderness, and they longed for their permanent home in Canaan.  We too look forward to our final home and resting place, but we are content with the supernatural provision that the LORD provides for us from day to day as we continue to sojourn in this dry and thirsty land.

Now for a verse that seems to summarize the Bible so well, "There is a way that seems right unto man, but it leads unto death."  We saw that in Genesis 3 where the fruit looked good to Adam and Eve and it seemed right to them to reach out in violation of God's command and eat it, but that choice led to death (physical and spiritual) for them and their descendants.  This is the story of the book of Judges as well, "The people did what was right in their own eyes."  It is the continuing story of the Old Testament as well, and God will send the Prophets to them to tell them what His ways are, since they are contrary to our broken reasoning.  We do not naturally do the right things--in fact, we are bent to do what is wrong and can't even do what is right if we wanted to.  Even the "good" things we do are tainted and are unacceptable and displeasing to God.  The broad and easy road that most people are on with the wide gate leads to destruction (death and hell), but the narrow road which is hard and has but one Gate (which is Jesus) is the way that leads to eternal life and God's eternal blessings for His people.  So much is hidden in this one verse of wisdom.

We cannot always believe the face that someone is wearing on the outside.  They may look happy on the outside, but inside their heart may be broken and hurting.  We also can't depend on any permanence with emotions.  The person that is happy to have such a good friend may have bitterness and sadness come their way if that friend would betray them.  The world would tell you to "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."  That is, they would tell you to act like you are happy all the time and force yourself to try to feel happy, even when you are not, which throws people into even more of a depressed state sometimes--they know they are not happy and "fake it 'til you make it" is not good advice for someone who is dealing with grief or pain.  Friends need to be there for each other in the good times and in the bad times.  I think Solomon is pointing to the fact that too many friends only want to be around as long as the times are "good," but they cannot be found during the bad times.