“Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things.”—Proverbs 28:5.
Interpretation.—The contrast is between those who seek the Lord, and “evil men” who seek not the Lord. Such men are left to themselves, and “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,” consequently, cannot understand the judgments of God. Whereas, “he that is spiritual judgeth all things” (1 Cor. 2:14, 15), yea, hath “an unction from the Holy One,” and knoweth all things—all things needful to be known for holiness and salvation (1 John 2:20). We retain “a right judgment in all things” in proportion as our heart seeks to know God (Jas. 1:23, 24). There is also a deep interdependence of morality and intellect. We lose ethical discernment in proportion as we do evil.
Illustrations.—The contrast is observable between David’s conscientious punctiliousness with regard to Saul (1 Sam. 24:5) in the days when his conscience was comparatively clear, and his recklessness in numbering the people later on when a great shadow had darkened his perceptions (2 Sam. 24:2, 3). The Jews in our Lord’s time understood not His parables through their love of sin and undue regard to reputation (Mark 4:11, 12; John 5:44). But prayerful Jacob, on reviewing God’s dealings with him, was fully satisfied of the wisdom and love that had ordered all events. Both Job and Saul of Tarsus, when they yielded up their self-righteousness, lost scales of prejudice which had hitherto obscured their vision of God.
Application.—One is tempted to excuse a great deal of unbelief in one’s own heart on the ground of want of understanding. “If I could only reconcile God’s ways with my own ideas of love and justice” (so we reason), “I should find it easier to accept His Word as my rule of life.” The answer to this is, “Accept His Word, and you will learn to understand His ways.” The real difficulty is not an intellectual but a moral one. The heart inclined to evil warps the judgment. Habits of sin obscure “the light that is in thee.” It is far easier to wrangle about “decrees” than to “keep the commandments.” Pride, too, is a very general cause of ignorance. It is by this men are hindered from seeking after God (Ps. 10:4). Thus, the source of light is despised, and what wonder we grope in darkness! God must explain Himself satisfactorily to our reasons, or we will not believe. But a God intelligible to all would cease to be God, just as a man who could fathom God would cease to be man. Many things dark to reason are simplified to humility. The “understanding of” evil men is “darkened because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). But good men understand all saving truth, because they “follow on to know the Lord” (Hos. 6:3). “The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err on the highway of holiness” (Isa. 35:8).
Pearson, C. R. (1881). Counsels of the Wise King; or, Proverbs of Solomon Applied to Daily Life (Vol. 2, p. 143). W. Skeffington & Son. (Public Domain)
Comments