A Prudent Man Foreseeth the Evil

2012-06-16

“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” (Proverbs 22:3)

No one can snub this verse; every person on the face of the earth needs to remember this verse. If you think you are strong enough to not succumb to the temptations of sin, take heed lest you fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). No one is beyond falling, and no one has reached perfection.

The man who is cautious and wise knows this truth. He knows to stay far away from things that will ensnare him. The simple walk right into the trap. Solomon wrote earlier that he observed a simpleton who went by the door of a wicked woman, and fell into adultery (Proverbs 7:6-27). We gather that this simple one possibly knew where this woman’s house was, and passed by anyway (7:8). Perhaps he thought he was strong enough to fight off the temptation. Perhaps he knew it was wrong to associate with this woman, and in the back of his mind he was hoping for an opportunity to fall into the evil trap. The prudent man, even if he has to go the long way home, avoids this evil woman’s house. The ex-alcoholic drives the extra few miles out of the way to avoid the street with the bar on it.

Flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). Abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Set no wicked thing before your eyes (Psalm 101:3). Do not let him that works deceit into your house (Psalm 101:7). If you want to live a pure life before the LORD, be like the prudent man, keeping yourself far away from anything that would cause you to walk contrary to the calling of Christ. This calls for preemptive thinking, for we are on call 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The battle really begins in the mind. Long before the actual acts of sin happen, you decide whether you will live God’s way. There is a slow, subtle move from living godly to another mindset. The great big sins do not usually happen overnight; it is a process that starts long before. We need to not only foresee the forces of evil actively pursuing us, but we also need to foresee that we are vulnerable to those attacks. We will pursue the evil if we are not intentional in fleeing from sin. This is a battle, and you are in it... and it begins in the mind. Foresight and action while trusting in Christ will lead to victory.