Context No. 3413 of 4322 · Proverbs

Proverbs 18:1-16: in context

1A man who isolates himself pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment. 2A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own opinion. 3When wickedness comes, contempt also comes, and with shame comes disgrace. 4The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook. 5To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, nor to deprive the innocent of justice. 6A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings. 7A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul. 8The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts. 9One who is slack in his work is brother to him who is a master of destruction. 10The LORD’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe. 11The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination. 12Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honor is humility. 13He who answers before he hears, that is folly and shame to him. 14A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear? 15The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge. 16A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

This cluster of proverbs holds wisdom up against folly in several ways. The fool delights not in understanding but only in airing his own opinion, and the one who answers before he hears, that is his folly and shame. Wisdom listens before it speaks. And at the center is a contrast of two securities.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe. But the rich man's wealth is his strong city, like a high wall, only in his own imagination. The one is a real refuge; the other is a fantasy of safety. Where do we run when trouble comes, to the name of the LORD, a tower that truly protects, or to our wealth and resources, which feel like a fortress but exist as a wall only in our own minds? When the pressure comes, the imagined wall of riches gives way, but the name of the LORD holds. Real safety is found not in what we possess but in the God to whom we run.

When trouble comes, do I run to the LORD as my strong tower, or do I trust in wealth and resources that feel secure but are only a fortress in my imagination?

Sources

Proverbs 18:10: "The LORD's name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe."
Proverbs 18:11: "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination."
Proverbs 18:13: "He who answers before he hears, that is folly and shame to him."