CHOOSING PRUDENCE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.

Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.

All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.

The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.

The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools.

The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Proverbs 10:5, 10:19, 12:16, 12:23, 13:16, 14:8, 14:15, 14:18, 15:24, 16:22, 16:23, 22:3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

NOTE: From Proverbs, Chapter 10 through Chapter 22:16, Solomon writes a series of individual proverbs for us to consider. I will try and group similar proverbs in my devotions as I cover what Solomon wrote over these chapters.

Fourteen proverbs. All centered on the matter of prudence and its importance.

Prudence isn’t a word we use often. Ditto for its root word prudent.

So what does it mean to be prudent? Let’s look at the dictionary definition:

pru-dent – (prdnt) – adj.

1. Wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense.

2. Careful in regard to one's own interests.

3. Careful about one's conduct.

This describes a prudent person and anyone who employs sound judgment and sense in handling life’s matters, is cautious about what they are interested in, and wary of how they behave are opting for prudence.

Does this describe you? Are you choosing prudence in the way you live?

Solomon certainly had a lot to say about this matter and who had a better reputation for wisdom and prudence than him? Let’s look again at what he had to say about the matter:

He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.

Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.

All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.

The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.

The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools.

The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

So what happens when we choose prudence? How will our lives reflect we are using sound judgment and sensibility in what we do? God’s word breaks it down.

1. When we choose prudence, we take action at the right time.

He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

A prudent person knows when to act and when to rest. Solomon uses the example of the harvest with summer being the prescribed time to gather the crops which were ripe for the reaping. Jesus said this about the matter of harvest:

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:7

The issue was the number of people He saw that were like sheep without a shepherd, people who not only were living without prudence but were on their way to death without salvation. This was the harvest field Jesus saw, not filled with crops but rather filled with people. There was a chance for a great yield, an amazing opportunity to help lead others toward their Savior Jesus but there was a shortage of workers to get the job done.

As Christians, prudence calls us to act, to respond to our obligation under the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and to seek the lead of the Lord in guiding us to the people He wants us to reach and lead toward salvation.

The harvest is indeed plenty. Are you choosing prudence in responding to the call of Christ to make disciples of all nations?

2. When we choose prudence, we watch the words we speak.

Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.

Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.

There is definitely a time we need to show restraint when it comes to speaking. There is no shortage of words we should not be speaking, especially profanity, but when it comes to the words we can say, we are to watch the way we say them.

If someone says something against us, the human response is to lash out at them in return. But that would be the action of a fool. The one who chooses prudence will hold their tongue and overlook the insult for they know that a harsh word back will only escalate the conflict. Further, the words we typically use will try and tear our adversary down instead of build them up.

The prudent have hearts that keep them from engaging in the folly of argument. Their lips promote instruction vice destruction.  

Does this define you and the words you choose to use?

3. When we choose prudence, we know the right time to use the information we have.

The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.

I can’t count the times I have heard someone showing no self-discipline or moderation in spewing out foolish stances on matters of life. Rather than try and remain silent until they have enough facts to constitute reasonable understanding, they blurt out crazy, reckless words that only discredit their position.

Counter to this, the person who chooses prudence will wait until it is the right time to speak and when they do, their words will be concise, accurate, and to the point in addressing the matter at hand.

4. When we choose prudence, our actions reflect it.

All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.

The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.

You’ll recall that one of the root definitions for the word “prudent” was to be cautious about one’s actions. We see this reflected in the words of Solomon in these three proverbs.

The prudent act with knowledge and give thoughts to their ways, to the steps they take. They seek the Lord’s guidance to ensure the path they walk is the path of righteousness, the narrow path that Jesus wants all of His followers to walk (Matthew 7:13-14). The prudent have the blessing of discernment, not of their own power but rather from the power of the Holy Spirit. They know truth when they see it because the Lord will not allow them to be deceived.

Contrary to this, we find the fool who waste no time in showing their folly, whether in the way they act or the way they believe. This is reflected in anyone who is living for the world and its ways, those with a laissez-faire, anything-goes attitude. They do whatever they like and believe anything, vulnerable to being misled and deceived.

How are you viewed? How do others see you through your actions? Would they say you choose prudence?

5. When we choose prudence, we gain knowledge.

The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Prudence leads us to the Lord and the divine wisdom He offers. Plain and simple. If we’re smart, it’s because we surrendered our own intellect in exchange for the Lord’s guidance, swapping our imperfection for His perfect ways. When we do this, we are crowned with knowledge and seen as people of impressive astuteness, acumen, and insight.

As we have seen over and over, deciding to do otherwise only makes a person a fool.

6. When we choose prudence, we stay safe.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

The one who is prudent will avoid danger in their life because they make right choices when it comes to where they go and what they do. They are typically risk averters who definitely trend conservative when compared with those who are living for the world because their ways are of the Lord and He will always be counter to what the world is doing. And if a prudent person finds themselves in the midst of danger, they know how to seek refuge because they are guided there by the Lord who loves and protects them.

What an awesome confidence this should bring us! Or maybe not, if we find ourselves living outside the Lord and susceptible to the dangers life can bring.  

7. When we choose prudence, we choose life over death.

The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools.

This is simple. The prudent person chooses Jesus and receives the salvation promise He offers all who place their faith, hope, and trust in Him. You cannot claim to be truly prudent without doing this first. When you do, when you choose prudence, then you will find life, not just now but forever, through the One who IS the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

Turn to Jesus and you find divine wisdom and righteousness. You find a life that leads upward to the Father in heaven who created you and longs to have you abide with Him forever in His house in one of the many rooms that He has prepared (John 14:1-3).

Opt to reject Him and you choose sin instead, a sin that will bring God’s judgment to include death being the final event in your life with no chance at eternity.

Looking at your life, have you chosen prudence yet and found your place in heaven? For choosing prudence brings with it a multitude of benefits, but there is none greater than this.

Amen. 

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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