NOTES for Pro 21:1-31

A path that seems straight to a person is not always so in reality; therefore, trust in God, who sees reality in its fullness, is necessary for us even on purely practical grounds, though not only for that reason. For the Lord weighs hearts, which means that he sees our hidden thoughts and the subconscious motives behind our actions, perceiving depths within us into which we are most often afraid to look. It is precisely because of this that he can set our paths right.

The words about punishing a scoffer, at the sight of which the simple become wise, should, I think, be understood more broadly than as advice to punish without fail those who deserve it. Here we have an observation of life: people often learn less by exerting their minds than by watching those around them. And although it was not without reason that someone said, ‘Experience has never yet saved anyone from trouble’, and people keep stepping on the same rakes that they have repeatedly seen strike their neighbours on the forehead, many have nevertheless avoided trouble thanks to the experience of others.

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor. Clearly, this does not refer to every kind of enjoyment, and the psalmist did not say in vain, ‘Serve the Lord with gladness’ (Ps. 100:2). True gladness is with the Lord, and it is free of the negative consequences of earthly substitutes for joy.