Proverbs 15:20-25

The primary themes in Proverbs 15:20-25 are: (1) the contrast between wisdom and folly; (2) speech; and (3)the fate or destiny of those who practice certain behaviors.

15:20--A wise child makes a glad father,
but the foolish despise their mothers.

15:21--Folly is a joy to one who has no sense,
but a person of understanding walks straight ahead.

15:22--Without counsel, plans go wrong,
but with many advisers they succeed.

15:23--To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone,
and a word in season, how good it is.

15:24--For the wise the path of life leads upward,
in order to avoid Sheol below.

15:25--The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
but maintains the widow's boundaries.

Note briefly some of the great truths for daily living these proverbs teach:
1. Like Proverbs 10:1; 17:21, 25--so 15:20 stresses to children of any age what they can do to bring joy or sorrow to their parents. In the eyes of the world, a person's behavior reflects on his or her parents. This can be a great motivator for doing the right thing IF a person's parents are godly.
2. A fool reveals her or his folly to the world by living recklessly without restraint, blissfully unaware of the wrong she or he is doing and the harm it brings to others.
3. The key to success is careful planning, which involves consulting as many good and experienced people and sources as possible, and listening to the best advice. One would not think of going to a doctor who had not spent several years studying under successful older doctors and professors to learn the parts of the human body and how they function, the various kinds of diseases, and the proper treatment for each medical problem. Similarly, faith communities make a great mistake if they employ people to be ministers, pulpit preachers, missionaries, and the like who have not spent years studying the Bible, modern culture, effective communication, missions thought, and how the teachings of the Bible apply to contemporary society at home and abroad under older ministers, preachers, and professors who have been effective in ministry.
4. Many "major" in talking. Wherever they are, they love to talk. Such people are poor thinkers and poor listeners. Godly talk is brief, but says the right thing to the right person or persons are the right time.
5. The Bible often reminds us that there are two ways to live on earth [see Psalm 1]. The wise takes the "upward" path which leads closer and closer to God, even though it is more difficult and more demanding. By doing this, he or she avoids Sheol, which here refers to a life which takes spiritual vitality out of a person.
6. Those who are proud, arrogant, self-centered seek opportunities to take advantage of those who are defenseless: widows, orphans, aliens, the poor [see Exodus 22:22-24; Isaiah 1:10-17, 21-23; 10:1-2; Micah 3:9-12). But God loves those who suffer oppression, and thus intervenes to deliver them from the proud and to punish the proud (see Deuteronomy 10:12-18).

John Willis