Proverbs 14:15

Proverbs 14:15 "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going."

Solomon had a burden for the SIMPLE.  According to the beginning of the Book of Proverbs, one of the reasons he wrote these proverbs was to give subtly to the simple (1:4).  When the Bible speaks of the simple person, it isn’t speaking of a minimalist whose life is simple.  When we read about the simple in this proverb, we’re not reading about the uncomplicated soul who lives without drama and controversy.  The simple soul that Solomon cared so much about was and is the person who lacks understanding.  For the simple, life isn’t that big of a deal.  For the simple man, decisions aren’t taken seriously because he doesn’t think about the consequences that follow making them.  For the simple woman, words aren’t thought about before saying them because she doesn’t consider the ramifications of speaking them.  The simple is the spiritual sibling of the ignorant.  Solomon wrote what he wrote to give more depth to the understanding of the simple.  Due to inexperience and age, little children are simple.  They don’t understand that much about life, theology, spirituality or humanity.  They need parents and teachers to help bring layers of understanding to their minds as they grow.  Adults who lack or reject wise instruction will remain as simple as a little child and will eventually experience great failure in life.

On the other side of this proverb stands the PRUDENT.  In contrast to the minimal understanding of the simple, the prudent are deep thinkers.  Whether by instruction from elders and peers or by experience in life, prudent people have many layers of understanding.  They realize that every decision possesses consequences of some sort.  They understand that every spoken, written or posted word carries consequence of some sort.  Whereas the simple don’t look beyond the moment, the prudent see far down the road. The simple rarely look at the mechanical gages on the dashboard of life but they give great attention to the temperature and audio so as to enjoy the moment.  The prudent however, look at the mechanical gages so as to make sure that they can keep going through life, ensuring their soul has enough fuel, air, coolant, oil and other allegorical fluids at all times.  The simple soul is uneducated about how things work and doesn’t care to be educated, which is why he ignores the warning lights of life.  On the other hand, the prudent person has taken the time to learn how things and people work in life.  As a result, he avoids problems by proper maintenance as well as by addressing problems when they appear.
 
This proverb highlights one of the biggest problems with the simple and simultaneously, one of the greatest virtues of the prudent.  Simple people are gullible.  They believe every word they’re told but more specifically, every word they’re told about themselves.  Because they don’t understand the deceitful nature of the human heart, the simple believe every flattering word that someone says about them. The simple girl believes the carnal man when he says she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.  The simple boy believes the evil woman when she says he’s the smartest man she’s ever met.  Ignorant of the deceit in the human heart, simple souls believe people mean what they say and worse, what they say about them.  A simple woman doesn’t realize how cruel people can be in order to get what they want.  For an experienced conman, a simple woman is no match for his flatteries because she believes everything he says about her.  For a seductive woman, a simple man is no match for her flatteries because he too believes everything she says about him.

The simple get in serious trouble with those who intend to use and abuse them for selfish reasons but they also get in trouble with those who have no evil intentions toward them.  Being simple is very dangerous for this reason as well.  Parents of simple teens can do great damage to them when they try to encourage them with praise and exaggerated compliment.  When a mother tells her simple son that he’s the best soccer player she’s ever seen, he’ll believe that and be terribly ignorant of reality.  When a father tells his simple daughter that she’s the best pianist he’s ever heard, she’ll believe that and be just as ignorant of reality.  In these and other similar scenarios, these simple teens will head into their young adult years full of pride and a distorted view of reality.  Teachers, mentors, coaches, pastors and other influential people can unknowingly lead simple people astray in times of encouraging and inspirational speeches.  If a simple soul is told that they did a great job when it wasn’t so great, they will believe that and continue on in life with the passionate belief that they’re good at something when they’re not.  A simple baker will keep baking a particular pie if they were told that it was good when in reality, it wasn’t.  A simple vocalist will keep singing a particular song if they were told that it was good when in reality, it wasn’t.  

That brings us to the prudent of the proverb and one of his greatest attributes.  The prudent cook knows that just because someone said the dish was delicious doesn’t mean that it was delicious.  The prudent singer knows that just because someone said the song was incredible doesn’t mean that it was incredible.  The prudent preacher knows that just because someone said the sermon was great doesn’t mean that it was great.  The prudent don’t stand in contrast to the simple in this proverb because of skepticism.  Just as the simple aren’t being condemned for trusting people in this proverb, the prudent aren’t being praised for questioning people in this proverb.  Even though the simple are indeed gullible, Solomon is not addressing how much we trust or don’t trust people.  This proverb has everything to do with our self-awareness and specifically, our honest self-assessment.  Of the prudent man, the Bible says, “he looketh well to HIS going.”  The simple man believes every word that people say about him because he’s NOT looking well to his going.  The simple woman believes every word that people say about her because she’s NOT looking closely at her direction in life.

A prudent man is well informed and aware of the fact that evil people will try to take advantage of him.  On the other hand, he is equally informed and aware of the fact that well-meaning people will try to encourage him.  In addition, he is also well informed and aware of the fact that he will be inclined to believe any good thing someone says about him. He doesn’t close his ears to what people have to say about him because he knows that he needs to work with people as well as get input and counsel from people.   He doesn’t receive everyone skeptically as he knows that will lead to poor relationships and ultimately, arrogance.  Rather than focus exclusively on what people say to him, the prudent man wisely looks “WELL,” or properly to “HIS GOING.”  He’s constantly assessing himself before God.  He’s consistently aware of the direction he’s heading in life.  This way, when he’s told something about himself, good or bad, he’s able to confirm or deny its accuracy.  When he’s being targeted by a seducer or a thief, he’ll be able to compare what they’re telling him to what he knows about himself.  When he’s being counseled by his elder or by his pastor, he’ll be able to compare what they’re suggesting to what he knows about himself.
 
The prudent doesn’t have all of the answers nor does he see everything accurately but he does know the general direction he’s heading in.  By definition, he is always looking ahead because he knows everything he does or says leads somewhere.  The prudent man “looking well to his ways” is akin to the hiker or traveler always looking at the compass.  He may not know exactly how to get to the next waterhole but he knows if someone is speaking the truth or not when he asks for directions because he has a compass.  If someone tells him to keep heading north, and the compass points south, then the compass-conscious hiker knows that this person means to do him harm or is just ignorant.  The prudent are always looking at the direction of their feet honestly so they know if every word they hear is true or not.  The simple don’t have a compass so they have no idea if someone is leading them astray, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Keep looking at the direction of your feet so you don’t believe everything something says to or about you.