"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." ~~Proverbs 27:12
This verse stayed with me this morning.
I began to think about it and dissect it and hold it up to my moment-by-moment decisions.
I went to look up the original Hebrew words that Proverbs was written in to ensure that I was reading what was actually written. (The Interlinear Bible is where you locate the bible in the original Hebrew and Greek just in case you are not familiar.)
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A prudent or sensible person will discern, will inspect, will give attention to, will distinguish...
...the evil, distress, misery, adversity, calamity...
--- This next phrase is what caught my heart this morning. ---
"..AND HIDETH HIMSELF.."
To hide means to conceal.
..but the simple or the foolish...
..pass on or traverse or advance..
..and are punished or condemned..
Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we are forgiven; however, we live with the consequences of our sin.
So...according to God...in Proverbs 27:12, I can be wise and discerning and see the sin coming and hide myself from it or I can just go on and walk right in and suffer the condemnation and consequences.
Hmmm...makes me want to truly ponder each moment even further so that I can foresee the evil. Causes me to realize how far I am from truly "praying without ceasing".
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When I think about it, this is how I hide from evil. Or I don't bother to hide at all.
If you look up the word conceal**, it means to withdraw from observation or to cover and keep from sight. If you look up the word hide**, it means to put oneself in a condition to be safe.
Think on that...
Think of a common sin in your daily life or something that you struggle with. God's word says that we are to be keen enough to see the evil coming and then we are to put ourselves into a condition in which we will be safe from the evil.
My mind wandered further...
I began to think of how God created animals and their ability to hide themselves from danger. So, I went looking for some visual examples.
This is a seahorse that is hidden in some coral.
An owl sitting plainly in sight, yet seemingly sitting in a position to keep herself safe.
This is a red goby hidden amongst coral.
A spider sitting on a sunflower.
A jackrabbit in the weeds.
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"This we had before, ch. 22:3. Note, 1. Evil may be foreseen. Where there is temptation, it is easy to foresee that if we thrust ourselves into it there will be sin, and as easy to foresee that if we venture upon the evil of sin there will follow the evil of punishment; and, commonly, God warns before he wounds, having set watchmen over us,Jer. 6:17. 2. It will be well or ill with us according as we do or do not improve the foresight we have of evil before us: The prudent man, foreseeing the evil, forecasts accordingly, and hides himself, but the simple is either so dull that he does not foresee it or so wilful and slothful that he will take no care to avoid it, and so he passes on securely and is punished. We do well for ourselves when we provide for hereafter." ~~Matthew Henry's Commentary
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So, how then shall I hide myself from evil?
"7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." ~~Psalm 32:7-8
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"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word." ~~Psalm 119:114
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"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." ~~Psalm 27:5
How shall I hide myself?
In His word...
...and on my knees...
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** 1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary
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posted by Mrs. Klause
May 27, 2009
Music: Light by David Nevue
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