Proverbs 19:2 Commentary and Bible Study

This verse is connected with the previous – integrity and knowledge are two essential elements for life and for the forming of deep and lasting friendships. The difference between one who lacks knowledge and one who has it is like the difference between darkness and light. Knowledge makes our terrain familiar to us even if we have never been that way before, and enables us to navigate a difficult path. The soul needs knowledge because the exercise of reason is left groping in the dark without it. Knowledge makes all our actions to be productive, and without it, we achieve little. The difference between a carpenter who through practice and experience has learnt to use his hands to cut and chisel and make objects of great usefulness, and another who has never in his life attempted this work is enormous. So it is in the spiritual life and so it is in relating to others. One person comes in clumsily. He expresses himself too strongly; he takes no account of the sensitivities of the other; he does not know how to speak without provoking to anger; he cannot find points of agreement; he wishes to dominate entirely and wants to create a one-sided relationship; or he expresses himself in a way that demonstrates sheer ignorance of the subject. The forming of friendships requires skill and needs to take account of the propensities of the other. If someone attempts it without knowledge, he will be like a blind man moving through a crowded pottery store.The second half of the proverb parallels the first. Here is one feature of ignorance: it rushes in without knowing what it is doing and therefore finds itself unprepared for the situation. It is like a traveller who is proceeding down the road so fast that he does not take the time to read the signs properly along the way, and as a result takes the wrong turning. In the same way the Christian needs to take care about all decisions in life and never be so rushed that he does not have time to think what is right. Knowledge would have proceeded with more care, with less confidence, considering the obstacles that lie ahead. His feet lead him forward but his mind is elsewhere. To follow Christ requires knowledge of our own sinfulness and weakness, our tendency to go astray and the constant need for repentance. It requires knowledge of the nature of the Christian life, lest we fail to count the cost and bring shame on ourselves by being unable to complete what we started. To become a minister of the gospel requires knowledge of Scripture and recognition of the call of God, for to run ahead when we have not been called is to proceed without God being with us. To enter into marriage requires knowledge of this unique relationship and the roles which each party will play in the marriage. The husband must study and understand his wife so that he can please her and show her kindness. Every sphere of life requires knowledge, but the most important knowledge of all is the knowledge of salvation which comes from the Lord alone.