Posts Tagged: Proverbs 10:23

“What Brings Us Pleasure”

“Prov. 10:23    Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,

but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.”

What brings us pleasure says much about our character. And here is the bad/good news: We can choose—over time—what gives us pleasure.

For example, I have decided that I like vegetables. Of course, having a wife who knows precisely how to season veggies is very helpful. Still, I had to decide to like vegetables.

The same with running. I’ve run two marathons. Did not find it pleasurable. Endured the preparation and the race. Now, I have decided to enjoy running. Guess what! I do in fact enjoy running now.

But do I enjoy wisdom? Wisdom involves accepting correction, practicing right behavior, diligence. Is it really possible to take pleasure in such things? It is, but it isn’t easy.

I’ve known a few people during my long lifetime who were truly wise. One of the things that I have noticed about wise people is that they always have a good sense of humor and enjoy life. Wisdom and delight are not just related. They are in a mutually reinforcing relationship.

Another thing that I’ve noticed is that many of these wise women and men (no wise guys, thank you!) even came to delight in being corrected, in practicing right behavior, in diligence. They never pretended that these things were, in and of themselves, pleasurable. However, the wise take the long view of things, realizing that they will enjoy the fruit of these not-so-pleasurable things.

In Proverbs 8, wisdom is portrayed as something (or someone) who was very much involved with creation, with God, and with humankind. In the midst of this hymn of praise to Wisdom (Proverbs 8:30-31), Wisdom is said to be a “delight” (the same Hebrew word that is used in Proverbs 10:23). Wisdom is delighting in God, in creation, and in humankind.

Christine Roy Yoder comments on Proverbs 10:23, “The objects of our affections matter. . . .  What gives people pleasure and satisfaction reveals much about their values and character . . . .”[1]

What do my pleasures say about me? What do your pleasures say about you?


[1] Christine Roy Yoder, Proverbs, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon, 2009), 127.

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