A prudent person as presented in Proverbs is cunning and subtle. They act with and out of knowledge. They learn and become familiar with the ways of people; how all interact, how one type of person will respond to another, and how someone influences and even controls others. They understand how to respond and act in every situation. They are as graceful in social settings as a professional dancer before a large audience. They work with the knowledge they have obtained.
I think of Jesus who when presented with many different social settings responded not only well but in the most amazing ways. The words he said to the Samaritan woman by the well, to Zacchaeus in the tree, the Pharisee who accused him of being demon-possessed, and his disciples who wanted to send away the crowd after he taught all day. Jesus was a prudent man who acted out of knowledge.
A fool as presented in Proverbs is rough, crude, and blunt. A fool is like a chef who cuts open and chops up an onion causing eyes to burn and tears to flow down faces. I think of King Saul who fixated on David using Israel’s army to search deserts for a young fugitive as rival armies raided his neighbors.
Today who will I be like? King Jesus or King Saul? Will I be prudent or the fool? Sometimes I want to hide away and not engage in the day. Other times I want to explore what God has in store for me during the next 12 hours. Lord, help me to not chop an onion.
