“Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice. Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it. Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded. A wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.” (Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

You’ve perhaps heard the phrase, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” The idea is that spending time away from someone can allow petty qualms of the past to gradually fade away, inclining our hearts more and more in their direction where perhaps that wasn’t quite as much the case. An absence like this, though, eventually builds hope in our hearts for a reunion. The longer that hope’s fulfillment gets delayed, the greater the hope grows. But hope like this is a kind of weight. The more it grows, the heavier it gets. Leave it to grow too long, and it can start to wear you down. Sometimes a proverb points you to something you need to do better in life; sometimes they simply describe what is true about it. Let’s talk about one of these latter proverbs in this next group.

Someone who is arrogant thinks he’s always right. In fact, he knows it. Whatever it is you think you know, he knows it better. He’s done it more. He is the expert, and you are the novice. The problem with the person who is arrogant isn’t simply that he’s arrogant. That’s certainly a nuisance, but not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is when the arrogant person comes within the orbit of another arrogant person. That’s when the sparks start to fly.

If you haven’t seen the re-release of Avengers: Endgame and don’t want any spoilers of the new post-credit scenes, skip this next paragraph. In one of the scenes, characters from the series Loki are in the TVA control room and are watching as various universes from across the multiverse start colliding with one another. Two of the universes in particular, represented by two different images of earth, are moving toward each other for a great collision that will destroy them both. When they come within range of each other, they respectively start firing at each other as if to destroy the other so they can survive.

When Solomon says, “Arrogance leads to nothing but strife,” this is kind of what he has in mind. Arrogant people imagine themselves to be the center of their own universes. When they meet, it’s like a multiverse incursion. Angry, even violent in some cases, confrontation is the likeliest outcome.

The contrast he offers here is interesting. “But wisdom is gained by those who take advice.” The implication here is that the strife the arrogant experience is the result of their refusal to take advice. They reject the advice that might help them shift their current course in ways that will help them avoid the conflict they are otherwise barrelling toward at full speed. When we are willing to take sound advice and learn from others, we will gain a better appreciation and understanding of how the world works and of what is good in it. That’s wisdom.

“Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it.” I heard a story just the other day about a guy who inherited a large sum of money when his mother passed away. He didn’t get the money by fraud, but it didn’t earn by any kind of hard work. As soon as he got it, he started spending it. He blew through it on prodigal living until it was gone, and it took several years for him to put his life back together on the other side.

When we cheat our way to money, the only way to keep the money coming is to keep cheating. But the longer we keep cheating, the greater the likelihood goes that we will get caught. At some point the risk isn’t worth the reward, but as soon as we stop the cheating, the money will stop coming, and we will eventually be without. When we are properly earning what we receive, on the other hand, the only thing that will stop the money’s coming is when we can’t (or won’t, but that’s addressed in other proverbs) work anymore. Work hard and enjoy what you produce through the abilities God has given you.

“Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” This one is just describing life as it is. When you grow tired of waiting on the return of Christ, the undoing of sin, and the restoration of all things, that’s okay. I mean, it doesn’t feel okay in the moment, but it doesn’t mean you are undergoing some sort of crisis of faith. That’s normal. Staying deeply rooted in the Scriptures, in prayer, and actively engaged with a church community will help keep your hope renewed so that you don’t experience that homesickness for heaven that can weigh us down if we’re not careful. Rest assured, one day all those desires will be fulfilled, and the tree of life will bloom.

“The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.” In 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs were led by their rookie quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, to the AFC title game. He had been magical all season, and was already being compared favorably with Tom Brady, the future Hall of Fame quarterback for the New England Patriots, and the man widely recognized as the greatest QB of all time. Late in the fourth quarter, the game was tied, and the Chiefs were driving. We needed a first down to get within easy field goal range to seal our victory. On two critical plays, one of our players was flagged for a false start, killing our drive. The game went into overtime, and Brady did what he always did. There would be no rookie season Super Bowl MVP award for Mahomes.

When you break a rule, there will be a consequences. When you don’t, there won’t. A bit more respect for the command to not move once the line is set by that one player would have been rewarded with a trip to the Super Bowl. The same is true in every area of life. When we have contempt for instruction, there will eventually be a price to pay. It may not come right away, but it will come. Don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking otherwise. Doing things right is always right and will always, eventually, lead to the best outcome.

“A wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.” Do you have anyone in your life you recognize as wise? I’m not talking about merely full of Jedi-like quips. I’m talking about somebody filled with godly wisdom. If you don’t, you need to seek that person out intentionally. Build a relationship with them. Ask them to mentor you. If you do have that kind of a person in your life, be intentional about listening to them. Seek their advice on everything, and put it into practice to the best of your ability. Your life will be made almost infinitely better by that. Godly counselors are worth far more than their weight in gold. Make sure you have some in your life.