Proverbs 13:15 Love does the work
Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is hard.
Proverbs 13:15 NASB
The Hebrew word for “hard,” ethan, is translated enduring, ever-flowing, hard, normal state, perennially, running water, unceasing. It was used in Exodus when Israel crossed the waters of the Red Sea, then once they made it through the Egyptians followed and the waters returned to their ethan or “normal state” and drowned the army. Most translators say the meaning of the word is “uncertain.” Yet, Solomon selected this word intentionally.
In the context of life, I need grace and favor. Life is difficult. People are difficult. The ground is hard — sometimes even unable to be cultivated— and it takes work to grow food and earn a living. Our bodies fail quickly and our life span is abbreviated at best. If our current state on earth is normal, unceasing, ever-flowing (as the word indicates) I’d say our life is hell! But it isn’t.
Our Father, who is always forward looking, gave us a promise on the day man opened the door to evil on this planet. After he clothed Adam and Eve in designer skins and made this proclamation to the serpent, “he shall crush your head…” Speaking the same message a few thousand years later, Jesus said, “Everyone who believes in me shall never die.”
God intended our world to be a much different environment than it is. Because the fragrance of His presence lingers in everything He has made, I may find beauty in this creation— the sunrise, the stars and planets at night, the order of things, and the relationships I cherish. Yes, He’s present. Yet if I am going to be honest, this world is trying to kill me. And it will be successful. This is not the world God intended. He even warned Adam about it beforehand: “The day you eat of it, you will surely die.” Even so, after Adam’s poor choice — an eventuality God understood was inevitable— He tossed new code into the world’s programming: if you believe, you will never die. Believe what? That trust was again possible between man and God. That He truly has our best interest in mind and in deed. Faith is making that leap in my heart that no matter what I do, no matter how bad it is, He is still our Hope. Favor. And goodness. Do you understand this? Good! Because this is a portion of the “good understanding” of which Solomon spoke.
Who is the “treacherous?” Treachery, literally means: faithlessness or readiness to betray trust; traitorous. It is the deceptive, untrustworthy, or unreliable nature of man — and is the story of my unredeemed life. The worst thing that can happen? Ethan! (To return to the Hebrew.) My circumstances remain perennial, ever-flowing, permanent. And that’s a hard truth.
God never changes. He’s perennial, ever-flowing, permanent, running water and unceasing. His goodness will create the change I need and hope for.