Have a Clear Vision

(Proverbs 22:3 KJV)  A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Although the Hebrew word is the same, the KJV and the NASB give different nuances.  Both are important.  The NASB uses the simple translation of “sees” (7200).  Evil exists.  Prudent people know that and recognize it when they are confronted by it.  They have a clear vision that has been lost in our popular culture.  When we talk about a child at school who is a moral pervert with violent tendencies we are not allowed to point out that they are evil.  We use words like “confused” or “misguided”.  You need to understand that modern culture does not see the evil in the hearts of men.

The KJV uses “foreseeth” which carries the important idea that we are to look down the road for the evil that is developing.  We need to understand that when we plant squash we cannot expect a harvest of corn.  We need the insight to see that when you teach relative values and deny moral absolutes then you are producing a future of chaos and hopelessness.

So?  As Christians we need to have open eyes and recognize the world as it is, not as Pollyanna saw it.  Grace can overcome any obstacle but we are poor servants of that grace if we don’t recognize what needs to be overcome.