Shannon Bond, Pastor of Cherokee Baptist Church
Proverbs 6:12–15 (ESV)
12 A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, 13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, 14 with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; 15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
I think you can break these few verses down into:
• A wicked man
• Who can only do wicked things
• Will ultimately reap calamity from the wickedness he sows
Verse 12 says he’s not just wicked, but worthless. He’s depraved, steeped in sin. Solomon describes him. Note this: he sins because he’s a sinner—not the other way around. Because he is wicked and worthless, he “goes around with crooked speech.” He’s a liar and a deceiver. Verse 13 is a little weird, but it flows from v. 12: he “goes,” “winks,” “signals,” and “points.” Everything about him is perverse, from head to toe. You can’t trust his speech. You can’t look him in the eye and get a straight answer, he’s shifty (feet), he’s not going to point anyone to truth with his finger. Everything about him is deceptive.
All you have to do is look at his heart to know why he is the way he is. He has a perverted heart that loves to devise evil and continually sow discord. The Hebrew describes continuous action (going, winking, signaling, pointing, devising). What he is and what he does line up perfectly. He is a man of integrity, but not in the positive sense. He is wholly evil inside and out, which he demonstrates in a nearly constant pursuit of evil.
Remember that Solomon has been telling his son(s) that if you chase after wisdom, pursue it, seek it like silver and long for it like gold, then…there’s a reward. The same is true for the wicked and worthless man. All his efforts in evil bring him the reward of sudden calamity. In a moment, he’s broken beyond all healing. This isn’t karma. It isn’t merely the consequences of bad choices, although that is in play here. Make no mistake about it. God sends calamity upon the wicked man. God judges him righteously and justly.
What a warning! Why would anyone read this and not fear God?
Thankfully, God saves wicked people without impugning his righteousness and justice. He sent his Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life, die on the cross, and be resurrected on the third day. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In other words, God carried out justice through Christ’s death for sin so that he can declare sinners to be righteous in his sight and be saved from the consequences of their wickedness. The saved are made new and have God’s Spirit in them. They are given the desire and ability to live righteous lives in service to God and others.
Won’t you turn from your wicked ways and trust in Jesus for salvation?