Proverbs 2:12-14 (ESV)
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil.
Wisdom does not merely inform. It rescues. Wisdom, along with discretion and understanding, provides deliverance. It saves a person from a settled lifestyle of evil, not simply from isolated sinful acts. The Hebrew verb translated “delivering” carries the idea of pulling out or snatching away. Wisdom pulls the learner away from moral danger before she is overtaken by it.
Evil is presented as a path or a settled direction of life. Those who walk it are called evildoers, and particular attention is given to their speech. They are described as men of perverted speech, whose words are twisted and distorted. Their language is often persuasive, making what is wrong sound reasonable and what is sinful appear harmless or even good. Wisdom therefore guards not only our actions, but also our ears, carefully weighing which voices we allow to influence our thinking.
These men forsake the paths of uprightness and choose to walk in darkness. Their departure implies prior exposure to what is right. They have known the path of uprightness but have willfully abandoned it. As 1 John 2:19 explains, their leaving reveals that they were never truly of God’s people. They do not withdraw quietly. Having turned from the way of righteousness, they actively seek to deceive others, using persuasive words to draw them away from the truth and into the same darkness they have chosen.
Their problem is not ignorance, but desire. They rejoice in doing evil. The Hebrew verb translated “who rejoice” is sameach, meaning to be glad or filled with joy. What should trouble the conscience brings them pleasure. They delight not only in sin, but in its perverseness. Evil is no longer a means to an end. It is the end.
Wisdom protects the son by preparing him. He will encounter people who attempt to lure him into darkness while insisting they are innocent. They will claim that the way of the wicked is more enjoyable than a life of obedience. Wisdom teaches him not to be surprised and not to be swayed. Maturity and knowledge will liberate him from corruption and from manipulative speech that seeks to turn wrong into right and right into wrong.
As you pursue a God honoring life of wisdom, you will encounter the same voices. They will say that times have changed, that God does not care, that obedience is unnecessary. They are wrong. God does care. Speak the truth to them in love, while resisting the world’s plea to join it in wrongdoing today.