Proverbs 29:18-19 (ESV)
18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,
but blessed is he who keeps the law.
19 By mere words a servant is not disciplined,
for though he understands, he will not respond.
When communities reject the Lord and his authority, moral law is cast aside and everyone ends up doing what is right in his own eyes. But those who know and keep the word of the Lord are happy, living consistently with God’s design for human behavior. Whether a servant or a son, all who despise wisdom must suffer the consequences of their sinful actions. Mere words are often insufficient when it comes to correcting bad behavior. Penalties for transgressions tend to drive obedience more than simple conversation does. For most, traffic tickets moderate driving habits more effectively than the rules found in the handbook. Though we may resist embracing God’s decrees, the wise learn that his laws are not burdensome. Just as fish thrive in water and birds soar in the air, those who keep God’s law are liberated to live successfully within the parameters for which humans have been designed.