Proverbs 10
"Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible." – Proverbs 10:23 NLT
Pleasure is the treasure all men seek. Every man and woman, old or young, is on a perpetual journey seeking to find a reliable source of pleasure or enjoyment. And the world is constantly offering up a wide range of alternatives from which to choose. Some are innocent enough, like food or relationships. But others can be destructive to ourselves as well as those around us. Pleasure is a God-given reaction that is inherently good, but it can be perverted by sin and man's inherent selfishness. In this verse we are gold that "doing wrong is fun for a fool." The word translated "fun" literally means "sport" in the Hebrew language. It is exhilarating and pleasurable. It paints the picture of a child at play, smiling with pleasure and enjoyment as a result of whatever activity he is doing. You've seen it before in children who are laughing uncontrollably as they swing higher and higher on a swing set in the park. It is a child who smiles broadly at the sight of an ice cream cone or the news of a day at the zoo. But in this verse, the fool is smiling at the thought of doing what is wrong. He finds pleasure and enjoyment in doing what is ungodly and unrighteous. It brings him pleasure. It makes him smile. What a disturbing picture of the perversity of sin. It warps our minds and distorts our perspective. What is good becomes bad. What is bad becomes good. It is not how God intended it to be, but it is where we end up when we decide to live apart from His plan for our lives.
But the person of understanding, who has received wisdom from God, finds his pleasure from living wisely. He finds enjoyment from doing what is right, not wrong. Wickedness is repulsive to him. Living righteousness and obediently before God puts a smile on his face. Putting others ahead of himself is something he enjoys, not dreads. Serving selflessly makes him happy. Saying no to temptation brings him far more pleasure than giving in. Doing what is right isn't a burden, but a blessing. But it all begins with wisdom, with a healthy fear of God and an understanding that God's way is always the best way. He has learned to put his hope in God and His promises, not the deceptive offers of this world. "The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing" (Proverbs 10:28 NLT). Hoping in God results in true happiness. Resting in His promises produce real pleasure. Living life according to God's terms puts a smile on the face and joy in the heart.
Father, pleasure comes from You, not this world. Don't let me get sucked into believing the lies of the enemy and giving in to the temptations he offers up. They will never result in true pleasure or real joy. Only You can provide those things in my life. Amen