Prudence is commonly connected to the word providence. With this in mind, one can understand that prudence involves the ability to foresee the possibility of future events. Of course, this does not refer to the work of modern day “prophets” who claim to have supernatural visions from God, but is related to wisdom that originates with God. These truths are borne out in our passage where we read, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself.” The importance of this truth bears repeating in Proverbs 27:12. Wisdom and prudence work together (Proverbs 8:12) to help us to consider possible future results when making decisions. In our passage, the prudent foresees the evil and makes a decision to hide himself, while the simple fail to steer clear of the evil and are punished for it.
Far too many of today's pundits sanction giving others whatever they want in an attempt to display true love. Parents have become increasingly trapped in this dilemma being convinced that they fail their children unless they give them every new gadget. The husbands thought to love the most are the ones who shower their wives with the most, the best, and do so frequently. The average person may find these scenarios reasonable, but they remain completely contrary to the word of God. In fact, the Bible expresses just the opposite. Today's passage reveals that a righteous man could actually smite someone with his words in kindness. A righteous man will always offer a rebuke (or correction) to those heading in the wrong direction. The intention of such a rebuke is to set the person back on the right track; true biblical kindness at work. Proverbs extols the virtues of those wounds gained when offered in the spirit of kindness and friendship (Proverbs 27:6). Kindness is never demonstrated by simply telling others what they want to hear but often confirmed through open rebuke (Proverbs 27:5).
