At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
The simple believeth every word: But the prudent man looketh well to his going
Proverbs 14:15
Scripture describes those who believe everything they hear, or everything they read, as simpletons. Following the standard Hebraic method of communicating through parallels and contrasts, we see here the simpleton contrasted with the prudent. The simple man believes every word, but the prudent “looks well to his going.” But what is meant by this oblique expression? Well, he means that he looks well to his going by not believing every word—just as believing every word can be described as not looking well to your going. The ESV renders this as “gives thought to his steps.”
There are numerous voices out there, telling you to take this step, or to take that one. The prudent man does not just listen and do. He takes thought. He ponders it. He considers alternatives.
The digital revolution has done something remarkable in this respect. The prudent have many more resources when it comes to checking out a story, a rumor, a treatment, a financial plan, and so forth. It is easier than it has ever been to give thought to your steps. At the same time, there is a much greater clamor of voices telling us this, and also telling us that.
The simpleton believes every word he reads on the Internet, every word that he hears from a politician, every statistic that he reads in the polls, every claim that is made on every bottle of medicine, and the results are just about what you might expect.
