"Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, and so is wisdom to a man of understanding"
sport
This is the Hebrew word sechoq, which means laugher, sport, derision, enjoyment. This word is the key analogy in this proverb. Solomon is comparing the main themes of the whole book to sport: wickedness, foolishness, wisdom, and understanding. It seems that this word is used for its playful nonchalance in this context.
Solomon compares the fool wandering in moral darkness as if it means nothing or is not a big deal. And in the same way the person who has understanding just instinctively and playfully chooses the wise course. It is not a big deal to him. The idea in both cases is that it is playful, laughable; not a difficult choice – the fool to wander past the boundaries of ethics and morality and do wickedness; the man of understanding to choose to glorify God, meet the needs of others, and meet his own needs. Solomon sees this intersection between both kinds of people. They both act to change their destiny in a playful nonchalance. These actions have become their destiny through prior choices and now there is no agony or struggle or prayer or deliberateness about what they are doing. They are doing what they are – either wicked or wise.
The question is: Which are you playful at? Which of these two options would characterize your destiny: playfulness in doing wickedness or playfulness in doing wisdom? The answer is your destiny. All of the consequences flow from the path in which you choose to reside.
If you find yourself playfully living beyond the moral boundaries of God, then repent and take the difficult step of seeking God's face and pleading for forgiveness. Ask Him to remake you into a person of wisdom instead of a person of wickedness.
The good news from this proverb is that if you become a man or woman of understanding, then wisdom will be easy for you. It will seem like child's play. Wisdom starts out as difficult and hard to know what to do, but it ends up being playful enjoyment because it is so obvious.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz