Proverbs 14:2

2 An honest life shows respect for God; a degenerate life is a slap in his face.

Proverbs 14:2 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 14:2

He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord
It is plain that the fear of the Lord is upon the heart and before the eyes of such that walk according to the word of God, with a sincere desire to glorify him; for it is by the fear of the Lord that men depart from evil, and because of that they cannot do what others do; and therefore when a man walks uprightly, and his conversation is in all holiness and godliness, it shows that the fear of God has a place in his heart, which influences his outward behaviour; but [he that is] perverse in his ways despiseth him;
either God himself, whom the upright walker fears; for he that acts perversely, contrary to the law of God, or transgresses that, and goes out of the way, despises God the lawgiver, tramples upon his authority, stretches out his hand, and commits acts of hostility against him; and he that perverts the Gospel of Christ despises his ministers, and despises Christ himself, and him that sent him. Or else the meaning is, that such a perverse walker despises him that fears the Lord; so Aben Ezra interprets it; and such are generally the contempt of wicked men: to this sense is the Vulgate Latin version,

``he that walks in a right way, and fears God, is despised by him that walks in an infamous way;''
but the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "is despised": meaning the perverse man.

Proverbs 14:2 In-Context

1 Lady Wisdom builds a lovely home; Sir Fool comes along and tears it down brick by brick.
2 An honest life shows respect for God; a degenerate life is a slap in his face.
3 Frivolous talk provokes a derisive smile; wise speech evokes nothing but respect.
4 No cattle, no crops; a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.
5 A true witness never lies; a false witness makes a business of it.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.