Proverbs 6:12–15
A naughty person, a wicked man, walks with a froward mouth.
He winks with his eyes, he speaks with his feet, he teaches with his fingers;
Frowardness is in his heart, he devises mischief continually; he sows discord.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
Frowardness or “perversity” is best defined as persistent and obstinate rebellion. We find this today in the juvenile delinquent or rebellious teen. There was once a rebellious son who opposed his father at every opportunity. One day, the young man was caught out in a severe rainstorm and swept off a bridge into a raging river. As the village searched for his body the next day, for some reason the father chose to search upstream. When asked to explain his strange approach, he explained, “The boy was so obstinate that he would have opposed the flow of the river to his dying breath!”
The froward youth is perpetually destructive—a bull in the china shop when it comes to his relationships. Trouble is his middle name. There is no controlling him. He is uncooperative, divisive, and foolish almost without respite. Whenever he is present in the home, everybody knows it. He is a continual scourge. With him, there is never peace and quiet—only contention.
“He walks with a froward mouth.” That is, he’s a pathological liar, weaving a web of lies, purposefully confusing or gaslighting his victims, and manipulating every acquaintance into fulfilling his wishes. The wise father warns his son of these monsters. About 4% of teens are characterized by this rebellion, and about 12% are frequently dishonoring to their parents. Either the father is warning his son to stay away from these young men or to avoid falling into the pattern himself. Suffice it to say that these ungovernable rebels have surfaced over and over again in human history. Too often, popular culture and educational institutions have idealized, excused, glorified, and even encouraged these rebellious and revolutionary attitudes and lifestyles.
But that is because these too are bent on destroying human society. We should rather pity and pray for the poor churches, families, and communities who are disrupted by these delinquents.
“Frowardness is in his heart.” The problem is rooted in the heart, which in turn governs his motives, purposes, and actions. The rebel is pretty easily identified by his mouth, eyes, feet, and fingers. Practically every word he speaks, every sullen facial expression, every grunt emerging from his mouth, every T-shirt he sports, every cultural expression he embraces, and every swagger in his hips and feet will belie his rebellion. “He devises mischief continually,” and he is beyond controlling or correcting. That being the case, families and churches are usually left with distancing themselves from him for their own preservation. This describes the sad plight of vast numbers of teens being raised in American homes throughout the last three generations.
“Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.” Human governments may be powerless to rein in these uncontrollably wicked men, but not so with God. What humans find impossibly incorrigible, intensely intimidating, and unyieldingly arrogant; God will break down in mere seconds. God will stop him. One of these days, God will cut him down.
The only hope for such rebels is to humble themselves before the King, the Lord of lords. As Jesus said, “Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matt. 21:44). On occasion, a profligate prodigal does humble himself and repent. He returns home to be gladly received by the Father and greatly rejoiced about by the angels in heaven.
1. What are the marks of a rebellious, perverse young man?
2. What can the church community or family do to restore a wicked, rebellious teen to the love of God once he has rejected all correction and refuses to listen to counsel?