Provérbios 1
William MacDonald · Citado em PreceptAustin
Provérbios 1
William MacDonald - The essential difference between the wise man and the fool in the book of Proverbs is that the wise man will hear and the fool won’t. It isn’t a question of the fool’s mental capacity. Actually he may have unusual intellectual ability. But he just cannot be told anything. He labors under the fatal delusion that his knowledge is infinite and his judgments are infallible. If his friends try to counsel him, they receive scorn for their efforts. They watch him trying to escape the inevitable results of sinful and stupid actions, but they are helpless to avert the crash. And so he goes on from one crisis to another. Now his finances are a disaster. Now his personal life is in shambles. Now his business totters on the edge of chaos. But he rationalizes that life is giving him a bad deal. It never occurs to him that he is his own worst enemy. He is generous in dispensing advice to others, oblivious of his inability to run his own life. A compulsive talker, he holds forth with the aplomb of an oracle. The wise man is made of better stuff. He realizes that everyone’s mental wires have been somewhat crossed by the Fall. He knows that others can sometimes see aspects of a problem that he has overlooked. He is willing to acknowledge that his memory may be faulty at times. He is teachable, welcoming any input that will help him make the right decisions. Actually he solicits the advice of others because he knows that “in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Pr. 11:14). Like everyone else, he sometimes makes mistakes. But he has this saving virtue that he learns from his mistakes and makes every failure a springboard to success. He is grateful for a deserved rebuke and is willing to say, “I was wrong. I am sorry.” Wise children submit to parental discipline; fools rebel. Wise young people obey the scriptural precepts concerning moral purity; fools do their own thing. Wise adults judge everything by whether it is well-pleasing to the Lord; fools act according to what pleases themselves. And so it is that the wise grow wiser, and the fools are stuck fast in the rut of their own folly. (Truths to Live By-Daily Devotonal) Learning (03948)(leqah/leqach from laqach = to take, grasp) can mean teaching (Dt 32:2, Pr 16:21, 23, Isa 29:24) or learning which is "grasping" with the mind (Pr 1:5, 4:2, Pr 9:9). In Pr 7:21 it refers to persuasive words, words that hold power to change one's behavior. Laqah embraces “comprehension of truth well enough to teach it." Walter Kaiser - As with the root meaning (of leqach) “take, seize,” the “grasping” is with the mind and hence “perceiving” is the nuance prominent in this derivative. Note some of the words with which it is paired: bînâ “understanding” (Isa 29:24), ākām “wisdom” (Pr 1:5; 9:9) and tôrâ “instruction, law” (Pr 4:2). In Pr 7:21 leqah/leqach means “the persuasiveness” of a harlot. But in Pr 16:21 the word is used in a good sense of a teacher’s persuasiveness. (TWOT) Leqah - 9v - Dt. 32:2; Job 11:4; Pr. 1:5; 4:2; 7:21; 9:9; 16:21, 23; Isa. 29:24. NAS Usage: instruction(1), learning(2), persuasions(1), persuasiveness(2), teaching(3). Pr 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, Pr 4:2 For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. Pr 7:21 With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him. Pr 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. Pr 16:21 The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Pr 16:23 The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. Man of understanding - the discerning = NET, NIV, the one who understands = ESV. The noun is bin/biyn. (transliterated näbôn). These individuals possess "the ability to understand the words of insight (Pr 1:2b), or they are potentially capable of possessing it." (Waltke) Acquire (07069)(qanah) means to get, to buy, to purchase, to acquire, to possess (Ge 25:10, 47:19). It describes buying, acquiring various things and is used of acquiring wisdom (Pr 4:5, Pr 4:7) and in this passage acquiring wise counsel. Note that another sense of qanah is to create (Pr 8:22, Creator/Possessor - Ge 14:19, 22), which results in some lexicons giving this meaning a separate entry. Vine discusses the meaning of "to create." NET Note explains - There are two roots קָנָה (qanah) in Hebrew, one meaning “to possess,” and the other meaning “to create.” The earlier English versions did not know of the second root, but suspected in certain places that a meaning like that was necessary (e.g., Ge 4:1; 14:19; Deut 32:6). Ugaritic confirmed that it was indeed another root. The older versions have the translation “possess” (in Pr 8:22) because otherwise it sounds like God lacked wisdom and therefore created it at the beginning. They wanted to avoid saying that wisdom was not eternal. Arius liked the idea of Christ as the wisdom of God and so chose the translation “create.” Athanasius translated it, “constituted me as the head of creation.” The verb occurs twelve times in Proverbs with the meaning of “to acquire”; but the Greek and the Syriac versions have the meaning “create.” Although the idea is that wisdom existed before creation, the parallel ideas in these verses (“appointed,” “given birth”) argue for the translation of “create” or “establish” (R. N. Whybray, “Proverbs 8:22-31 and Its Supposed Prototypes,” VT 15 [1965]: 504-14; and W. A. Irwin, “Where Will Wisdom Be Found?” JBL 80 [1961]: 133-42). Swanson divides Strong's number 07069 into two groups - (1) קָנָה (qānāh: (qal) buy, get, purchase, i.e., acquire possessions with the exchange of money or bartered goods (Ge 25:10; 47:19), (nif) be bought (Jer 32:15; 32:43); (hif) acquire (Zec 13:5) (2) קָנָה (qānāh: (qal) create, bring forth, i.e., create an object of a similar kind, as a figurative extension of giving birth to a baby (Pr 8:22), Qanah is used of One Bringing Forth, Creator, i.e., a title of God (Ge 14:19, 22; Dt 32:6), note: in these contexts the creation of objects of a different class or kind; (qal) give birth, formally, create, i.e., produce and give birth to a baby, as a normal birthing process (Ge 4:1; Ps 139:13) Vine - qanah (קָנָה, 7069), “to get, acquire, create, buy.” The first occurrence of qanah in the Old Testament is in Ge 4:1 (where) qanah expresses a basic meaning of God’s “creating” or “bringing into being,” so Eve is really saying, “I have created a man-child with the help of the Lord.” This meaning is confirmed in Ge 14:19, 22 where both verses refer to God as “Creator (Possessor) of heaven and earth”. In Dt. 32:6, God is called the “father” Who “created” Israel; a father begets or “creates,” rather than “acquires” children. In the Wisdom version of the Creation story (Pr. 8:22-36), Wisdom herself states that “the Lord created me at the beginning of his work”. “Possessed” is surely not as appropriate in such a context. When the Psalmist says to God, “Thou didst form my inward parts” (Ps. 139:13, RSV) he surely meant “create” (JB). Qanah is used several times to express God’s redeeming activity in behalf of Israel, again reflecting “creativity” rather than “purchase.” Ex. 15:16 is better translated, “Thy people...whom thou hast created,” rather than “thou hast purchased” (RSV). (Cp Ps. 74:2; 78:54). The meaning “to buy” is expressed by qanah frequently in contexts where one person makes a purchase agreement with another. The word is used to refer to “buying” a slave (Ex. 21:2) and land (Ge 47:20). Qanah is translated in the Septuagint (in Pr 1:5) with the verb ktaomai, which means to get, procure, obtain or acquire something for oneself by purchase for a price (Acts 1:18; 8:20; 22:28) or otherwise. NAS Usage: acquire(6), acquired(1), acquires(2), bought(20), buy(23), buyer(4), buying(2), buys(1), formed(1), gain acquisition(1), gained(1), get(3), gets(1), gotten(1), owner(1), possessed(1), possessor(2), purchased(3), purchaser(3), recover(1), redeemed(1), sold(1), surely buy(2). Qanah - 75v - Gen. 4:1; 14:19, Ge 14:22; 25:10; 33:19; 39:1; 47:19-20, 22-23; 49:30; 50:13; Exod. 15:16; 21:2; Lev. 22:11; 25:14-15, 28, 30, 44-45, 50; 27:24; Deut. 28:68; 32:6; Jos. 24:32; Ruth 4:4-5, 8-10; 2 Sam. 12:3; 24:21, 24; 1 Ki. 16:24; 2 Ki. 12:12; 22:6; 1 Chr. 21:24; 2 Chr. 34:11; Neh. 5:8, 16; Ps. 74:2; 78:54; 139:13; Pr. 1:5; 4:5, Pr 4:7; 8:22; 15:32; 16:16; 17:16; 18:15; 19:8; 20:14; 23:23; Eccl. 2:7; Isa. 1:3; 11:11; 24:2; 43:24; Jer. 13:1-2, 4; 19:1; 32:7-9, 15, 25, 43-44; Ezek. 7:12; Amos 8:6; Zech. 11:5; 13:5 There are 11 uses of qanah in Proverbs - words in red are commands, not suggestions... Pr 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, Pr 4:5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Pr 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Pr 8:22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. Pr 15:32 He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Pr 16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. Pr 17:16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense? Pr 18:15 The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Pr 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good. Pr 20:14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, But when he goes his way, then he boasts. Pr 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. Wise counsel (08458)(tachbulah) may originally have referred to the steering of a ship and in all of the OT uses refers to discernment to "steer a right course" (through life). Tachbulah means accurate guidance. Ryrie - "Literally, steerings; i.e., the discernment to steer a right course through life." Thus the Amplified renders Pr 1:5 "The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]" The Septuagint translates tachbulah with the noun kubernesis (1Cor 12:28) which means "literally, the skill with which a pilot guides a ship; figuratively, of leadership skill administrative ability, gift of leadership, managerial skill." (Friberg). Tachbulah - 6v - Job 37:12; Pr 1:5; 11:14; 12:5; 20:18; 24:6 translated in NAS as counsels(1), guidance(2), wise counsel(1), wise guidance(2). Pr 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, Pr 11:14 Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory. Pr 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are just, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. Pr 20:18 Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance. Pr 24:6 For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. ><>><>><> Nulla dies sine linea - J R Miller - The wise man never ceases to be a learner. He never gets to a point where he feels satisfied with his attainments. Many a man, who starts out with great promise in early life, by and by loses his energy and fails of his early hope, because in the elation of his first successes he stopped learning, and then growth was at an end, and when growth stops decay begins. An old artist had for his motto: "Nulla dies sine linea" (No day without a line). Every day he would add one line, at least, to his knowledge and attainment. There could be no better motto for any life, young or old. Every day we should learn something we did not know before, add some new fact to our store of knowledge. Every day we should get some new lesson into our life, learn at some point to live better. This applies to secular life - there should be daily progress in the business or profession we pursue. It also needs to apply to spiritual life - no day should be without its added line of likeness to Christ (cp Peter's charge in 2Pe 3:18) John Butler - A WISE MAN Proverbs 1:5 “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels” (Proverbs 1:5). The world calls a lot of people wise who are not wise at all but are rather stupid in that which matters the most in life. The world’s standards are not as high as God’s standards. Our text describes a truly wise man. Three features of the truly wise man are given in our text. FIRST—THE LISTENING MAN “A wise man will hear.” Wisdom begins with the ear. A wise man will listen more than talk. Most people use their mouth more than their ears. Someone has said that we have two ears and only one mouth which tells us the intended relationship of talk to listening. Of course it makes a big difference in what you are listening to. If all you listen to is the liberal news media, you will not know what is going on in the world in truth. If all you listen to is the secular world you will think that spiritual things are not of any value. If all you listen to is the sports world, you will think that nothing is so important as achievement in sports. A wise man will not only listen but he will listen to Divine truth and as a result will prosper his way and bless his eternity. SECOND—THE LEARNING MAN “A wise man … will increase learning.” The wise man seeks and will learn more. He will pay attention in class; he will not skip school or quit school so he does not have to study anymore; and he will be in church regularly in order to learn from the Word of God (today a person will have a difficult time finding a church that teaches the Scriptures). The reason so many stay in a state of ignorance is that they do not listen to much wisdom, and, therefore, do not learn the way of life well. Many do not “increase learning.” They think they know it all and cease learning. This attitude shows up too often at church. Some think that they have learned it all spiritually, and no longer study and read the Scriptures. You never get to the place where you can afford to cease the study of the Word of God. Your learning will cease when you cease studying the Scripture. THIRD—THE LED MAN “A man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels” (Proverbs 1:5). The “man of understanding” is the wise man. The words translated “wise counsels” refers to directing and managing a ship on the right course. Therefore, the wise man will direct and manage his ship of life on the right course. Many lives are like shipwrecks in the storms of life. They do not and have not listened to good counsel from the Word of God and therefore when they face an emergency they flounder about not knowing or having a clue as to which way to turn. But the man who listens to wisdom will have a successful voyage in life. Wisdom involves both the Written Word and especially the Living Word. Jesus is our wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30) and He will lead us in the right paths of life. (Butler's Sermon Starters) Henry Blackaby - Wisdom Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. Proverbs 1:5 Most of us want all we can get out of life. After all, we only have one life to live! Unless we are wise in our decision making, however, we could waste the one life we have. Solomon said that a wise person is continually learning more. The more he learns, the more a wise person realizes how much is left to discover. The more knowledge she gains, the more a wise person understands her potential and the more she has to give to others. On the other hand, there are some who try to get by with the least amount of learning possible. In school, they put in only enough effort to get by. They never read or study anything they don’t have to. They rarely ask questions. They are indifferent to what is happening around them. Solomon called these people fools. A wise person seeks out the company of wise people (Proverbs 13:20). She reads, asks questions, and seizes opportunities to learn more about the wonders of life. Make it a habit while you are young to spend time with the wisest people you know. Observe their lives and ask them lots of questions. Be sure to spend time listening and not doing all the talking yourself. The knowledge you gain will enable you to live your life to the maximum. Don’t live life as a fool. Life is far too important to live carelessly. (Borrow The experience : a devotional and journal : day by day with God) Think About It - When was the last time you admitted you were wrong? Why is it so hard to do? What have you learned recently from another believer? To make room for wisdom, get rid of pride. WISE COUNSEL - I'll never forget Jake. His legs seemed too thin and spindly to hold him against the current of the river. His patched and discolored waders looked older than he was. His fishing vest was tattered and held together with safety pins; his ancient hat was battered and sweat-stained; his antiquated fly rod was scarred and taped. I watched as he worked his way upstream to a patch of quiet water and began to cast. Then I took notice! He was fishing the same water I had fished earlier in the day and catching trout where I had caught none. Here was a man who could teach me a thing or two. All I had to do was ask.We gain insight when we listen to those who have gone before and who know more than we do—insight we miss when our pride stands in the way. We're able to learn from others when we humble ourselves and acknowledge how little we know. Willingness to learn is a mark of those who are truly wise. There's so much wisdom to be learned, So many ways for me to grow, Lord, I would listen like a child, And learn what You would have me know. —K. De Haan If you think you know everything, you have a lot to learn Proverbs 1:6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. proverb- Matthew 13:10-17,51,52; Mark 4:11,34; Acts 8:30,31 figure - Ecclesiastes 12:11 riddles - Ps 49:4; 78:2; Matthew 13:34,35; Hebrews 5:14; 2 Peter 3:16 KJV - To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. NET - To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles. Solomon continues to explain the purpose for writing the Book of Proverbs. The NET Note adds that here he "introduces the fifth purpose of the book. It focuses on the benefits of proverbs from the perspective of the reader. By studying proverbs the reader will discern the hermeneutical key to understanding more and more proverbs." To understand - see bin/biyn. Waltke points out that "The repetition of to understand (bin/biyn first used in Pr 1:2) underscores the necessity of grasping the meaning of words to enter into the truth and again implies that this skill is learned through the exercise of study." The Septuagint translates bin/biyn with the verb noeo which means to perceive or to grasp something on the basis of careful thought and so to gain insight. as the basic meaning of direct one's mind to something and thus means more than just take a glance at. It means to perceive with the mind, to apprehend, to ponder (= weigh in one's mind, think especially quietly, soberly and deeply). It means to consider well, to reflect on with insight, or to think over a matter carefully. The idea is to grasp or comprehend something on the basis of careful thought. Noeo is translated "consider" in 2Ti 2:7-note and means to fix one's mind upon, to think about carefully, to give careful examination with a view to discerning and arriving at a judgment or conclusion. The idea is to ponder or examine attentively or deliberately. The NIV translates noeo in 2Ti 2:7 as reflect, which conveys the picture of an unhurried consideration of something, even meditating on the truth. Pulpit Commentary - To understand a proverb. This verse carries on the idea which is stated in Pr 1:5. The end of the wise and intelligent man’s increase in learning and prudence is that he may be thus enabled to understand other proverbs. (Ed: This reminds me of the principle in John 7:17 where Jesus declared that “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself." Here we see the key is not just knowing God's will but doing God's will. The thought is if anyone does the will of God, he will be able to judge the authority of Jesus' teaching. See also Mk 4:12, Lk 8:10) Figure (04426)(melitsah) refers "to a literary style, literary device, or genre, a parable, a taunting song, a mocking expression, an aphorism." (Baker). Melitsah means “allusive expression; enigma” in general, and “proverb, parable” in particular." (NET Note) Swanson adds that melitsah is "allusive saying, parable, i.e., a saying or proverb that is difficult to understand, requiring wisdom to unravel the true meaning, possibly implying that the saying undeciphered mocks or taunts the hearer (Pr 1:6). (It can also mean) ridiculing sayings, mockery, scoffing words, i.e., words of derision and ridicule (Hab 2:6-note) The Septuagint translate it with the adjective skoteinos which literally means "in the dark" and figuratively refers to that which is full of darkness. The idea here in Pr 1:6 seems to be that which is obscure (cf "dark saying" as in Ps 78:2 referring to a more enigmatic saying). Melitsah is used only one other time (Hab 2:6). John
Provérbios 1
William MacDonald - Does this mean that the Lord will actually laugh when disaster falls on the ungodly, as suggested here and in Psalm 2:4? If we think of the laughter as containing any trace of cruelty, malice, or vindictiveness, then the answer is clearly “No.” Rather we should think of this laughter in a figurative way. In idiomatic language, it expresses how ludicrous and ridiculous it is for a mere man to defy the Omnipotent Sovereign, as if a gnat should defy a blast furnace. And there may also be this thought: A man may laugh at Wisdom’s commandments or treat them as if they didn’t exist; but when that man is reaping the harvest of his folly, the commandments still stand unmoved, and to the scorner, at least, they seem to be having the last laugh—the laugh of poetic justice. Calamity (0343)(ed) means distress. This Hebrew word (ed) often refers to final, life-ending calamity (Pr 6:15, 24:22). The Lxx translates ed with the noun apoleia which means utter and hopeless loss of all that gives worth to existence. The more common sense of apoleia is as a description of the destruction which one experiences, when instead of becoming what he might have become by redemption through the blood of Christ (new creature/creation in Christ - 2Cor 5:17), he is ruined ("spiritually bankrupt", in a state of "eternal disrepair") suffering loss of value or usefulness (ultimately usefulness to God - this is sad beyond words and even as I write this note tears well up in my eyes for the plight of these men and women, created in the image of God.) Think of the picture of a once beautiful edifice which has suffered the ravages of time and circumstances and all that one sees is the useless, collapsed, disintegrated remains. To reject wisdom for a lifetime is to end up rejected by God for eternity! NAS Usage: calamity(17), destruction(1), disaster(6). Ed - 22v - Dt 32:35; 2Sam 22:19; Job 18:12; 21:17, 30; 30:12; 31:3, 23; Ps. 18:18; Pr. 1:26, 27; 6:15; 17:5; 24:22; 27:10; Jer. 18:17; 46:21; 48:16; 49:8, 32; Ezek. 35:5; Obad 1:13 Pr 1:26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, Pr 1:27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. Pr 6:15 Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing. Pr 17:5 He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished. Pr 24:22 For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them? Pr 27:10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. Dread (06343)(See study on pachad) Dear Believer in Jesus Christ, Harry
Provérbios 1
William MacDonald reminds us that "God’s Spirit will not always strive with man (Ge 6:3). This is what gives urgency to the Gospel appeal: Be in time! Be in time! While the voice of Jesus calls you, Be in time! If in sin you longer wait, You may find no open gate, And your cry be just too late. Be in time! —Author unknown, 19th Century They will seek me diligently but they will not find me - "Too little, too late" as one saying goes. A striking contrast with Pr 8:17 where Wisdom (God) says "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me." They waited too long (cp Dt 1:45; 1Sa 28:6; Ps 18:41) NET Note - Heb “look to.” The verb שָׁחַר (shakhar, “to look”) is used figuratively of intensely looking (=seeking) for deliverance out of trouble (W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 366); cf. NLT “anxiously search for.” It is used elsewhere in parallelism with בָּקַשׁ (baqash, “to seek rescue”; Hos 5:15). It does not mean “to seek early” (cf. KJV) as is popularly taught due to etymological connections with the noun שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”; so BDB 1007 s.v. שָׁחַר). Seek (07836)(shachar) means to look for diligently. To earnestly seek (Job 7:21, 8:5, Ps 63:2, etc). To long for or strongly desire something (Pr 11:27). To search for (Job 24:5). To conjure, seeking hidden knowledge (Isa 47:11). Shachar implies eager seeking under stress (Ps 63:1; 78:34; Hos 5:15) NAS Usage: diligently(1), diligently seek(1), diligently seeks(1), earnestly seek(1), searched diligently(1), seek(2), seek me diligently(1), seek you earnestly(1), seek your earnestly(1), seeking(1), seeks you diligently(1). Shachar - 12v - Job 7:21; 8:5; 24:5; Ps. 63:1; 78:34; Pr. 1:28; 7:15; 8:17; 11:27; 13:24; Isa. 26:9; Hos. 5:15 HCSB - God patiently permits Himself to be found (Pr 8:17; cp. Dt 4:29; 2Ch 7:14; Jer 29:13), but He doesn't respond to insincere seekers (Isa 1:15; 59:2-3), and eventually it becomes too late (Jer 11:11; 14:12; Ezek 8:17-18; Hos 5:6; 2Pe 3:9-10). H A
Provérbios 1
William MacDonald - Every man is free to make his own choices in life, but he is not free to choose the consequences of his choices. God has established certain moral principles in the world. These principles dictate the consequences for every choice. There is no way to put asunder what God has thus joined together. Naive (06612) (see pethi) Complacency (NET = "Careless ease") (07962)(shalvah) means quietness (state of peacefulness - Pr 17:1), ease, security, lack of anxiety. A sense of excessive complacency or unconcern. They are self-deceived by this false "peace." Complacency is a false sense of security in which some people trust (Jer 22:21). Webster defines complacency as an often excessive and/or unjustified self-satisfaction and/or pleasure in one's status, possessions or attainments, accompanied by an unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies. Shalvah - 8v - Ps. 122:7; Pr. 1:32; 17:1; Jer. 22:21; Ezek. 16:49; Dan. 8:25; 11:21, 24