“Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps errs. The foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord” (Proverbs 19:2-3, NASU).

The impulsive fool acts first and thinks later. Zeal is commendable, but not when it is lacking knowledge (Rom. 10:2). It is one thing for a man to be uninformed about God’s ways, but it is much worse for him to act in his ignorance with zealous haste and end up with the consequences. Solomon elsewhere warns that acting in haste leads to poverty (Prov. 21:5) and punishment (28:20).

The man without knowledge “who hurries his footsteps errs.” The Hebrew word translated errs means to “miss the mark.” It is rendered as “misses his way” in the English Standard Version. In a hurry to do things his own way, the impulsive fool misses God’s path to blessings and reaps the bitter consequences. He runs past the good choice to do things his own way.

This man also ruins his way. The word translated “ruin” means to distort, twist, or pervert. Not only does his foolishness cause him to miss the Lord’s straight path, it also causes him to destroy his own path. He “brings his way to ruin” (ESV). God’s statutes are constraining, but they are “for our good always” (Deut. 6:24). However, fools refuse to listen to God, run past His ways, and plunge themselves into problems.

Had this fool sought for and listened to wise counsel, he would have found blessings. Instead, he has ruin. How many young people today refuse to listen to sound advice, scoff at the warnings of the wise, and bring ruin upon themselves and others?

To make matters worse, this fool blames God for his misery. He only has himself to blame, but he will never take personal responsibility for his undoing. Instead “his heart rages against the Lord.” The word translated “rages” means to be vexed, enraged, or embittered against someone. Some people today blame God for all the pain and failures in their lives, but He is not at fault. God’s wisdom has been offered to them all along, but they have stubbornly refused (Prov. 1:20-33). Such foolishness results in frustration in this life and torment in the next.

When we have acted foolishly, the wise thing is to examine ourselves, take personal responsibility, repent, and seek God’s way. However, God would have us avoid this problem in the first place by seeking knowledge. “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days” (Prov. 19:20).