“When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord” (Prov. 19:3, ESV).

This proverb addresses the fool’s refusal to take personal responsibility for his own actions. His folly (foolishness, stupidity) brings his way to ruin. This word means to distort, twist (NKJV), or pervert (KJV). If one shuns wisdom and guidance, and directs his steps by his own thinking and desires, he will eventually bring hardship and disaster upon himself.

When this happens, the fool refuses to acknowledge the role he played in doing this to himself. Instead, he resorts to defensiveness, blame-shifting, and finger pointing. To make matters worse, he directs this against God!

Have you ever noticed the only time some people are willing to mention the Lord is when something is going wrong? God is quick to get the blame for tragedy and misfortune, but rarely receives gratitude, or even credit, for blessings.

The fool rages against the Lord. This Hebrew word means to be vexed, enraged, or embittered. The root of the word means “to boil up.” It is the same Hebrew word used later in this chapter of the king’s wrath roaring like a lion (v. 12). The way of the transgressor is hard, and these hardships can cause one to become angry. However, roaring at God will not solve any problems, especially those we have made ourselves because we refused His counsel and wisdom.

“Blaming God is not only illogical, but it is also blasphemously sinful. Screaming at God when He is not at fault is simply a case of deflection. We need to take responsibility for our own mistakes and stop blaming God and others for our misdeeds and bad decision-making” (Dan King, Truth Commentary on Proverbs, page 588).