Verses like this one can direct our thinking in the wrong direction if we do not understand the BIG STORY of the Bible. Meditating on the meaning of these types of truths can be like analyzing an individual puzzle piece without the benefit of having the complete picture on the box or the corner and edge pieces. Without a comprehensive knowledge of the BIG STORY, we might assign wrong meaning to what God is communicating about Himself in Scripture.
What is Proverbs 16:4 teaching us about God? What is the big picture and the corners or edges that give this individual puzzle piece context? Is God the creator of wickedness? Is God the author of sin? Does it please God to create the wicked for the purpose of destroying them?
When attempting to understand the answer to these questions which come into focus when we read a verse like this, it is helpful to find some corners and edges that form a framework for our understanding. It is important to first locate the boundaries Scripture places for us in our interpretive process. Before we interpret Proverbs 16:4, we must be aware of how God defines wrong thinking as we interpret and apply this verse to God’s character. We may locate this kind of framework easily.
Creating a simple FRAMEWORK for the issue of God’s heart toward mankind, wickedness, and the day He has appointed for judgment
God says about Himself:
He takes no pleasure in destroying the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11)
He desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9)
God has appointed a day for final judgment (Acts 17:30-31)
Understanding the interpretive boundaries Scripture places around Proverbs 16:4, clearly defines for us what we are not allowed to conclude about the character of God. If God does not desire to destroy the wicked; if God desires all people to know Him and be saved; if God, in light of His desire for man’s flourishing, has determined to pour His wrath out against all wickedness of man, at what point in the story of Scripture does God (as Proverbs 16:4 states) create the wicked for disaster?
The strength of knowing the entire story of the Bible proves to be a vital and fundamental achievement to be applied to the interpretive process. As a practitioner of applying the story of Scripture to reveal the truth of what God communicates about His character, I read Proverbs 16:4 and immediately recognize that we must begin our search for meaning by examining the Creation Story. In the Creation Story, God acts to reveal the truth stated in Proverbs 16:4.
Genesis 2:15–17 (ESV): 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Notice what God reveals as He gives instruction to Adam. God creates everything for Adam’s flourishing and teaches him the difference between obedience and disobedience—the difference between righteousness and wickedness. What is God communicating to Adam? God is clearly declaring, “There is a day appointed for judgment if you choose to disobey Me.“
Conclusion
God does not create wickedness. Rather, God designs the faith relationship inviting Adam and all generations after him to walk with God by faith in obedience to His instructions. God does not author sin. Rather, God explains to Adam that wickedness—disobedience to God’s commands—results in a day appointed for destruction. God‘s purpose for Adam and His desire for mankind is life ordered according to His instructions, promises, and boundaries. This purpose includes a punishment for man’s choice to live in wickedness rather than righteousness. In this way, God creates and designs destruction for the wicked. God establishes a boundary line for all people who may choose disobedience in the future. There is a day of destruction created for all people who choose wickedness, thereby assigning to themselves God’s evaluation of evil.
Proverbs 16:4 states this truth. Knowing the story of the Bible allows us to examine this individual puzzle piece in the context of the larger Story and ensures that we do not sin in the way we understand the God’s character. If you would like to UNDERSTAND THE STORY, DISCOVER THE STORY, AND TELL THE STORY TO OTHERS, you can find help at chronologicalbibleteaching.com.