The wisdom of Proverbs 18:22 places moral responsibility on the man to choose wisely rather than move recklessly with emotion.
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
Wesley And The Weight Of Choice
John Wesley, the great eighteenth-century reformer, was a prolific writer, preacher, and theologian of repute. He got married to a wealthy widow named Mary Vazeille in 1751 and endured an abusive, violent marriage that could rightly be described as hell on earth. By 1758 she had walked out and never came back.
How do you reconcile this with the text quoted? The key to unlocking the riddle is the Hebrew word masa translated finds. This word carries the nuance of discerning acquisition. It places moral responsibility on the man to choose wisely.
Discernment Matters
Meaning, if you move emotionally the way Wesley is accused of doing, rather than living out a Proverbs 18:22 marriage, you may find yourself trapped in one that better fits a Proverbs 21:19 description.
Over to you, young suitor. But maybe in future we may need a discussion on how the miserable Proverbs 21:19 man upgrades to Proverbs 18:22.
