WHERE THERE IS NO VISION

By Akin Ojumu

Satan is a theological shape shifter. He has a hundred different ways to disguise false teaching and to appeal to us. Our enemy is one who masquerades as an angel of light. Sometimes the wolves vary just slightly from the truth. There’s just enough deviation from what is actually true that unless you are really discerning, you are really paying attention, they can get away with promoting their errors. And other times their deviation is 180 degrees from the truth. 

Sometimes the wolves are libertines who openly promote sexual immorality amongst the people of God. And sometimes the wolves are legalists whose rigid standards of morality also deny the Gospel.

There are two extremes of theological and doctrinal errors and there are two extremes of the wolves who promote those errors. Sometimes the error is a worldview or a way of thinking about the truth, not an outright denial that truth exists. And other times the error or the wolf is just an outright denial of the truth. The error is so close to the truth that it becomes almost indistinguishable from it.

Sometimes the wolf is gregarious, popular, and bombastic. He could be a captivating speaker who grabs your attention from the very first word and holds it all the way to the end and has you standing on your feet and clapping your hands with tears rolling down your face at the end. And sometimes the wolf is a dull, drab, bald, pot-bellied guy dressed in clerical robes who speaks in dulcet nuanced tones that would put a glass eye to sleep.

The wolves can be of both extremes. Sometimes they are well-known and popular with mega platforms and massive ministries. They write lots of books, have millions of followers, get hundreds of millions of clicks. And sometimes the wolves are the bespectacled Chair of a Theology Department in some obscure Seminary or University whose names are not known to anybody.

Sometimes wolves are outgoing, bold, and brash who are always shaking things up and changing things. At other times, they are genteel and polite, and they never make any waves. Indeed, the devil is a theological chameleon always ready and able to adapt to and blend with any environment.

Before going any further, I must make an admission. Little of what you’ve read up to this point is my original idea. I’m sure by now you know that I’m not that smart to come up with such poignantly brilliant illustrations of the operations of the thieves that come to steal, kill, and destroy. Those are words I borrowed, almost verbatim, from Jim Osman, a verse-by-verse expositor and Pastor of the Kootenai Community Church, Idaho. I find Jim’s depiction of Satan’s deception absolutely spot on. I couldn’t help but share it with you all.

Whether explicit or subtle, gregarious or taciturn, Stoic or Epicurean, whatever shape or form doctrinal errors take, they are all equally dangerous. It doesn’t matter how wolves disguise themselves, their teachings spread like deadly gangrene all the same. And it is for this reason that the Bible makes it the duty of every discerning Believer to expose false teachers, refute false teachings, and warn people about destructive heresies.

Twisting and distorting the Word of God is a tried-and-true strategy Satan employs in his work of deception. In this commentary, we will exposit a popular Bible verse that has been a target of satanic onslaught.

Proverbs 29:18a

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

There are those who interpret Proverbs 29:18 to suggest that the passage is talking about the importance of having a vision, which is here defined as a long-term future goal, i.e., what we want to become or what we want to achieve.

Based on that interpretation, Proverbs 29:18 is commonly used to stress the importance of having ambition, purpose, proper planning, and adequate preparation for the future. Secular organizations and spiritual institutions of all shades and stripes adopt Proverbs 29:18 to teach people not to take a chaotic, go-with-the-flow, laissez faire approach to life. There are Churches and pastors who have turned Proverbs 29:18 into a mantra to be used in motivational speeches which they call sermons.

Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong in having a vision and it’s definitely not wrong to approach life with a purpose. A well thought out plan for the future is necessary to accomplish anything in this world. Nevertheless, the “VISION” in Proverbs 29:18 is not referring to vision as the world understands the word, vision.

Contextually, vision, in Proverbs 29:18, actually refers to the “Law of God.” What this Bible text is really talking about is the ultimate consequence of flouting God's Law. This is a warning of the certain destruction that would befall anyone whose life is characterized by a perpetual mutiny against the Precepts of the Creator of the Universe.

Proverb 29:18 is an advance notice of the world of hurt that’s coming the way of anyone who kicks against the goads. This passage is a caution to everyone that a life lived outside of the boundaries of God’s law will eventually come to ruin. It is a flashing signal to those who choose to operate outside the perimeter of the guardrails of God’s righteousness that they are destined to, one day, crash and burn. 

That this passage is not talking about vision in the dictionary definition of the word “vision” becomes apparent when we understand that there are two halves to the verse.

Proverbs 29:18

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

The first half, (where there is no vision, the people perish), addresses the negative, i.e., the consequences of the absence of something, while the second half, (but he that keepeth the law, happy is he), is about the positive, i.e., the benefit of the presence of that same thing.

As we can see, the second half of the passage, which talks about the reward of “keeping the law,” contrasts with the downside of not keeping the law,” which is the first half of the passage. All taken together, the passage becomes clearer. When there are no revealed commands of God’s will, i.e., His Law, the people run unrestrained or run amok. Those without the guidance of God’s law, will live in debauchery and soon perish.

This understanding of Proverbs 29:18 becomes even much clearer when the text is read in other Bible translations.

Proverbs 29:18 (ESV)

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”

Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.”

Proverbs 29:18 (NLT)

“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”

Proverbs 29:18 (Amplified)

“Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].”

Exegetically, Proverbs 29:18 looks at the dearth of the Word of God and the drought of hearing the Word of God.

(1) Dearth of the Word of God

We find this in the days of Eli, the priest, whose sons are described as scoundrels i.e., “sons of worthlessness.”

1 Samuel 3:1

“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.”

1 Samuel 2:12

“Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD.”

(2) Drought of hearing the Word of God

Amos 8:11-12

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land – not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the Word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”

When there is dearth of the Word of God, there is lawless rebellion. Wherever there is a drought of the hearing of the Word God, the people lose control.

Exodus 32:25

“Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.”

In contrast, the teaching of the Word of God produces blessedness, prosperity and tranquility. The hearing of the Word of God redounds in the joy and glory of a lawful society.

Psalm 1:1-4

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

Today, the visible Church is experiencing a dearth of the Word of God and there is a drought in the hearing of the Word of God in the Household of faith. As a result, charlatans, impostors, false apostles, false prophets, sorcerers, scoundrels, shamans, Gnostics, New Age mystics, Gospel hucksters, and all kinds of wolves in sheep’s clothing run riot in the House of God.

Some of you reading this may be thinking or asking, “What’s wrong with interpreting Proverbs 29:18 to encourage people to have vision?”

My answer to such a question would be, “Everything. Everything is wrong with the abuse and misuse of the Word of God.” 

As previously stated, having a vision of the future is a good thing. However, for Scripture to be effectual in the life of a Believer, it must be interpreted accurately. The power in the Word of God lies in the accuracy of its interpretation. When the Scripture is misinterpreted, it loses its power because the true meaning is lost on the recipient of the wrong interpretation. 

Likewise, proper application of the Word of God is rooted in proper interpretation. Erroneous interpretation of Scripture always produces faulty application. An application of Scripture derived from flawed interpretation is a fruit of a poisoned tree.

2 Timothy 2:15

“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.” 

There’s nothing more vital to the growth and survival of a Christian than being fed the pure and undiluted truth of the Word of God. A believer will not grow beyond the limit of the truth of God that he knows. So, it is critical to correctly interpret, accurately handle, and skillfully teach the Word of God.

So, next time you hear a preacher interpret Proverbs 29:18 to mean having a goal and a purpose in life, don’t be shy to tell him he is twisting and distorting Scriptures.