Proverbs 12:8 is a powerful verse that tells us of the damage done by sin in the life. It reads "A man will be praised according to his insight, but one of perverse mind (heart) will be despised."
To be smart and wise will bring honor and respect but the one who is continually seen as a gross sinner will pay a price! The Rabbis translate "praised" as "commended." They write: "Ability to form a sound judgment in everyday matters, common sense. The proverb is a tribute to intellectual clearness, without special reference to, but doubtless with inclusion of, the moral and religious sides of life."
The word "perverse" is a word in Hebrew that means "wrecked, rubble, disturbed." The sinner is wrecked and ruined in his sin. He is like a heap of rubble, or, he is like one disturbed in the mind. It is in the Niphil form in the grammar. It could read "He is himself wrecked and disturbed." The word mind is actually the Hebrew word for the heart (L'ev). The persistent sinner is like one who has a destroyed and perverse heart. His heart is like a discarded heap of rubble! It is good for nothing except for sinning! --Dr. Mal Couch
