Proverbs 13:15

The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about what God favors: 

Proverbs 13:15 (ESV Strong's)

Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.

This is a difficult proverb to understand only from the standpoint of the comparison between the first line and the second line. We have here a contrast between the first line and the second. A good understanding is what you get when you "fear the Lord" - Understanding comes from the Fear of the Lord. Those who fear the Lord are provided insight into the events of life.   See Daniel or Joseph or note what Solomon states in an earlier proverb:

Proverbs 3:3-4

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

When we seek to “bind” God’s Word around our necks, we make wise choices that can put us in “favor” with God AND man.   

As a contrast, however, those who are treacherous and therefore do not fear the LORD, lack understanding and will have a hard life ... a hard way of life. We might not see their hard life (see Psalm 71).  But, that does not mean that what we see is the story of their life, now or in the future.  The fear of the Lord produces favor as you adjust to life, according to God’s Word and God’s guidance. The way of the treacherous is hard. Those who fear the Lord can avoid the hard things of life. Job would beg to differ ... but, if you read the end of Job you see that God, did restore favor to Job.   Making right choices, based upon God’s Word, does not mean that we will be free from suffering.   But, if we want favor with God and man, we have to, by faith, make decisions based upon God’s Word.  Fear the Lord and you will have a favorable life as compared to the way of treacherousness.