People do not live or die because of only one decision usually. They develop a pattern of life that ends in either death or life. This section helps us see the outcome of these styles of life. If a person is open to God and teachable he will become wise, but if he does not accept this instruction and closes his mind he becomes a fool.
The person who tries to help a fool by correcting him will get no honor from the fool. The fool's folly has closed his mind to correction (vv. 7-8; cf. Matt. 13:12-16). A wise man will continue learning from God all his life (v. 9; cf. 2 Pet. 3:18). Verse 10 restates 1:7. The wise life is the righteous life (vv. 9-11). Verse 12 is a strong statement of individual responsibility. It stresses that the person himself or herself is the ultimate loser or gainer in his or her decision to choose wisdom or folly (v. 12).90
"Verse 12 reminds us that the Lord wants to build godly character into our lives, and we can't borrow character from others or give our character to them. This is an individual matter that involves individual decisions. Belonging to a fine family, attending a faithful church, or studying in an excellent school can't guarantee the building of our character. Character is built on decisions, and bad decisions will create bad character."91
