On Discernment, Justice, and the Work of Hearing Both Sides

The Right Use of Proverbs 18:17

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”
—Proverbs 18:17

There’s a kind of wisdom that doesn’t say much at first. It listens. It waits. It doesn’t leap. That’s the kind of wisdom Proverbs 18:17 calls for.

This verse gets quoted a lot. It’s often misunderstood. Some treat it like a license to be suspicious of …