SuperLutheran on Nostr: Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound ...

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
-Proverbs 18:1

Solomon understood the need that humans have for others. We need friendship, we need support, we need edification, we need love. Being a hermit is no way to live your life - even if it is for religious reasons. He is not speaking about a temporary sojourn, like Christ in the wilderness or Elijah's journeys; those periods of isolation were on our Heavenly Father's behalf, spurred on by the Holy Spirit, devoid of selfish motivations.

But the man who says to himself, "I demand constant solitude," is willing to be foolish for the sake of his emotional comfort. Maybe he hates everyone. Maybe he thinks he can be righteous in a vacuum. Maybe he just wants to lick his heart's wounds without pesky tasks like loving his neighbors. But all these are nothing more than excuses to justify selfish service to his emotions. It is not wrong to crave solitude and have it sometimes; but it is foolishness to make solitude a lifestyle. Iron sharpens iron: the hermit wishes to stay blunt and brittle.