Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.   Proverbs 25:19
 
Speaking as a man who has actually had a bad tooth and an unsteady foot, I can say that it must not be a good thing to put confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.  Today's proverb deals with who to trust when times are difficult.  The one you want to trust is one who has proven himself faithful  - and who has done it over the long haul of life.  
 
A bad tooth is something that is very tricky.  I had a tooth that was cracked.  It was a hairline crack the entire length of the tooth.  This made for a very interesting time eating - and especially drinking something cold.  The problem was that the tooth would be fine a lot of the time.  It was just when something hit it and opened the hairline crack that things got interesting.  My dentist couldn't find it when I went to him about it.  He looked and looked, but just couldn't seem to get the hairline to open so that he could see if it was that particular tooth that had gone bad.  Then he was able to shoot some liquid where it went into and opened the crack.  Needless to say, I began to levitate off the chair in tremendous pain.  Thankfully, he was able to remove the tooth - and life has been much better.  That experience helps me understand the need for good teeth - not bad.
 
The same can be easily said for the character of who you trust in a time of trouble.  You do NOT want someone who is faithless in that moment.  The faithless man is the one who will either run - or possibly even turn on you in trouble.  He will not be faithful to stand and fight.  He will not be faithful to stand and encourage you.  He will not be faithful to stand back to back and watch your back and your blind spots as trouble passes by in life.  That man is not to be trusted with your difficulties and trials.  For that you want a faithful friend!  
 
Similarly, you don't want someone who is like an unsteady foot.  The Hebrew word here specifically speaks of a "slipping" foot.  You want a foot that is steady - especially in times of trouble, trial, and storminess in your life.  You want to plant your foot and know that it is steady and strong.  You want to know that it will not slip - but will be a foundation that though all else is giving way - your foot will be steady.  As I said at the begining of today's post - I know something about an unsteady foot.  This particular story is somewhat embarassing because it also evidences my propensity for doing some fairly dumb things.  
 
We live in northeast Arkansas - where in the winter we are in the habit of having some pretty nasty ice storms.  One winter recently we had a doozy - which dropped about 5-7 inches of ice on us.  The problem with ice storms is that they weigh down trees and break their limbs.  This ice storm had broken a huge limb off of one of our trees and dropped it into our bedroom.  The limb fell in such a way that it pierced through the roof and was sticking through our bedroom ceiling.  Seriously lacking wisdom, I made my way onto the roof of our home (which was covered in ice) to get the limb off the roof.  With a chainsaw (I know the level of stupidity is rising) and a tree saw, I went to remove the limb.  I was able to accomplish this easily and lowered the chainsaw and saw with a rope to the ground.  Then I went to get off the roof.  The problem was I had pretty much flattened the ice on it to where it made a great slide - which, by the way, is not what you want your roof to be when attempting to get off of it.  That is, unless you want to get off quickly - which was what happened to me.  What was pretty sure footing on the way up - was not an icy slide on the way down.  To say I had an unsteady or slipping foot is an understatement.  I survived the fall off the roof onto my driveway (just missing a car hood) and decided that any other limbs could remain as a decorative touch to my roof if they damaged it.  I was going to wait until the ice was gone.  But, for our purposes today, this was the example of a slipping foot.  Not something to trust on an icy roof - or in icy conditions in your life either.  
 
We all are going to face difficulties and trials in life.  There will be trouble if we are fallen humans, which we are, in a sinful world - which it is.  Therefore there is no need to compound our trials and difficulties by having to rely upon someone who is untrustworthy and unfaithful in the midst of them.  This is where you need true friends who are reliable.  It is also a reminder to us on an ultimate level to consider Almighty God as the ultimate friend in all circumstances.  The false gods of this world will fail you for they are infinitely unfaithful to stand in the ultimate day of trouble - the judgment day.  In that day you want the "friend who sticks closer than a brother."  You want the Savior whose blood speaks better than the blood of Abel.  You want the foundation that will stand when the storms come and the floods burst against the house of your life.  You want Jesus Christ - King of kings - Lord of lords - the True and Faithful One Who will stand.  And in a lesser, yet very applicable picture for today, you want the Good Tooth and the Steady Foot - both of which Jesus is every day for all eternity.  Trust Him - for He will never forsake you - or fail you!

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.   Proverbs 20:22

Revenge is something that is very dangerous.  We are told by today's proverb not to say that we ourselves will repay the evil done to us.  Instead we are to wait for the Lord to be the One who saves us.  There are two interesting examples of this - and Solomon was well aware of both of them.  These two examples were Saul and David.  They were the opposite ends of this issue of taking our own vengeance and repaying the evil done to us.  They are also the difference between blessing and destruction.

Saul started out his career being wise in this way.  When he became king some scoffed at him - and did not bring him any kind of present - on a day when presents were in order.  Shortly after this God allowed a situation where Saul proved his worth - and showed that he indeed was fit and called to be king.  When some wanted to bring vengeance on these men who rebuffed Solomon, his response was wise.  He said that no one was going to be put to death, because God was gracious and had been good to His people.  Thus Solomon allowed the Lord to defend him.  But later in life Saul no longer followed the Lord - and began to be rebellious to God's purposes.  When he faced a supposed wrong by the priests of the Lord - he reacted violently.  Even though the priests acted without any knowledge of any kind of rebellion, Saul had the entire city, men, women, and children put to death.  Thus was his reign marred by a continual desire to repay any suspected slight or evil done to him.  

David was much different.  He was wronged repeatedly by Saul and by those who followed him.  Yet twice David rejected the opportunity to kill Saul - even when God put the opporutnity to do so.  He saw Saul as God's annointed and therefore a man to be honored.  His statement to the men with him who desired to put Saul to death was that God would be the One to bring Saul down - but David would not take his own vengeance and repay the evils done to him.  David was blessed greatly because of this -a nd God greatly prospered his kingdom.  God also blessed David with deliverance after deliverance.
Saul . . . he experienced something much diffferent than David.  Saul went crazy - he was mad - he lost his mind.  This is what happens to us when we think we have to defend ourselves against every slight and every evil done to us.  This is a responsibility and a weight on our minds that we cannot carry.  Soon the world itself is against us - and everyone and everything is suspect.  This will make you lose your mind - just like Saul did.  The way to peace is through forgiveness.  
When we choose to forgive the evils done to us we are blessed.  We are adopting the mind and heart of God, Who chose to forgive even though it cost His Son His life to do so.  Our minds, when we forgive, are loosed from the constant torture of remembering the wrongs done to us.  They are set free from bitterness which will consume our sanity like a dry forest is consumed by a fire driven by dry winds.  We are free to give all our slights to God and allow Him Who sits on the throne to determine how to measure out justice and righteousness.  Since there is only one ultimate throne in this universe - with only One Who sits upon it - truly, only He can mete out perfect justice.  We are liberated from decisions taht are beyond our ability to make.  

As long as we live in a fallen world there are going to be slights, problems, evils, and injustices that come our way.  The wisdom that God offers to us today recognizes these things and gives us a way to deal with them without losing our minds.  In the process we are protected from the deeper damage these things can do to us - and we are given the glorious priviledge of forgiving others - which is when we reflect both His character and His glory most.