Category: Penalties

Pits That Wind Up Being the Pits - Proverbs 26:27

9/20/2012

He who digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him. Proverbs 26:27

This is not a proverb that explains why bad things happen to Wylie Coyote - even though at first glance it might. It is actually about those who plan to do evil to others. Those who set traps to catch others and have bad things happen to them are warned in this proverb that what they do will eventually happen to them. Let's take a look at what this means - and also see an example or two.

Those who dig a pit do so to catch someone in it. In biblical times people would dig pits and cover them for the purpose of catching more than just animals who would fall into them. These pits would be dug and covered with camouflage as well as wetted down on the sides so that whoever was caught in them would not have opportunity to escape. Those who caught the person would then either take them captive as a slave - or kill the one who fell into the pit. The reason a stone would be rolled is to be put on a steep hill so that it could then be rolled down to kill or badly injure someone who was coming through the valley. This was a tactic of thieves who wanted to steal what travellers would have as they went through valleys and along roads that were next to hilly or mountainous areas. The idea with a pit or with a stone was to injure or kill someone for evil purposes.

God warns that those who do such things will fall into a pit themselves. God also warns that the stone that is rolled with come back on them. This is not a reference to an actual pit or an actual stone rolling on them - but was a warning that God was going to hold them responsible for their wicked actions. A good example of this would be the story of Joseph and his brothers. The brothers threw Joseph into a pit with the original intention of killing him because of their jealous hatred of him. Joseph and his stinking varicolored coat reminded them every day that their father loved him more than them - so why not teach the little runt a lesson. Of course killing your brother is a little intense. In the end they decided just to sell him into lifelong slavery (their sibling rivalry was way more intense that what I remember with my brothers). They covered their tracks by dipping the hated coat in blood and telling their father that a wild animal killed Joseph. But the pit they dug - and the rock they rolled was going to come back on them one day.

The first "pit-experience" was when their father almost died from grief. Then there was the famine that came and caused them to have to go to Egypt where they had to ask for food from . . . wait for it . . . their snotty little brother who was now the second ruler of Egypt. What was very good for them was that their brother had far more mercy on them in their pit that they had on him when he was in theirs. They had rolled their stone on him - but he refused to roll his on them. He chose forgiveness rather than revenge.

The varied pits that you can fall into are as numerous as the ones you dig for others. It is amazing as I grow older to see all the various pits that people have fallen into after they've dug ones for someone else. It is a fact of life that what goes around comes around. That is the simple, one-sentence way to define this particular proverb. I just hope that we all remember that the next time we grab our shovels and start digging for someone else.

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Paying the Price for Angry Outbursts. Proverbs 19:19

5/15/2012

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A man of great anger will bear the penalty, For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again. Proverbs 19:19

The "hot-head" is the focus of this proverb. The man who has a firey disposition and who is in the habit of responding and reacting to what happens to him in angry outbursts. He reacts to things with a rage - in fact what this passage says is that he does so with "great" rage. The word here is "gadol" which means something huge, mamoth, and gargantuan in size. This is not normal anger - it is enraged anger that loses control. What does God say to us about this kind of man? What does the Lord counsel us concerning acting on his behalf?

First of all God says that a man who has such huge anger issues is one who will bear the penalty of his actions. The word for penalty is "ownes" and means a fine, penalty, and referred to the fines that were levied against those who violated the law. The picture that is painted for us with the use of this particular word is that of someone whose anger lands them in jail. The enraged explosion they unleash on those who are the target of their anger goes beyond the law - and honestly - is very dangerous. You've heard of the man who in anger goes and gets a gun and returns to the bar or the house - and shoots the person with whom he is angry? That is this person's anger tactic at its worst. To join with this fellow is to risk being put in jail with him - for his actions are going to cross the line - and become illegal.

Second, we are told not to continue to resuce this man from his angry outbursts. The problem with him is that he does not learn from his previous outbursts. Instead - he continues in his rage and does it again and again. We are warned that if we rescue him from his outrageous outbursts - we will have to do it again. He does not need to be rescued from the consequences of his actions - instead he needs to face them squarely. Rescuing him from them will only mean that he will do it again. There is a lesson for him that can only be learned from facing stiff penalties for his outrageous behavior.

While we are dealing with this proverb, I would like to share something a very wise man taught me about anger - and something that can help those who struggle with it. This godly man said to me the following, "We become angry because we cannot control situations or people. When we cannot control them, we become infuriated at whatever or whoever is not doing what they should be doing - so we can be comfortable and uninterrupted in what WE want to do." This was, at the time, a devastating analysis of anger to me. I considered an angry outburst I had toward one of my children. According to this definition - my anger was not, as I asserted, because my child "made" me angry. My anger arose because my child was not doing what I wanted - and was interrupting what I wanted to be doing. Needless to say I was instantly convicted - repented - and had quite the crow-filled meal as I asked my son to forgive me. Later, when I realized I was not only angry at my son - I was also angry at God, Who in His perfect providence, decided that what I needed was an opportunity to be patient and kind. What I really wanted was a trial and testing free zone about me at all times. This led to a second meal of abundant crow as I sought God's forgiveness for my pride and arrogance in wanting Him to serve me in the providence He provided for me.

Anger - outbursts of anger - are a dangerous thing. We need to bear the penalty of these things so that we see them for what they are - manifestations of our pride and desire to control everything in our lives. We need to see them as a reminded that we DO NOT CONTROL our own lives. Angry outbursts are a warning sign to us that we are wanting the world around us to serve us at all times. This will NOT be the case - and unless we learn this - we will only have more of these times of "great anger" that will cost us dearly. Oh, to learn humility and submission to God and His providence quickly. Those who don't learn this - learn to feast on a whole lot of crow in their lives.

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Pits That Wind Up Being the Pits - Proverbs 26:27

Paying the Price for Angry Outbursts. Proverbs 19:19

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