Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11
Today's proverb ranks as one of the most vivid, if not gross, proverbs that are in the book. But, it also ranks as one of the most important in that its vivid, gross picture sticks with us reminding us to turn from sin, rather than turn back to it. I will try my best not to revel in the grotesqueness of today's proverb. That being said, we have to grasp what is said here. I've had a number of dogs - and one of the things that truly grosses me out is the fact that every one of them would vomit - and return and lick up the mess they just regurgitated. It is something that is very graphic to me - and something I can promise you I do not intend ever to mimic. Just the thought of doing what a dog does turns my stomach - and honestly - makes me want to vomit. But isn't that the purpose of the writer - and God. He is placing before us something so disgusting that we all unanimously chime in that we would never want to do something so sick. Then the Lord blows our mind with the second part of the proverb. This dog imagery is there to compare how disgusting it is for a fool to repeat his folly. This is a proverb about our sin - and the foolishness we engage in when we sin against God. But even more, it is about when we sin, repent (hopefully) and then return to the same folly a second, third, fourth time. That picture, when we first encounter it, we don't see as disgusting. We have terms we would rather use for such a situation. Let me mention a few for our instruction. I slipped up. Here is a common one. It doesn't really confront the sin and the foolishness at all. In too many ways it down plays the seriousness of sin. This was not a "slip-up" - it was a choice to sin and rebel against God's commandments. No one ever "slips" into sin - they walk into it - or at least are deceived into thinking it is not as heinous as it is. I'm struggling with a problem - or with sin. Here is another common cop-out on sin. If we were struggling, shouldn't we be fighting against the sin, having yet to do it? I know that when I say that I'm "struggling with some things," what I honestly should be saying is, "I'm sinning against God - and I'm struggling with surrender and submission to His will." My struggle - as I put it - is with whether I WANT to obey God - or whether I WANT to do what my flesh says instead. A more forthright way of phrasing this would be to say, "I'm struggling with whether I want to submit to Jesus as Lord of my life. I would rather be Lord and do what I want right now." I'm having a hard time right now. This one mistakes a hard time due to circumstances that are beyond my control - with circumstances that are absolutely under my control - because whether I choose to sin or not IS something I can do in Christ. This one is in my arsenal of stupid excuses because it often elicits a merciful response from others. I would much rather have that merciful response rather than face the truth. The truth is my sins are what have caused my circumstances 99% of the time - at least the ones with which I am having a hard time. Scripture tells me the way of the transgressor is HARD! Sin leads to God's discipline - and God's discipline often leads to HARD or DIFFICULT times as He seeks to get me to stop returning to my own vomit. Please understand that I know that the things I am writing today are hard to hear. I say that because it is hard to write them. That difficulty is because I've heard them from the Lord as He seeks to get me to stop dealing with my sin with kid gloves. THIS PROVERB IS MEANT TO SHOCK US! God wants us to look at the fact that we return to folly and sin as something utterly disgusting a gross. He is hoping that such a shocking picture will make us not just gross out at the dog - but hopefully we gross out at our own foolishness. The Lord is not doing this to be mean to us. He does it out of love and a desire to deliver us from sin. Sometimes that means putting an example before us that shakes things up in our thinking - and hopefully in our hearts. Grossed out at the picture of a dog returning to eat his own vomit? Then use that shock value to also address any return to sin and foolishness in your life. And . . . may that picture force its way into your mind's eye every time you are about to make a decision that will return you to any former sin of your past. Do this - and this proverb will have accomplished what God intended for it to do. He did not intend for it to be a joke as much of our "potty" humor today is. He meant it to be a picture and a spiritual knee-jerk reaction to keep us from sin.
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Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by. Proverbs 26:10
Proverbs chapter 26 is primarily about the fool. Of the chapters in Proverbs, this one has more about the fool than any other chapter. Here we have what happens when someone in business makes the mistake of hiring a fool or who does not take the proper time to vet those whom he hires. This particular verse in Proverbs has very interesting translations. If you've read the King James translation of this passage, it is quite different than what we have here, but the Hebrew is based out of a slight difference between two words that are close in their pronunciation. The idea here is to compare the damage wrought by a crazy archer who is wounding those who pass by - and the man who hires people indiscriminately for his business. Several years ago there was a sniper who terrorized the Washington D.C. area by randomly shooting people. This caused fear all over the area. Can you imagine an archer who decided to wound everyone who passed by him? The horror and the terror would be unbelievable. There would be problems as anyone who walked by would be shot for no reason at all. There would be fear for everyone because of the crazy man who was injuring people all over the place. This is compared to a businessman who hires a fool. The statement here is telling for those who are in the business world. The man who hires a fool is preparing everyone who works for him - as well as everyone who partakes of his buisness for trouble. The fool is arrogant, he is selfish and self-centered. He thinks he is wiser than seven men who all are able to answer questions wisely. He repeats his stupidity again and again and does not learn from the troublesome things his actions cause. He is lazy and undisciplined - is constantly late because he loves his sleep more than hard work - is a glutton - and is unable to process any kind of advice or help offered to him. You are looking at a hiring disaster here. This would be a worker who would bring dishonor to his employer - and - who would eventually bring great harm to the business itself. The worst part of all this is that everyone who comes into contact with the fool that he has hired - will be injured as a result. Kinda like a crazy archer who shoots everyone who passes by him. There is another warning given here to employers. All these things are also equated to the businessman who simply hires those who pass by. The idea here is that the employees are not interviewed or properly vetted. The businessman just hired anyone who passes by him. When this is done - disaster is eminent. Businesses need to check out who they hire. Wisdom and great care need to be taken in whom you hire to work for you. I remember while in seminary talking with my boss at UPS. I worked there loading trucks to make a living for my family while in school. They wanted to hire additional students from my school, but asked me to be wise when I told people about the position. They wanted men and women who were willing to work hard - because it cost them a great deal to train someone. My boss told me it took almost 3 months for a new hire to actually begin making the company money. Therefore to just "hire those who pass by" was the worst kind of foolishness. If the worker did not work out, they not only lost the profitability of three months - but actually lost more. They would have to start all over again trying to train the next person. Therefore he made it clear to me that just hiring "anyone who passes by" was very detrimental to the health and success of the business. The average business owner knows this and does interviews in order to find the most qualified candidates. But the one who does not - is taking the chance that he might have hired a fool. That man is taking very serious risks with his business. Nice to know that the wisdom of God has our backs on business issues like this . . . if we'll listen. Like a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Proverbs 26:9
A thorn is a painful thing to endure. If one pierces your hand, you will know it instantly and you will learn from it. Over the years of having this happen to me, I've learned which trees, bushes, and flowers have thorns. I either avoid them - or act with great caution when I get around them. A rose is a beautiful thing to see - and very pleasant to smell - but if you are unaware of the issue of the thorns - it can also be a very unpleasant thing to grasp in the hand. Thorns are given in life to teach us - and to warn us. We learn from them to be cautious and careful. This proverb tells us that a proverb in the mouth of a fool is about as profitable as a thorn in the hand of a drunkard. A drunk is in a deadened state. If a thorn were to fall into his hand, he might not even know about it until the following morning when he sobers to find a wound in his hand. A drunken fool will be more likely to injure himself in a thorn bush and not really heed the warning of the thorns. He is too drunk to realize that the bush is warning him to stop and get away. Therefore he injures himself worse - and ignores the danger of the situation. A fool with a proverb is the same way. He may have a proverb right at the tip of his tongue. But though he speaks it - he learns nothing from it. He does not heed the warning - and may even mock it. He does not follow the advice of the God who gave it for his blessing and wisdom. Therefore it profits him nothing. If you want to be wise - you will have to be able to heed the warnings of God's Word. You will want to avoid what the Lord tells you will harm you. Those warnings are like thorns. We are told some very valuable information that uses this same kind of picture by Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. "In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd." (Ecclesiastes 12:9-11, NASB) Solomon tells us that there was one who taught the people knowledge through proverbs he wrote. Later he calls these proverbs and sayings goads. A goad is a sharp instrument that was used to teach oxen how to plow without kicking at their master. When they would kick at him - their leg would run into a sharp object that would poke them. A well trained ox would never kick or buck at the direction of the farmer because the goad would have trained him that to do so was foolish - and painful. Proverbs are meant to be goads - thorns if you will. They are meant to train us to walk in wise ways. They warn us against painful moments that will come if we continue to walk as a fool in this life. May God give us grace to be the kind of person to whom a proverb would be profitable - and not like a drunkard who has a thorn fall into his hand - and doesn't even feel it. Like one who binds a stone in a sling, So is he who gives honor to a fool. Proverbs 26:8
Imagine this scene if you will. David is facing the giant Goliath. He goes to the stream and picks out five smooth stones. He then takes of the and a piece of leather and ties the stone into the sling that he is about to use to engage the giant in battle. He ties it securely in the sling so that it won't come out. Then he rushes to the scene of the battle to . . . to . . . to completely fail as he has the sling wrap around his arm when he looses it from one hand - only to have the stone bruise his forearm - just before the giant pierces him like a pin cushion with his spear. Little different than the Biblical account isn't it? What you read above would be what would have happened had David bound the stone he chose to throw at Goliath inside his sling. Anyone who even knows the rudimentary skills with a sling knows that only the dumbest of warriors would bind the stone inside the sling when going out to battle. It would be the move that a man who wants to die takes. It would be possibly the very worst thing you could do. It would completely destroy any effectiveness you could imagine as a fighter for the army you serve. If a Hebrew - or anyone from this region were to read the opening part of this proverb, they would laugh. It is more like something you would see on a show called, "The World's Dumbest Warriors." But at times the Bible uses sarcasm and ridiculousness to get a point across to us. Such is the case in Proverbs 26:8. The proverb compares the stupidity of a man binding a stone in a sling to a man giving honor to a fool. This is something that should never be done! A fool is one who mocks God - and who mocks godliness. He is careless and does not do the right thing. He does not think before he acts unless you count thinking of what he himself wants - or what would bring him the greatest pleasure at the moment. This man does not deserve honor - he deserves to be pointed out as what he is, a fool! When we give honor to a fool we are shooting ourselves in the foot. We are lifting up someone as an example - who when followed will only produce more fools. We are disarming ourselves of something that is so necessary - good examples. We are giving the enemy an unfair advantage as we are lifting up someone who is a spokesman for godlessness. We are guaranteeing failure because we are pointing our children to those who will ultimately fail as one they should honor and respect. Our society is replete with the act of honoring of fools. We see it all the time in sports. We join with those who offer praise to someone whose skill set includes little more than shooting a ball - throwing a ball - catching a ball - or dunking a ball (methinks we have the over-fascination with balls and those who can impress us with their dexterity with them). It matters little to us what character or lack thereof these men have. We join with the throngs who grant them far more accolades that they deserve. They even boast to us that they are not role models - and continue living in ways that would get the normal person arrested. They flaunt our laws - and then use their fame to get slapped on the wrist for offenses that would land the rest of us in prison. Their sports continue to degenerate as more and more thugs rise to prominence. There are good men there as well, it just seems that for every really good guy - there are several thugs whose antics dominate our papers and airwaves. I want to ask a simple question for those of you who have children. Who are your children's heros? Have you taken the time to exalt godly men whose godly lives should be the kind you honor? What about men like Hudson Taylor who took the gospel into the heartland of China and John Knox who stood toe to toe with Kings and Queens? How about Eric Liddell who was willing to give up the Olympics for godly principles - then won the 200 yard dash - and then did something even more important by giving his life for the gospel in China? What about David Livingstone who took the gospel across Africa or Vanya who stood for Christ in the midst of the Russian army at the cost of his own life? Finally, how about Jim Elliot who bravely gave his life to reach a South American Indian tribe? Here are the heros we should honor - but too often our children don't even know their names. They never shot a game winning three at the buzzer or scored a winning touchdown. They never hit a home run or pitched a no-hitter. All these men did was live lives that were worthy of emmulation - lives of character and godliness - lives of sacrifice and bravery - and saw the real victory won. The reason we have so many fools in our society is because we are constantly honoring them. Like a fool binding a sling in a stone - we keep lifting them up - swinging them around - and letting them go - only to have them come back and bruise our arm. Our children watch and dream of a day when they too can be a fool whose accomplishments are dust and ashes. Let us go forth today and find true heros - men and women whose lives are weighed down with character and godliness. Let us lift them up for our children to see - and to honor. The sooner we do this - the sooner we will see the Goliaths in our culture come crashing down because we've chosen to use our slings properly. Let us honor those whose lives will challenge our sons and daughters to be those who change our culture with both the character and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the legs which are useless to the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Proverbs 26:7
There are certain things that are useless in life. A screen door on a submarine, a picture window in tank, an honesty pledge by a congressman - and here we learn that a proverb in the mouth of a fool is another. A Proverb in the mouth of a fool is a complete waste of time and energy. A fool wants nothing to do with wisdom - and this word for fool indicates that he is immovably opposed to God and the morals that come from knowing God. The fool doesn't care about the future. He only cares about his own immediate desires. He thinks that God's Word and ways are stupid and a burden to live by - and rejects them for whatever his lusts are telling him to do. The example here to compare how useless it is to have a proverb in the mouth of a fool is that of how the legs of the lame are useless to them. They cannot walk and cannot move. Therefore their legs are useless to them. They just hang there and have no purpose any longer. This is a tragedy - but then again so is the proverb in the mouth of the fool. He may say one thing - but his lifestyle militates against it - and he desires something altogether different. When you hear a proverb being spoken by a fool - you can listen to the wisdom of the Proverb - just don't expect that wisdom to be carried out by the fool who speaks it. He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence Who sends a message by the hand of a fool. Proverbs 26:6
There are certain things you do not ever give to a fool. One of these things is any message that you want given to another. The fool, who is ultimately concerned with himself, will do a bad job of doing anything given to him. Here we have two amazing statements made about the man who gives the job of communicating a message through the means of a fool. The first is that sending a message through a fool is akin to cutting off your own feet. One expects a fool to take a message and use his own two lets to get the message to another. Seeing that a fool is lazy and undisciplined, this is a very unwise choice. When we send a message through a messenger - we are supplementing the use of our own legs with the legs of the one who carries the message. Here though, the fool is utterly unreliable in this task. Therefore sending a message with him is like cutting off your own two feet. Your chances are if the messages is communicated at all, it is communicated badly. The second picture is of a man who drinks violence. The reason you send a message with another is so that you will be refreshed by their work on your behalf. A message sent by a faithful envoy is like a cool drink - it refreshes you and it lessens your own work load in the time being. Unfortunately, when you send a message by the hands of a fool, that is not going to happen. When you do this it is like drinking violence. You will have to deal with the damage and the scorn of those who have either not received the message at all - or they have not heard what you meant for them to hear. When this happens, you are facing a situation where someone is offended and angry over the "messing-up of the message." Rather than your work being lessened, it is increased - and that with a new problem of someone who is angry with you. Those by whom we send messages to others ned to be those with the highest levels of responsibility and trustworthiness. The communication of that message can either be a delight or a debacle. The wise man makes sure that his messages are carried by those who are wise like him. Better to take the message yourself than to have a fool take it and create a very bad situation. Even better than this is to cultivate good messengers who will truly and selflessly take any message given to them and faithfully transmit it to those to whom it is sent. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. 5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:4-5
This particular verse and the next one have caused a stir among some who would like to think the Bible contradicts itself here. As usual though, when you actually study the text (rather than knee-jerk react to it) you will find no contradiction. You will find wisdom in dealing with fools - even those who have knee-jerk reactions hoping to discredit the Scriptures! The wisdom given here in verse 4 is that we are not to answer a fool according to his folly because when we do so, we become just like the fool. The fool would ask whether the infinite God can create a rock bigger than he can pick up. If we answer him according to his folly, we will become like him. The unwise man will answer, "No," to this question. He thus falls into the trap set by the fool, who then jumps on the answer saying that then God is not infinite - because God cannot make the rock. The problem with this question is that it is foolish in its very presupposition. If God is infinite (which He is according to His self-revelation in Scripture) then by this very definition He is without limits in every way. The question presupposes God is either less than infinite in power to make the rock - or less than infinite in power to pick up the rock He makes. If God is infinite - any language that presupposes anything but infinite power and ability is by its very nature foolish. Don't answer the fool according to his folly - for in doing so you will become like him. You will make the same foolish presupposition that God can in any way be limited. You answered the fool within the scope of his foolish thinking. When a fool speaks this way - he proves he is a fool. These kind of questions do not seek knowledge or answer - they seek an opportunity to pounce on anyone who answers them. Therefore to answer them at all is to place yourself on the level of the fool - to make yourself just like him - a fool. Jesus spoke of not casting our pearls before swine - because they will trample them and then turn on us. To answer a fool in his folly is to cast pearls before swine. There are times when Christians need to remain silent. Our lives and our faith should speak for us. Our wisdom at times is better revealed by saying nothing than it is by wanting to have an answer for everything. But there are times to answer a fool according to his folly. A better way to state this for our understanding is that we are to answer a fool as his folly deserves. So let's take a look also at verse 5 today - because it offers wisdom from the other way we need to deal with fools. Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes. When we answer fools it often does not need to be as they have questioned us. We don't need to get into the slop with them in their statements. But often we need to answer not their questions, but their spirit and their intent. Oh, how we need to watch Jesus on this one (actually we should watch Him all the time - but on this one He offers such great interactions with fools). When I read the gospels I am always fascinated that Jesus answers some people's questions - and others He does not. He offers answers to his disciples when they question Him about certain things - but when he is asked questions by the foolish Pharisees and Saducees - He often answers their questions with questions - or with statements that reveal their heart. Here is how to answer a fool as his folly deserves. When Jesus asks a question to answer a question - He puts the responsibility to answer back into the court of the fool. Almost every time He did this - it revealed the wicked, foolish heart of the questioner. He answered as they deserved - and answered in such a way as to reveal the motives and heart of the one who wanted to trap Him. Here is true wisdom dear saints. He took the time to see past words to the intent of their heart. We err when we think our purpose is to simply answer the words of those who questioin us. What we need to do is to answer their heart. But the question naturally arises, "How can we answer the intent of someone's heart? How can we know this?" Let me answer your question with a question. How well do you know the Word of God? How often do you discern what someone says using the Word of God? The reason I ask this question is because Hebrews 4:12-13 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Do you see the highlighted part of this verse? It says that the Word of God can judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This means when we look at all things (including what a fool says to us) through the lens of God's Word, we will be able to see thoughts and intentions of the heart that are behind the words we hear. You ability to answer fools as they deserve to be answered will rest on your ability to see what they are saying through God's Word - and avoid the traps that your own ego or your own desire to put them in their place afford. Why should a fool be answered? It is because he needs to experience God - and God's wisdom. If your desire to speak, as I said above, is because "you" want to put him in his place - well - then we have two fools speaking to each other. That kind of motivation comes from pride and a misplaced zeal that has little or nothing to do with God's honor and glory. Note in the gospels how many times the words of Jesus left men blown away with the wisdom with which He spoke. His answers left them with a touch of God. Do our answers do as much? You see, this is what we should covet. We should desire that whatever answer God has us give leaves them with a sense of God's wisdom. Amazing isn't it that when we take the time to examine the full intent of God's Word - that seeming contradictions become some of the most wonderful truths. There is a large contingent of fools out there in the world. Our purpose needs to be to walk with God so that whether we are silent or speak - they do not run into us being God's vigilante - but rather they run into God Himself. In the end He will be the One who answers all their questions and statements. But He will do so bringing them to His desired humility for their lives - but also bringing them to Himself - and to His grace that can change their hearts from foolishness to wisdom - from their sinfulness to His righteousness - from being children of wrath to being children of grace. Honestly . . . isn't that what He wants in the end? He's not after some kind of prideful display where He puts them in their place - unless the place of which we speak is His salvation through grace. A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the back of fools. Proverbs 26:3
Here is a marvelous proverb - and one that in many ways necessitates the entire penal system in any country. The interesting thing about this proverb though is that you see that a horse and a donkey can be trained. They may require a whip and a bridle to accomplish the task - but they can be trained. You may have to break them in the process - but with these instruments one can train these animals to be useful. But, the fool cannot be trained. The only situation adequate for the fool is a rod for his back. It is only through very specific consequences that the fool can be dissuaded from his foolishness. Here, also, is where many people rise up and begin barking about a person's rights. How could the Bible speak about a rod for a man's back? That is against his fundamental civil rights! Yet, those who state such things fail to see the incredible failure our penal system has in this world. We no longer punish criminals. We offer them college educations, libraries, televisions in their rooms - and a whole list of rights they have learned to demand from us. It is easy some times to see why recidivism is so rampant in our prisons. The exit to these prisons becomes a revolving door. Give a fool rights - and that fool will use them to continue in his foolishness unabated. Offer him punishment worthy of the crime - including beatings and capital punishment - and many fools will turn from their ways when they think of the ultimate consequences attached to such actions. Take the much maligned issue of the caning of the American citizen in the far east. We heard howls and screams about this issue. Maybe though, we should look at the recidivism in those nations. It is almost at zero. Another thing running zero in their societies is the people who even want to commit such crimes. They know the high price of such actions, to they refrain from doing them. Fools do not learn from those trying to educate them. That is why they are fools. They are committed to their way of living and thinking (or non-thinking as the case may be). To try to rebuke or train them brings their scorn and laughter. They are set in their ways and need a much stronger deterent to their way. That is the reason why the rod needs to be applied to their backs. Some will continue to cringe because they are part of our overly permissive society. Our society - at least the liberal parts of it - tend to blame themselves for everything someone does bad. We need to consider what we've done to cause them to act in such a way. Thus we have the fruits of the Freudian tendency to blame parents and anyone else we can find for our actions before ever considering our own choices as paramount to the situation. Perish the thought that maybe the fool is that way because he chooses foolishness. The sad thing is that we will continue to watch foolishness rise with our permissive attitudes and actions. The fool would learn just like the horse and the donkey - if the proper motivation were applied. POSTSCRIPT: Recently, individuals have quoted articles from this section and stated that we teach child abuse at Calvary Chapel Jonesboro. To this I feel the need to respond. First, biblically, we are told that if we have a problem with our brother to go to our brother - not the internet - and confront our brother. To date, these individuals have yet to contact me to discuss these things. That should say volumes in itself. Second, we do not teach child abuse at our fellowship. This blog is an endeavor to teach what is in the Bible for the edification and upbuilding of God's people. Anyone who has been to our fellowship knows that in our classrooms we administer NO physical discipline. We correct with words and with "time outs" and eventually with a report to parents. From our nursery throughout every age group our people are instructed NEVER to administer physical discipline. We believe this right alone belongs to a parent. Even then we teach the following about any application of physical discipline. Discipline is about the heart of a child. Physical or corporal punishment is ONLY to be administered in a spirit of love for the child. Teaching and loving verbal correction is key - as is prayer for the child's eventual salvation in Jesus Christ. Any physical punishment administered due to anger or rage is out of line and wrong. The parent is to discipline the child with appropriate discipline - not abuse. In the end the child should be taught - and in every circumstance hugged, loved, and prayed with after any physical punishment to assure them of our love. The idea of a "beating" is completely out of step with what the Scriptures are teaching. Instead the idea of loving discipline is intended. For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down. Proverbs 26:20
This is a proverb where something in nature is described, and then God compares it with a spiritual truth about life. Here we find a fire described in practical terms no one can deny - but in the end this fire that is going out is compared to what the Bible calls "the whisperer." Let's take a look at what we can learn here. "For lack of wood the fire goes out." Here is the practical truth that no one can deny. When you have a fire, you have to continue putting wood on it if you want it to continue to burn. No wood means no fire. It will go out in a matter of hours. Just like this is true, God wants us to grasp something about contention among people. This contention is often due to someone called "a whisperer." Who is this whisperer - and what does he or she do that helps to keep contention alive? The whisperer is one who murmurs. The Hebrew word is "ragan" and it means to murmur or to whisper. The murmuring that is going on with the whisperer is that of grumbling, criticizing, complaining, and slandering. Zhodiates says it refers to gossipping and complaining. The word is used in Psalm 106:25 to describe how Israel murmured and complained in their tents against the Lord in the time of Moses. Those who were the murmurers and whisperers were the trouble makers - the gossips - the ones who fomented rebellion in the hearts of the people of Israel. Their murmuring helped to destroy an entire generation - who became infected with it. This whispering here is what is causing problems - causing the contention that exists here. There are serious relational problems developing because of the actions of the whisperer. Let me give a practical illustration. The whisperer does not like something done by leadership in the church. Instead of taking their problems to the leadership, which is the biblical way to deal with problems, they begin talking to a brother or sister about what they see and perceive. Soon, there are two people who are upset with leadership - and their number grows as the whispering campaign continues to grow and flourish. Soon small groups of whisperers get together from time to time and have roast pastor or elder - a delicacy that is loved by whisperers and gossips. Before long the majority of the church is being infected with this gossip that begins to gain steam around the fellowship. Until the whisperers are quieted and rebuked, there will be plenty of contention to go around. Some may leave the fellowship - while others stick around for the eventual power play to usurp the authority of the pastor/elder and take over themselves. There will be plenty of anger and frustration build as long as the whisperers ply their trade. The only hope for the fellowship is that they are silenced. When there is no whisperer, contention quiets down. There is the truth to be learned. Just like a fire without wood will die down - so a contention or church fight will die down if the whisperers can be silenced or removed. How about you? Are you a whisperer? Does there seem to be contention around you all the time? If you whisper to others about the problems and the discontentment you have - don't be surprised if soon you have a circle of other malcontents who will aid and abet you in setting the church or friendship or marriage on fire. For those who love ashes and destruction - this is almost impossible to resist - but oh how we should resist it. No one ever gains by tearing something donwn and destroying it. Instead of whispering to men - try interceding to God. The difference in the result may shock you! As long as their are whisperers - there will be no real, long-term growth and blessing in the church. Next time you are tempted to become a whisperer - don't do it. Stop yourself in your tracks and fall to your knees in prayer. If you resist the destructive nature of gossip and whispering - you will find that the opposite of it is intercession and crying out to God. One creates contention - the other creates peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Which one will you choose? Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool. Proverbs 26:1
Proverbs spends a great deal of time on a few issues. Among these are wisdom, finances, our words, and discernment. Another of the issues it deals with is the fool. We can learn a great deal about what it means to be a fool - his conduct, his words, and his actions. This is given to us not so that we can be better fools, but rather so that we can avoid being a fool - and - so that we can avoid the company of fools. Our society honors fools. If you don't think that is true - take a closer look at who often wins political elections. Take a look at those in the sporting world whose only ability is that of being skilled at a game - but who's character lacks greatly. Take a look at the honor given to Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy. These people are fools - yet our society gives them honor that they do not deserve. As a result of this - people are drawn to them. This in turn leads to people aping their lifestyles and their choices. Societal disaster results. I love the way that the proverb makes it clear how inappropriate it is to give honor to a fool. It is like experiencing snow in the summer. That is something that we know is not normal - nor is it desired. Snow in summer would wreak havoc on the crops that we grow for our food. It would mean that the temperatures would drop to a point where the land and animals would be grossly affected - and that negatively. Snow is not fitting in summer. Neither is rain in the harvest. The natural run of things is that we have a drying spell in the fall prior to the harvest. In the fall of 2009 that was not the case. We had day after day of rain - heavy rains. That was not fitting - it was not good. There were numerous crops that were damaged, while others were destroyed completely. Rain in the harvest is not a good thing. Now, let us take this example and apply it. Giving honor to a fool is not good - it is not fitting. As I stated earlier, Hugh Hefner (founder of Playboy) is given honor in our society. This is not good. His actions and business has done irrepairable harm to millions of men - and has been the catalyst for adultery, sexual immorality, and lewdness in our society. He has made it far more acceptible to treat women as mere objects and has also put into men's minds that the life of the playboy is the way to live. His influence will result in untold numbers of people engaging in sexual misconduct. When you consider the number of people who will contract sexually transmitted diseases - who will pass them on to others - and even those innocent wives whose husbands infect them with syphillis, herpes, and even AIDS - you begin to see the damage. This is not a man deserving of honor. This is a fool. He is a man who mocks God and God's ways. He is a man who will deceive millions to adopt his lifestyle and ruin their lives. Thus you see what damage is done due to honoring a fool. Saints of God - avoid the fool. But more than just avoiding him - avoid giving any additional honor to him. The fool will one day pay the price for his foolishness. But for now - his foolishness, if exalted in our society, will do great harm and damage. Do not bring the snow in summer or the rain in harvest. Speak and do that which is right and proper in God's sight. That is the way to bring honor and blessing to your posterity and to your nation. The way of the fool only brings harm. |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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