What About Curses? - Proverbs 26:2

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not alight.   Proverbs 26:2

Curses . . . here's a Proverb that is vastly overused by those who would like to build an entire doctrine of curses.  This Proverb is not teaching some sort of voodoo where we can go around cursing others - neither does it allow for a doctrine where what we say can curse someone else and make what we say happen.  Granted words have power - but not to the point of exerting some kind of strange, dark magic over those to whom we speak.

This Proverb is stating something to the contrary.  It speaks of the curse that is without cause.  So the first thing to examine is a curse that is with cause.  What is that all about?

God speaks curses in Deuteronomy 28  for those who do not obey the commandments that He gives.  He also promises blessings for obedience.  The interesting thing though is that curses throughout the Biblical text refer primarily and almost exclusively to disobedience to God's Word.  It is foreign to the Bible to have the kind of curse that exists within black magic or Voodoo.  This is something we don't need to encourage - and yet some in churches jump at this whole area and want to make every word spoken against someone a curse with real spiritual power.  The only way a curse can have power over someone is if they let it by believing it and paving the way for the demonic world to oblige the poor sap and work double time to create situations in which the person can give the curse more power over them.  Believe me, I know how this works.  I'm a Cubs fan and the Chicago area baseball world has given power to a goat for over 50 years.  They've even brought in goats to try to break the curse.  But the problem is that they give the curse power by believing it year after year - when their problem is that they have a lousy baseball team.

The curse here is compared to a sparrow's flitting and a swallow's flying habits.  These two birds are notorious for not staying put anywhere for any length of time.  The Proverb is trying to teach us that just like these birds - so a curse without cause does not remain.  Here is a very simple rendering of this truth.  Curses remain because we continue to disobey God's commandments and live in rebellion to Him.  God, who is sovereign over all the universe, will see to it that we do not enter into a blessed state while walking in rebellion and disobedience.  So . . . if you do not rebel against His Word, but submit to Him and obey His commandments - then no curse will "alight" or remain. 

Remember, that this verse is stuck between two others commenting on the fool.  Therefore I think it is not going too far to say - only a fool would remain in his rebellion and experience the curse that God places on that kind of lifestyle.  As for the rest of the words that are spoken to us - about us - maybe even over us by those intending demonicly-instigated problems?  Well, those words are like flitting sparrows and flying swallows.  They fly overhead - but do not receive permission to land on us - unless the providence and sovereign hand of God allows.  Oh, and by the way, God's intent for His obedient people is blessing - not cursing!