Category: Bible

To Deliver Them – Part 1

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Proverbs 24:11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain

Scripture now addresses the responsibility to protect innocent people who are in danger. The picture is of people being taken away toward death while someone who can intervene chooses not to do so. The principle is broader than one specific situation: when we have a legitimate opportunity and responsibility to protect the innocent, we should not deliberately remain silent or inactive.

This applies particularly to injustice, oppression, false accusations, abuse of authority, and situations where innocent people are being harmed. Indifference toward injustice can itself become a form of wrongdoing.

However, this verse should not be interpreted as a command to interfere in every situation we hear about or to involve ourselves in matters that do not belong to us. Scripture also teaches the importance of minding our own affairs and avoiding unnecessary interference in the lives of others (1Thess. 4:11; 2Thess. 3:11; 1Pet. 4:15).

There is an important difference between protecting the innocent when we have a genuine responsibility to act and meddling in matters that are not ours to control.

Sometimes the wisest response is to intervene appropriately; at other times, the wisest response is to pray, seek godly counsel, and leave the matter in God’s hands rather than inserting ourselves into another person’s affairs.

To be continued…

In the Day of Adversity – Part 2

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Proverbs 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 

Scripture is not saying that a godly person will never become discouraged. Even faithful servants of God experienced fear, discouragement, and moments of weakness. The issue is not whether we become discouraged, but whether we remain there or rise again in faith and obedience.

Four Biblical examples of failure in adversity: [1] Jacob (Gen. 42:36). When Jacob believed that Joseph and then Benjamin might be lost, his response was: “All these things are against me.” His grief caused him to interpret circumstances through despair. [2] David (1Sam. 27:1). David became so discouraged while fleeing Saul that he said: “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.” Yet God had repeatedly protected him. His adversity temporarily weakened his faith. [3] Elijah (1Kin. 19:3-4). After his great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah became afraid of Jezebel and fled for his life. He became so discouraged that he asked God to take his life. Even a faithful servant can become overwhelmed under prolonged pressure. [4] Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11). Jonah became angry when God showed mercy to Nineveh. His circumstances exposed selfishness and a lack of spiritual perspective.

These examples do not teach that God’s servants never become discouraged. Rather, they show that adversity exposes weaknesses that need to be strengthened by faith. The answer to adversity is not despair but renewed dependence upon God.

In the Day of Adversity – Part 1

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Proverbs 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 

This verse addresses how a person’s spiritual strength is revealed when he faces adversity. It is relatively easy to appear strong when everything is going well, but difficult circumstances can reveal whether a person has developed the faith, wisdom, courage, and perseverance necessary to stand firm.

The “day of adversity” can refer to various difficult circumstances of life, such as persecution, disappointment, family difficulties, loss, opposition, or severe temptation. Some hardships arise simply because we live in a fallen world, while others may result from the wrong choices we have made. Sickness, financial hardship, broken relationships, and other painful consequences can sometimes be the result of sin, disobedience, foolish decisions, or neglect of God’s principles. These consequences should not be understood as God “testing” us by causing us to suffer.

Scripture teaches that we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8), and that our words also have consequences, for “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (18:20-21). What we continually sow through our actions and words can profoundly shape the course of our lives (Jas. 3:5-6).

At the same time, God can use even the consequences of our own actions to bring us to repentance, correction, and greater wisdom. He does not need to cause the trouble in order to teach us through it.

Scripture shows that when adversity comes, whatever its source, our response reveals the strength of our character and our dependence upon God. A person who immediately gives up, abandons faith, or turns to sinful solutions demonstrates that his strength is weak. The wise person instead seeks God, acknowledges his failures where necessary, accepts responsibility for his actions, and continues to do what is right.

To be continued…

The Scorner is an Abomination – Part 3

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Proverbs 24:9b …and the scorner is an abomination to men. 

The scorner must humble himself before he can learn: “When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge” (21:11). The wise person learns through instruction; the scorner often learns only through consequences.

God Himself opposes the proud: “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly” (3:34). This is perhaps the most serious warning. The scorner may mock God, His Word, His people, or His standards, but God is not mocked. Pride places a person in opposition to God, while humility opens the way to grace.

An important distinction exists between a fool and a scorner. The simple may not know better and can still be taught. The fool rejects wisdom and instruction. The scorner goes further; he mocks and ridicules wisdom itself and often attempts to make others despise it as well.

This is why Proverbs treats the scorner as particularly dangerous. A person who says, “I don’t know,” can be taught. A person who says, “I don’t want to know,” is harder to reach. But the scorner says, in effect, “What you believe is foolish, and I will ridicule it.”

The Scorner is an Abomination – Part 2

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Proverbs 24:9b …and the scorner is an abomination to men. 

A scorner rejects correction: “A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise” (15:12). A scorner does not welcome someone who points out his error. Instead of considering correction, he resents the person giving it. Consequently, he avoids wise people because he does not want to hear anything that challenges his behaviour.

A scorner refuses wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (9:10). Proverbs contrasts wisdom with the scorner’s attitude. Wisdom begins with humility before God, while the scorner’s pride makes him unwilling to submit to God’s authority.

A scorner can influence others toward evil: “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease” (22:10). A scorner does not usually keep his attitude to himself. His mocking, criticism, and rebellious spirit can spread conflict throughout a family, workplace, or community. Removing such influence can remove a great deal of strife.

Scorning can make a person increasingly hardened: “Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools” (19:29). Repeated rejection of correction eventually brings consequences. The scorner may believe that he is mocking others, but ultimately he is placing himself under God’s judgment.

To be continued…

The Scorner is an Abomination – Part 1

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Proverbs 24:9b …and the scorner is an abomination to men. 

The scorner is worse than someone who merely lacks wisdom. He actively mocks wisdom and rejects correction. He ridicules righteousness, instruction, authority, correction, and often the things of God Himself. His attitude makes him difficult even for other people to tolerate.

The scorner does not simply say, “I do not know.” He says, in effect, “I know better, and I will not be corrected.” That pride makes him especially dangerous because correction cannot reach a heart that refuses to acknowledge its need for correction.

Scripture speaks very strongly about the scorner because a scorner is not simply an ignorant or foolish person. A fool may lack understanding, but a scorner actively rejects wisdom, despises correction, and ridicules what is right. His problem is therefore not merely a lack of knowledge but a proud and hardened heart.

To be continued…

The Thought of Foolishness

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Proverbs 24:9a The thought of foolishness is sin… 

This verse goes deeper than outward actions. God is concerned not only with what a person does but also with what he deliberately thinks, plans, and entertains in his heart.

‘The thought of foolishness is sin.’ The ‘foolishness’ here is not harmless playfulness, humour, or innocent enjoyment. The Hebrew ’ivveleth (H200) refers to moral foolishness, perversity, silliness in the sense of behaving contrary to wisdom and righteousness. It describes foolishness that is morally corrupt, stubborn, rebellious, perverse, and opposed to God’s wisdom. Therefore, this verse should not be used to condemn legitimate enjoyment, clean humour, recreation, or wholesome fun.

Scripture does not teach that all laughter or playfulness is sinful. The issue is moral foolishness – the kind of thinking that deliberately disregards God’s truth.

‘The thought…is sin.’ Sin begins in the heart before it becomes visible in conduct. A wicked act may begin as a thought, a desire, a fantasy, a plan, or a deliberate decision to disregard what is right (Jas. 1:14-15). This is why Scripture repeatedly calls us to guard our thoughts (2Cor. 10:3-6; Php. 4:8).

A Mischievous Person

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Proverbs 24:8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. 

This verse moves from the fool who cannot formulate wise counsel to the person who deliberately devises evil. The word deviseth indicates planning, scheming, or deliberately forming a course of action. There is a difference between committing an impulsive wrong and carefully planning to do wrong.

This person does not merely stumble into sin. He thinks about it, plans it, and looks for an opportunity to carry it out. Such a person becomes known for his schemes.

‘Shall be called a mischievous person.’ The idea is that he becomes recognised as a schemer or deviser of evil. His reputation eventually catches up with his character. A person may hide his intentions for a time, but repeated conduct eventually reveals who he is.

This is a serious warning because the mind can become trained either toward righteousness or toward wickedness. The wise person asks: “How can I do what is right?” The wicked person asks: “How can I get what I want?”

Wisdom Too High – Part 2

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Proverbs 24:7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. 

Proverbs 1:7 establishes the foundation: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

The fool therefore excludes himself from wisdom by refusing the very instruction that would make him wise.

‘He openeth not his mouth in the gate.’ The gate represented a place of judgment, leadership, counsel, public discussion, and decision-making. A foolish man is not qualified to exercise wise judgment because he has not learned to govern himself.

This is an important biblical principle: before a person can responsibly govern others, he MUST first learn to govern himself.

Wisdom Too High – Part 1

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Proverbs 24:7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. 

Wisdom is “too high” for the fool because he lacks the humility and understanding necessary to obtain it. The problem is not that wisdom is unavailable; Scripture repeatedly calls people to seek it. The problem is that the fool’s heart rejects the instruction required to become wise.

The “gate” was the place where important public matters were discussed and where elders and judges sat to administer justice. To “open his mouth in the gate” therefore suggests having something wise and trustworthy to contribute in matters of public judgment.

The fool has nothing worthwhile to contribute because he has rejected wisdom.

‘Wisdom is too high for a fool.’ Biblical wisdom requires humility, teachability, discipline, correction, and the fear of the Lord. The fool resists these things.

He may be intelligent, educated, articulate, or even successful, but intelligence is not the same as wisdom. A person can possess considerable knowledge while lacking the moral discernment to use it properly.

To be continued…