PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:14-15).

“The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water,” this is an interesting comparison. Did you ever let water out of a bucket and then try to put it back in? It pictures that cartoon where it shows a man getting real red in the face until a mushroom cloud forms over his head and the caption reads, “Looks like Harry blew his top again!”

“. . . therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with,” stay away from it, don’t be contentious. Romans 12 tells us to “give place to wrath.” Don’t start with it, because once you let it out, you’ll never get it back to the way it was before. This is like words that we foolishly let escape out of our mouth that are hurtful to another. Once they are said, they are remembered forever.

What he is saying is that you can never get it back. “Only by pride cometh contentions.” So, just remember that it is your pride that is hurt, and that is why you want to get involved in it.

They condemned Christ, and they condemned the Apostles all of whom were just men. They are abominations to the Lord.

This is what God thinks of our judicial system when it justifies the wicked and condemns the innocent as a result of a tainted judge. When a city is fully controlled by wicked men, the courts are often rigged in favor of those that run with the political sway of the leadership. One thing that has become very clear in our country these days is the double standard that permeates our whole nation.

One side of the issue, generally the left, are very rarely called to question for their actions; yet when the very same thing is assumed to have been done by those on the right, they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.

In some cities, parents that put their children in a Christian school in order that they may become patriots and Bible-believers, are persecuted and condemned. Yet, that same community will justify modern education and some of the things that take place in the classroom that would have been unacceptable just a generation ago. Our modern education system is the result of atheists like John Dewey that sought to create a society where God is simply not welcome. These days we are being told that anyone with long-held convictions of righteousness and morality are bigots and racists.

Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.

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