PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife” (Proverbs 26:21).

This contentious man is sandwiched between verses 21 and 22. By the context, I would conclude probably that is trying to get you to link this contentious man with the bearing of tales. A guy that is a talebearer is also a man that is probably trying to start a fight. We saw in verse 20, that “where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” Well, this guy is “contending” in that context, and that contention is not the contention for the gospel, and it is not the contention for the truth. This contentious man has an axe to grind.

We've all seen in church before, probably, somebody with a doctrinal axe to grind. Some guy comes in with a grand idea about how wonderful Calvinism is, and because we don't agree with him, then we have a problem. He has an axe to grind. Or, perhaps a charismatic comes in, and he's got a charismatic axe to grind; and resents the fact that we don't look at things like he does. Other folks might have a personal axe to grind. The bottom line is they are contentious men looking to kindle strife in the church.

Sometimes, folks for no other reason than just having a personal axe to grind they get some sort of thing going with someone else in church, and it becomes a personal thing, and they're not going to let it go. In fact, they'll split the church before they let it go. They are contentious men that kindle strife, and they don’t care who they wound in the process.

If we become tolerant of those who are tolerant of compromise, we will finally so regard the compromise itself. Then we will embrace the very compromise we once opposed. Once compromise becomes our posture, the things of sin will shortly become our portion. Christians are far more like to drift into sin than fall into it.

Think about it.

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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