He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Enemies Of The Lord: The Cruel 1: Proverbs 26:17-19
17) He that passeth by, [and]
meddleth with strife [belonging] not
to him, [is like] one that taketh a
dog by the ears.
18) As a mad [man] who
casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
19) So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbour, and
saith, Am not I in sport?
In
this chapter, Solomon describes for us three of the greatest enemies of the
Lord:
1. The Fool (vs 1-12), One who does not apply
the Word of God to their life.
2. The Lazy (vs 13-16), One who is not diligent
and industrious in their responsibilities
3. The Cruel (vs 17-28), One who is angry,
malicious and out of control
Before
we being this final portion of our devotions from Proverbs 26 a short
explanation is necessary. The title of
this final section of chapter 26 (vs 17-28) is “the cruel”. Although this title cannot be found in our verses,
it is a very fitting title for the enemy of the Lord that is being portrayed. Note the different ways in which this
individual is described…
1.
vs 17 – one that “meddleth with strife”
2.
vs 18 – “a mad man”
3.
vs 19 – the “man that deceiveth his neighbor”
4.
vs 20 – “talebearer”
5.
vs 21 – a “contentious man”
6.
vs 22 – “talebearer”
7.
vs 23 – “burning lips” & “wicked heart”
8.
vs 24 – he that “hateth” and “layeth up deceit”
9.
vs 25 – there are “seven abominations in his heart”
10
vs 26 – whose “hatred is covered by deceit” & his “wickedness”
11
vs 27 – whoso “diggeth a pit” & “rolleth a stone”
12
vs 28 – a “lying tongue” & “a flattering mouth”
From
these descriptions we can see the great harm cruel individuals can do to
Christians and the work of the Lord.
We
can see from the above descriptions that the basic principle is the harming of others motivated by hatred. This is why I felt as if the title “cruel”
is the best one to use to describe this individual. As a matter of fact, one of the ideas behind
the title “mad man” found in verse 18 is the idea of “cruelty out of control”.
So
please keep in mind, as we study these verses over the next several
devotionals, we are looking at different traits of one type of enemy of the
work of the Lord. It is one who harms others based upon uncontrolled hatred in
their heart… in other words it is one that is “cruel”.
EXPOSITION:
As
we begin our study of one that is cruel keep in mind vs 17-19 are only the
beginning of this section, this entire study extends through vs 28 of this chapter.
17) He that passeth by, [and]
meddleth with strife [belonging] not
to him, [is like] one that taketh a
dog by the ears.
1. A person who is going on his way,
intentionally leaves his path and crosses over to a conflict that is taking
place between two individuals is like
2. one that grabs the ears of a dog.
Here,
we see a person who desires to interfere with a dispute taking place between
others. Note his desire is so great to “stir
up trouble” he risks the delay of his journey just to be involved in a
dispute. This type of individual is much
like a person who intentionally grabs a dog’s ears just to make the dog to
attack him.
“Flee also youthful lusts:
but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned
questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the
Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to
the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may
recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him
at his will.” (2 Timothy 2:22-26)
18) As a mad [man] who
casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
1. As a mad man (out of control hatred, to be
rabid, to be insane)
2. who has fiery arrows, piercing arrows or
spears, and death flow from them like a raging river.
Those
who possess uncontrolled hatred within themselves lash out at anyone in their
path, flooding them with hate-filled acts and words meant to harm and destroy
them.
“Joseph [is] a fruitful
bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely
grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made
strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the
shepherd, the stone of Israel:)” (Genesis 49:22-24)
19) So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbour, and
saith, Am not I in sport?
One
common way that hatred is spewed upon others is through
1. the cruel working to mislead acquaintances.
2. This is done for the entertainment and the
pleasure of the deceiver.
Those
who are cruel make the harming of others through deceit an entertaining contest
“But these, as natural
brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that
they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the
reward of unrighteousness, [as] they that count it pleasure to riot in the day
time. Spots [they are] and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own
deceivings while they feast with you;” (2 Peter 2:12-13)
SUMMARY:
In our study of the cruel,
we have seen that he is:
1. a person who desires to “stir up trouble”
between two warring individuals.
2. a person who with uncontrolled hatred that floods
others with acts and words meant to destroy.
3. a person who make the harming of others
through deceit a contest that entertains and pleases them.
May
we all possess Godly wisdom and live our lives for Him.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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