Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly – beyond recovery.” Proverbs 6:15 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Avoid this kind of behavior”
In Proverbs 6:12-15 Solomon describes a person he labels in verse 12 as “A worthless person.” The title of this passage in my study Bible is “The Malicious Man”. Either way, this is obviously not about a nice person. Solomon describes a person who is dishonest, who maneuvers, manipulates, misleads, deceives and who, because of such behavior, is headed for disaster in life. To make his point, in verse 15, he engages in a bit of hyperbole by writing “Calamity will strike him suddenly”, “He will be shattered instantly”, and it will be “Beyond recovery”.
Then in verses 16-19 he goes on to list seven specific behaviors that the Lord hates to see in a person. In my opinion this is a laundry list of behaviors that will inevitably lead to the bad end he wrote about in verse 15:
- “Arrogant eyes”: This is another way of saying “haughty” or “prideful”. This is a person who is so full of themselves that they don’t see situations accurately.
- “A lying tongue”: This person is dishonest and therefore cannot be trusted. It doesn’t take the rest of us very long to know this person for who they really are.
- “Hands that shed innocent blood”: This is a person who is perfectly willing for others to be hurt if it is to their own advantage.
- “A heart that plots wicked schemes”. This is the dishonest business owner who defrauds his customers, or the investment counselor who makes off with people’s money. This is not a crime of passion, it is a well thought out and carefully planned scheme.
- “Feet eager to run to evil.” Racing to do wrong is the opposite of seeking to do right. This is the drug dealer headed to the drug deal; it’s the thief preparing to break into your house; it’s the rioter running to throw the brick through the store window.
- “A lying witness”. This is bearing a false witness against an innocent person; or it could also be spreading rumors, gossip, and lies about someone.
- “One who stirs up trouble among brothers”: This is the drama queen (or king). This is the person who feeds on drama and who loves to stir up dissension. Such people create toxic environments where everyone is fighting and bickering.
According to Solomon this is conduct the Lord detests and hates. The ultimate end for such people is calamity and a shattered life. The point of the passage is that we are to avoid such things in our own conduct.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 