Evil Men Seek Rebellion
June 22, 2022
Commentary
No matter how much you beat on a fool he will not change; but gently rebuke a wise man and he will take it to heart (v. 10). The wise man realizes his limitations and is thankful for correction while a fool is unresponsive. Have you ever heard the expression, “There is no fool like an old fool?” This is probably true. The older a person becomes the more set he becomes in his ways and the harder it is to admit that he is wrong. “An evil man seeketh only rebellion” (v. 11). He wants to do only his own thing. Eventually he will be brought to justice and punished by a merciless official. To contend with this person is like doing battle with a mother bear that has been robbed of her cubs. She will be dangerous but a worse danger is meeting a fool (v. 12).
You will always have trouble if you are mean to those who are good to you (v. 13). How many times a lifelong contention has begun with a few hasty words. If it had been repented of and apologized for immediately, years of sorrow could have been averted. Starting a quarrel may seem like a minor matter. It is like a leak in a dam that could be stopped with a pebble, if noticed and taken care of in the beginning. However, if it is neglected the hole will get larger and larger until at last the dam breaks and it destroys everything in front of it (v. 14).
MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL IS EASY. JUST ADD A LITTLE DIRT.
Application
How well I respond to correction is important? It is so easy to become angry toward those who rebuke me when I need to be grateful for their suggestions?
Proverbs 17:10– 14 (NET)
10 A rebuke makes a greater impression on a discerning person than a hundred blows on a fool.
11 An evil person seeks only rebellion, and so a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 It is better for a person to meet a mother bear being robbed of her cubs, than to encounter a fool in his folly.
13 As for the one who repays evil for good, evil will not leave his house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like letting out water; abandon strife before it breaks out!
Illustration: DL Moody The quotFool” Says There is No God
An usher once handed the famous evangelist D.L. Moody a note as he entered the auditorium. The evangelist thought that it was an announcement, so he prepared to read it. Opening the folded piece of paper he found scrawled in large print only one word: “Fool.” Equal to the occasion Moody said, “I have just been handed a memo which contains the single word-‘Fool’ This is most unusual. I’ve often heard of those who have written letters and forgotten to sign their names, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone who signed his name and then forgot to write the letter.” Taking advantage of the unique situation, Moody promptly changed his sermon text to Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.” (Source Unknown).