Day 642: Things to avoid - Proverbs 25 vs 23 - 28

23 The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. 24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. 26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory. 28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25:23-28 (English Standard Version)

Many of the Proverbs describe things people say or do that cause trouble for others, or even for themselves. So a helpful way of reading Proverbs is to note those things that are hurtful, and then to seek to avoid being a person who does them. So what should a woman who reads vs 23-24 avoid doing?

She should avoid being quarrelsome, and someone who’s always finding fault and running other people down, even her husband! No wonder he flees to some quiet private spot. In the New Testament the apostle Paul, speaking to Christians, said that some women “were idlers, going about from house to house, being  gossips and busybodies, and saying what they should not.” (1 Timothy 5:13) A Woman who loves Jesus should always seek to avoid being that sort of woman and keep a constant watch over her tongue. Words can do a lot of damage.

But it's not only women who must avoid certain things, it's men as well. What would you say men need to avoid according to vs 27-28?

I'd suggest it warns against two things that men are vulnerable to, that of bragging, and a lack of discipline. One meets men who talk a lot about themselves and their accomplishments. It's true even of mundane things like sports. They're always boasting how good their team is. And, like too much honey, it can leave the listener a bit sick of their company. Avoid being that sort of person. The picture in vs 28 of a man who has little self control is even sadder. The writer likens him to a ruined city without walls.

Discipline was a popular word for Christians in previous generations. Many of the men used by God to have a positive impact on the lives of others were men who rose early to pray, made time to study God's word, and read books that challenged them to a closer walk with the Lord. They were willing to work hard and long hours to make their lives useful. Sadly, it's a word that seems to have gone out of fashion. When a man lacks self control it can easily lead to too much drinking, flirting, betting, losing jobs, and even a break down in marriage. That's something to avoid.

What about vs 25-26, what are we told to avoid there?

I'd say it's the danger of cowardly compromise. He uses a picture of two types of water. Water that is cool and fresh, and water that comes from a source that was muddy and polluted. So a messenger with good news quenches the thirsty soul. Think of that even in terms of the gospel. If we pass the gospel on faithfully, without compromise, then even when it challenges sin in people's lives, it will bring joy to a soul that is searching for life with meaning.

How tragic, however, when people pollute the gospel message because they are afraid of how wicked people will react. They begin to compromise on the holiness God's word demands, and make concessions to the whims of an ungodly world. The term used these days for this sort of compromise is 'woke'. Woke people say you mustn't speak any truth that might offend someone. But that sort of cowardly compromise is something we must avoid.

May God help us to be men and women who are not quarrelsome and aren't full of ourselves. May we be disciplined and self controlled, and may we have the courage to pass on God's message of our sin and His salvation in Jesus, faithfully and without compromise.