Gold Nugget
Verse 19: “A man of great wrath will suffer punishment; for if you
rescue him, you will have to do it again.”
Commentary
Although the concept of “tough love” is easier to administer than grace
and mercy, today’s “gold nugget” is a case where not rescuing or aiding someone is the right thing to do. (Or should
I say the right thing not to do?) “A man
of great wrath will suffer punishment; for if you rescue him, you will have to
do it again.” When we are talking about a stranger’s scenario it is easier
to say, “He made his bed. He needs to lay in it.” Although today's gold nugget may
apply in that particular case, our attitude plays a vital role in whether we
are reacting justly or not. If we are reacting without compassion when we say,
“He made his bed. He needs to lay in it.”, we should be very sorrowful for our
lack of compassion. If we do not have compassion, it is not our place to make
such statements.
While it is easy to conclude someone will not learn unless
they suffer consequences, we sometimes reserve such judgment for those further
away from our hearts. When it comes to our family or especially our children,
we often take a different position. What is the difference? Well, it’s pretty
obvious, I know. Our family is our family, but the difference comes right back
to compassion. We have compassion for our child that repeatedly failed
to do their homework and shouldn’t be allowed to go to their friend’s for the
weekend. In today’s families we are more likely to “rescue” our loved ones from
the punishment that today’s scripture says should befall them. Just as lack of compassion
leads us to conclude, “He made his bed. He needs to lay in it”, compassion
with lack of wisdom will lead us to rescuing a loved one time and time again.
When it comes to people (family or foe) we need to exercise both compassion and
wisdom and never one without the other.
Prayer
Lord, help us
to posses the wisdom to know when we should rescue someone and when we should
allow space for them to learn and repent. Keep us from being enablers to those who
continue to do wrong. Amen
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