Reading for Today:
Proverb Chapter 26
Gold Nugget
Verse 17: “He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel
not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears.”
Commentary
Ever know anyone that has to be in the middle of everyone
else’s business? This person feels like every quarrel needs their fighting
skills. A peacemaker is worth their weight in gold, but people that want to be
in the middle of the drama are a dime a dozen. When we throw the word “drama”
in the mix, we unfairly assume that women are the only ones that are hungry for
drama. We may not use the word “drama king” as we do “drama queen”, but some
people love to fight and it’s a deficiency in men as well as women. For some
people, ain’t no business like somebody else’s. Now that we have painted an
ugly picture of this horrible person and we have our own little picture in our
head of who we know fits this description, let’s turn the critical eye inward.
Whether it is a fight or just other people’s business in general, we need to
know where we belong and where we don’t. Again, being a peacemaker is a
Christian characteristic, but even today’s “gold nugget” indicates that some
quarrels are not our business. “He who
passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by
the ears.” When we are too quick to jump in the middle of a quarrel, we may
not be aware of all the details. We may have chosen a defense that isn’t
appropriate. We may be encouraging someone to continue in a bad direction
because we encouraged it with our participation. We need to be quick to bring peace,
but slow to choose sides. That being said, we can be just as useless by
neglecting to choose a side. It may be popular, but this “I’m not choosing
sides” can be encouraging to the one at fault and degrading to the person being
mistreated. All this points to the fact that we need to be EXTREMELY cautious
when it comes to other peoples quarrels.
Prayer
Lord, I have jumped
in on the wrong side of disagreements before and have had someone jump in on
the wrong side of my disagreement. I see how foolish it is and know I need your
help in knowing when to get involved and when to stay away. Reading your Word
and spending time with you in prayer will help me to know the difference. Help
me to apply this proverb today and from now on. Amen
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