May 19, 2013 – Proverbs 26:6 - 27:12

We are given the very lovely image of a dog eating his own vomit.  As odd as that might sound, or even unbelievable, I have actually seen a dog do this.  It is as disgusting as it sounds and I will never forget the image.  That made me think of the person that wrote these proverbs, and this one in particular.  They see something like that and must think to themselves, “This is an image I can use to describe something.”

26:19 looks at the times when you have done something that hurts another and try to escape culpability by saying, “I was only joking”.  What good does that do the person that was hurt.  Is that supposed to make them feel better?  And usually, even if it was said as a joke, there is a truth in there and not a flattering truth.  “You could stand to lose some weight, oh, I was only joking”.  Does anybody actually believe that heals anything or would they think it was okay if that is what someone said to them when they were insulted. 

27:5 talks about love that is hidden as being worse that open rebukes.  It makes you wonder about the people we do love but they will never know how much because we hide it or don’t tell them.  We may think that they already know how much I love them.  Is it worth the risk that they might not.  Is it so hard to let them know.