A troublemaker and a villain…
Summary: What is Solomon doing here? What is he talking about? This information is intended for older children. These are young adults and adults who have to live in the adult world.
These next four verses are interesting. We are going to slow down and look at them in detail. Let’s begin with today’s passage: “A troublemaker and a villain.”
Solomon has collected his thoughts and written them down. He is a man with one thousand wives who very possibly has more than a thousand children. (Can you imagine the cost of braces alone for all those kids?!) The children range in age from newborns to possibly mid-thirties, depending on when the last of the proverbs were written.
To these children, Solomon leaves the wealth that God has given him. Yet, greater than all this wealth (Proverbs 3: 13-14) is the wisdom that Solomon has been given by God. This is what he wants to share with his offspring and us.
He begins by telling us how important wisdom, knowledge (instruction), and understanding are (Proverbs 1: 1-7). Then, he dives into the details and gives us a description of “sinful men” (Proverbs 1: 8-19). Next, he introduces us to Wisdom and teaches us about her and what she offers. In Chapter Four, Solomon admonishes us to “get wisdom.”
At this point (Proverbs 5), Solomon begins with a warning about adultery. This is a very personal topic for him. He is the child of an adulterous relationship. David and Bathsheba were married by the time Solomon was born, but the scars of their adulterous beginning left marks. Solomon saw these marks in the faces of his parents. He lived with those marks until they died, and then he lived with their memory.
In this passage, Solomon gives us specific instructions on how to recognize the Bad Guys. These are the guys who always wore black hats in the cowboy shows of yesteryear. In real life, the signs are more subtle. We would do well to learn them and be realistic about what people are.
Application: Before we can recognize troublemakers and villains, we have to admit to ourselves that they really exist.
Food for Thought: What is the benefit to the church of being able to recognize troublemakers and villains?
03-11-2022, Proverbs 6:12a, What is the benefit to the church of being able to recognize troublemakers and villains?
The church is the body of Christ on earth, called to grow in every respect as we become mature.
Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:21-23; Ephesians 4:15
Romans 12 teaches we are to offer ourselves a living sacrifice to God, as we live in unity and humble service to one another in the body of Christ. Our love must be sincere and demonstrated by hate for all that is evil.
We are also told men within the church will rise up and distort the truth in an effort to convince others to join them. We are to identify those who would cause division and avoid those who encourage living contrary to true doctrine from God.
Acts 20:29-30, Romans 16:17
Ron,
Thank you for an excellent outline on this topic. Your final verse reference sums this up nicely:
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
— Romans 16:17
What is the benefit to the church of being able to recognize trouble makers and villains?
I’ll start by saying that I appreciate Ron’s comments before me.
Part of my personal struggle is that I can see myself in these passages. I know I have even unintentionally been a trouble maker. We all can be the trouble maker or villain. We all have that capacity. I know I do. It partly depends on how we define the term. There are certainly wolves among the sheep as Acts 20 says and Ron pointed out. Then there are those people who are chronically causing division as Romans 16: 17 states. The Bible is consistent about steering clear and confronting such people in disciplinary action as needed. 2 Timothy 2: 23 – 26; Titus 3: 9 – 11.
But such verses as these make me all the more grateful for the cross. Jesus died on our behalf while we were sinning against Him Romans 5: 8. He nailed the consequences of my sin to the cross (Colossians 2: 13 – 15) and purified me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1: 9). I am sometimes the villain who needs an advocate. I am thankful that I have one (1 John 1: 7 – 2: 2).
There is a benefit in me being able to recognize my own need. There is also a benefit in recognizing the wolf to protect the sheep.
That should be sinning against Him and not winning. But I suppose that is obvious.
Fixed it. 🙂 je
Brother Rich,
Thank you for sharing these thoughts today. You are definitely not a trouble maker or a villain! 🙂 Sometimes we approach things differently, but brothers and sisters in the faith who understand their need for Christ tend to approach differences of opinion with humility. We know that there are things beyond our understanding.
There is something different about the trouble maker / villain. Perhaps it is a lack of humility. Maybe it is a desire for attention. The common thread I see is that they tend to choose disruption over peace. If they do not get their way, then there are consequences to be paid.
Now, re-reading your thoughts, I wonder if we still all fall into this role occasionally? And what if we do? Are we then called to engage with each other? Yes, I believe we are. And perhaps this is the most important test — how we respond to engaging with others. Does it drive us away or does it drive us to the cross? If we are all clinging to the cross, can there be any room for disagreement?
No.
This is where we find the unity that Jesus prized so highly.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17: 20-23)
“Complete unity…” Isn’t that the milepost marker that tells us we are on the right track?
Well said. Thank you brother.