Tag: Proverbs 26:17-22

Monday, August 29, 2022

17 You grab a mad dog by the ears

    when you butt into a quarrel that’s none of your business.

18-19 People who shrug off deliberate deceptions,

    saying, “I didn’t mean it, I was only joking,”

Are worse than careless campers

    who walk away from smoldering campfires.

20 When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;

    when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.

21 A quarrelsome person in a dispute

    is like kerosene thrown on a fire.

22 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

    do you want junk like that in your belly?

-Proverbs 26:17-22 The Message

17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own

    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death

19 is the man who deceives his neighbor

    and says, “I am only joking!”

20 For lack of wood, the fire goes out,

    and quarreling ceases where there is no whisperer.

21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

    they go down into the inner parts of the body.

-Proverbs 26:17-22 ESV

Verse 17 study: Grabbing a dog’s ears is a good way to get bitten. Likewise, interfering in arguments is a good way to get hurt. In most cases, both arguers will turn on the other person who interferes. Stay out of arguments you don’t have anything to do with. If you have to get involved, wait until the arguers have cooled off after fighting. Afterward, you may be able to mend their differences and their relationship. This also comes with wisdom, knowing when to not interfere.

Verses 18-19 studies: Destruction can be potential in a common element of property and person (v. 18) and personal relations (v. 19.)

Verse 20 study: Adding fuel to the fire keeps the fire going. The same can be said when talking about someone that irritates you. When you stop adding fuel to the fire, the fire will eventually stop growing. Likewise, if you stop talking about the person that upsets you, your irritation dies because nothing is added to annoy you. People will always talk bad about you without knowing the truth. Knowing how to handle it is what wisdom is all about.

Verse 21 study: I’m not happy if I’m not working. A quarrelsome man is not satisfied if they can’t undermine a relationship. Understanding the difference between not being happy with something good versus knowing when to cut ties is essential.