Proverbs 17:9-12 says....

Today's verses are Proverbs 17:9-12, which read,

v.9 - He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.

A transgression or trespass is a way to describe what sin is.  To trespass is to cross the line into a place that you are not suppose to be.  There is usually a sign posted that warns you and even if there wasn't a sign at where you entered, someone would find you and tell you or take you to the sign so that you would know.  This proverb says the one who conceals or covers a sin seeks love.  I would interpret conceals or covers to mean that the transgression or trespass is dealt with in a godly way of confession and repentance because of the love of God realized through the grace of Christ.  When we cover our sins with the blood of Jesus we are seeking the love that God has provided to live a transformed life after Him.  

The one who doesn't cover or conceal the transgression or sin in the love of God repeats is over and over and it has the consequence of ruining very meaningful relationships.  Your most intimate relationship is with Jesus and repeating the matter without covering it to receive the love of His forgiveness drives you and I farther from Him.  The question here is "What do you do with your sin?"  The wise cover it with a reverent fear of God because of love and the fool repeats the action as he or she distances himself or herself from God's standard of holiness.

v.10 - A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

We know the phrase "a 2x4 to the head" to mean that something got your attention.  For the fool the 2x4 doesn't seem to do the trick but for the wise he or she recognizes because of the understanding of who God is that the 2x4 was sent by God.  A rebuke is a reproof or a correction that is for our benefit.  It is to steer you and I back on course to following after God.  We can be very thankful that we are rebuked by God through godly others and through His Word and recognize it as something good for our lives rather than have the hit strike us and it doesn't phase us to change.  The hit can come again and again like the repeating transgression and the fool who is not following after God just sees it as some "dumb bad luck."  God is trying to get our attention but us acting like fools are so separated from God that we don't see or understand that He is reaching out to us.

v.11 - A rebellious man seeks only evil, so a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

We have a repeat offender of God separating himself or herself from God's presence.  God is reaching out with blows of rebuke and reproof but it doesn't have the effect of one who is following after God.  Now this one is rebellious to anything of God and becomes more not like Him.  Evil.  What will God do?  This proverb says that a cruel messenger will be sent.  A fierce representative will go after him or her.  God will go from a 2x4 to a 4x4 or maybe an old house beam to get the rebellious or contentious or disobedient to see the error of not following after Him.  

v.12 - Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.

What a comparison here.  You know the dangers of getting between a mother bear and her cubs.  It would be better to be between a mother bear and her cubs than to be a fool in this folly of repeating sin and not understanding God's rebuke and having sent to you cruel messengers because you are so stuck on yourself and not following after Him.  

This lets me tell the story about deer hunting one fall in northern Michigan.  A man in the church allowed me to hunt in one of his ground blinds in an exclusive hunting camp.  I was thrilled for the opportunity and as I sat in the woods expectantly a bear come out and I was upset because if a bear was there no deer would come in.  So I made some noise to scare away the bear and it ran off.  It reappeared in near future and again I scared it away.  A third time it came and I stepped out from the ground blind to show myself and waved my arms for it to respond by running away.  It was getting later and I decided that nothing would come in that evening with all that noise so I gathering up my equipment to head back to the car.  I was disappointed and not sure if I would get to hunt there again.  As I was walking away from this ground blind that was situated under three trees I heard a noise and so I turned around to see some bear cubs climbing down the trees that I had been underneath.  I was between a mother bear and her cubs.  I started to shake for I then knew the danger I had been in and God says being a fool is being in more danger than that.  May He have our attention today.  Let's pray.

"Lord, You are all about getting our attention.  You lay out in Your scriptures the sign posts that say 'Don't go there.'  You give rebukes through Your Word and godly others to strike us up alongside of the head.  You send more devastating circumstances to corner us to see You.  But so many times we chose to be in danger by being a fool.  Forgive us we pray.  Amen." 

Pastor Adam