Proverbs 29:9-12 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 29:9-12, which read,

v.9 - When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

Solomon lets us see what happens many times when the wise and the foolish have interaction with each other.  The wise tries to have an impact on the foolish with the words and ways of God but the foolish either respond with rage against it or laughs at the advice of the wise.  They are offended because a judgment is coming but it is not from the wise but rather from God's word.  So the fool bites back or laughs it off as nothing.  I think the lesson of the proverb is to realize that this is a common response of the foolish to the wise.  Don't be surprised.  Don't let it discourage you from keeping on with God's words and ways.  May we just know that those defense mechanisms to God's intervention through you and others emerge to sustain their direction walking from God rather than to Him.  Instead of rage we need to repent and instead of laughing at Jesus we need to make Him Lord.

v.10 - Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, but the upright are concerned for his life.

Another response of the foolish is to hate anything and anyone who gets in their way even those who are blameless.  The bloodshed here can be literal but it can also be figuratively understood as many are left wounded in the wake of those who follow selfish ways at the expense of others.  Some of those wounds are harder and longer to heal than an actual flesh wound.  

The upright are always aware of others or at least they try to be.  One way that we show our love for God is by loving others more than ourselves.  We are there to help bandage those wounds and hopefully not make some new ones.  It happens at times because there is so much impact of the foolish selfishness that when someone comes with concern it can be viewed with skepticism.  Sometimes it is hard to love another with the love of Christ who has been wounded by the world.  

v.11 - A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.

By this proverb, I have definitely been a fool at times.  I have lost my temper with my wife, my children, my church, and even objects that I own that can't do anything to change because it is just "a thing."  The wise learns to hold his or her tongue.  The wise uses self-control to temper the response that would come to be more godly than first reaction to the situation.  The wise uses his or her ears much more than his or her tongue.  This reminds us of the New Testament verses found in James 1:19-21 which say,

"My dear brothers and sisters, understand this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness.  Therefore, ridding yourself of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

It sounds like James was a reader of the Proverbs.

v.12 - If a ruler pays attention to falsehood, all his ministers become wicked.

If a ruler listens to lies and lets them linger then he will soon be surrounded by liars.  What a mess this would put the country in when the officials are allowing themselves to be influenced by evil.  If we flip this proverb over it might say, "If a ruler pays attention to truth, all his ministers become wise."  If the leader is concerned with truthful information then his advisors will do the same and be the same.  Our godly actions because we are following after God have an impact on those around us for good.  God is using our witness of Him to influence those around us and some will be drawn to it while some will rage at it and laugh it off.

How are you with reactions from others that are not pleasant to you following godly wisdom?  How do you respond to the rage of offensiveness to God's word or the laughing it off as not important?  How aware are you of others to care for their wounds rather than create new ones?  How are you doing holding your tongue so that you can let your ears help make a better choice of how to respond in a god-like way?  The others around you are being influenced by you so how would they be described?  All good questions to ponder this October Monday morning as we get serious about the book of Proverbs of the Bible.  Let us pray.

"Lord we don't like confrontation and so we hold our tongue when we shouldn't and we don't like to wait and so we let that tongue fly before getting more information to be more compassionate to help instead of hinder.  We can so easily flop from being wise to being foolish.  Help us to remember these proverbs to guide us when we encounter people and situations that need a godly influence to emerge to help change the course of direction.  Amen."

Pastor Adam