Proverbs 17:12-13 

¹²Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. ¹³Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

Laid off

         After a husband lost his job, the wife was the only provider for the family. They had growing children, and they’re short of cash. They seriously prayed and keep on trusting for God provision. They still participate actively in church ministries despite their financial difficulties. Slowly but surely, they survived their struggles with integrity. Their children excelled in their studies and found decent jobs. And their finances has become stable.

         It’s like fairy tales but God takes care of that family. Can you accept that? Let’s reflect on Psalm 128:1-3, ¹Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. ²You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. ³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

         Prayerfully read the word of the Lord and obediently practice what it requires to be blessed. The word of God is not wishful thinking. It is God’s revelation how faithful believers may fear him and enjoy life. Do you fear the Lord? What does it mean to fear the Lord and be blessed?

         Fear of the Lord is not about being scared of punishment from God. Fear of the Lord includes fear of disobeying him and fear of not getting his blessings. Or fear of being separated from God. This is like fear of children being separated from loving parents. Young children cherish love and care of parents, and they are dependent on their parents for their needs.

         Sadly, when children become teenagers, they spend time with their friends more than being with their parents, why? The attraction of being independent has disillusioned teenagers to explore adventurously.

         Have you discovered that life with God is actually adventurous? Pray that you may walk in obedience to the Lord and you explore life adventures that he prepared for you. Where can we start? Discover your spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts is instrumental to enthusiastic adventure with the Lord.

         It says in Romans 11:29, ²⁹God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.

         How do you interpret that? All believers are called to bring glory to the Lord, and he gave us one or more spiritual gifts to perform our calling well. If we avoid our calling and we don’t practice our spiritual gifts, we will sense some sort of emptiness. We sense something is lacking in our life.

         It’s foolishness to keep doing things despite no sense of purposes.

And meeting a bear robbed of her cubs is better than meeting fool. Hmn?

1.  Rob

            ¹²Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.

         You can find polar bears at the Assiniboine Zoo but you can find fools anywhere. Mother bears are very protective of their cubs. If they sense that their cubs are in danger, they will charge without hesitation. It’s scary to rob mother bears of their cubs. Yet to face an angry mother bear robbed of her cubs is much better than facing a fool. How could that be?

         An angry mother bear may stop chasing, if her cubs return to her. In contrast, it is nearly impossible to avoid fools from their foolishness. Did you know that entitled church attendees are disillusioned by foolishness?

         When preachers preach on sensitive topics, they would accuse the preachers of targeting them. Instead of reflecting on their behavior and ask God to transform them, they would rather protect their despicable attitude.

Job

         Observe what happen to Job and his so-called friends. They sounded spiritual but their rhetorics tormented him in Job 19:1-6, ¹Then Job replied: ²“How long will you torment me and crush me with words? ³Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me. ⁴If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone. ⁵If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me, ⁶then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.

         True friends should sympathize. Job did not asked them to rationalize his suffering. He just wanted to express his painful predicament. His friends did not sympathize. They felt insulted instead. How do you interpret what it narrated in Job 20:1-3? ¹Zophar the Naamathite replied: ²“My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed. ³I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply.

         It was foolish for the friends of Job to accuse him of unfaithfulness to the Lord. They did not know that God allowed Satan to torment Job. But the friends of Job interpreted that the suffering of Job as punishment from God. Well, the friends of Job felt insulted, and they tried to repay Job with insult.

2.  Repay

            ¹³Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

         When Job rhetorically asked how long will they torment him, he just wanted to be heard. In the eyes of Job, his friends were foolish to accuse him of wickedness when they did not know what the actual situation was. His friends interpreted that Job despised their explanation, and they tried so hard to prove that they were more intelligently spiritual than Job.

         Eventually, God vindicated Job. It narrated in Job 42:7-9, ⁷The Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. ⁸So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” ⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

         The Lord frankly told Eliphas and his friends that he won’t deal with them according to their foolishness because Job will pray for them.

         When we preach against sensitive topic, we can be foolishly accused of vindictiveness. But like Job, we should pray for anyone who felt offended by the gospel of Christ. They also need the Lord’s mercy like any of us.

         Together, let us reflect on what it says in Ephesians 2:2-5, ²You used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

         Can you remember your behavior and attitude before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Have you been transformed? Before I prayerfully accepted Jesus Christ a Lord and Savior, I was very shy. Then the Holy Spirit empowers me, and I sense enthusiasm to talk about Christ.

         Memorize what it declares in 2 Timothy 1:7, ⁷For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

         Have you received power to love your offenders? Have you received power to have self-discipline and diligence to practice your spiritual gifts? Have you been empowered to testify of your adventure in Christ?

         Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit always! Yes! Always! Amen!

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