Prov 6:34 For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
Have you ever had that feeling of rage for the injustices, against yourself, your loved ones, or friends? You want to get even, to make sure they know their behaviour is unacceptable, how dare they speak to your daughter/son like that?
I met a man a few weeks ago and we have become connected now. He had three of his children and a niece killed by a drunk/drugged driver when the car mounted the pavement. This man was at the scene within a few minutes and saw the dreadful situation with his own eyes. As did his wife and their mother.
I can’t imagine the emotions, the unbelief, the fear, and the pain that would have flooded this beautiful couple. And the days that followed. No one should go through this.
Their faith shone through, they spoke about how they chose to forgive the perpetrator. Don’t however assume this was easy.
The driver is in prison today, for a great number of years ahead. The two men have met, in the prison, and the driver has committed the rest of his life to God.
God is a God of forgiveness and forgiveness lives on our side of the great divide. On the other side, it’s just you and God.
KNOWLEDGE
How much is in this word “spare”? It may make us think of spare tyre – for our car, or sometimes used for excess weight around the middle. But in the context here it is about being spared from a righteous judgement. The man in the Proverb here has discovered that his wife has been unfaithful with another man, and his fury knows no bounds towards that man. Something sacred has been trampled.
There is a figurative undertone here of a God who wants us to be faithful to him, and him only. When we begin to give our hearts to another thing we step into a place of great potential danger. When we have a love affair with ourselves, or money, or success, or leisure, or food, or pornography, or anything else, and the number one place in our heart is no longer reserved for God alone, we are drifting into terrible eternal danger. It’s a sobering thought – not popular with those who see God as benign, long suffering, always forgiving, accepting all, with no judgment at any point.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word used for “spare” is pronounced as “hamal” in Hebrew and carries the meaning, to spare, take pity on, have mercy on. (of course in this scripture we are seeing the negative application when there is no sparing, no pity, and no mercy.)
In the LXX the word used in Greek is φείσεται [pheisetai] – “spare” and is seen in ten occurrences in the New Testament. For instance in Romans 8:32 ESV “He who did not spare [ἐφείσατο] his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things.”
WISDOM
What choices can I make today that will help others be better?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Context as a Gallup Strength learns from the past to succeed in the future. Don’t get stuck in the past though.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – For jealousy makes a man furious with wrath and hot displeasure, and he will have no pity or mercy in his vengeance.
For jealousy – For jealousy
makes a man furious – makes a man furious with wrath and hot displeasure
and he will not spare – and he will have no pity or mercy
when he takes revenge – in his vengeance.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to guard my heart and actions each and stay close to you.
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