A WORD FOR TODAY, April 25, 2022
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, April 25, 2022
“There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19, WEB
Murder has existed since almost the beginning. Cain killed Abel in the fourth chapter of Genesis. It was self-defense; Cain killed Abel because of human pride. There is no way to count the number of people who have been murdered since then; it is hard enough to count the number who are murdered yearly around the world. We try to keep a count, but we don’t always know how people have died. When someone disappears and their body is found years later, we can’t always tell how they died. The television is filled with shows that use forensics to discover the truth about deaths, but those are fictional. Most investigations can’t be solved in less than an hour.
Sadly, willful violence that leads to death is a reality in the world in which we live. While most people die of accidents or natural causes, some people are murdered. Most murder is an unfortunate response to a situation gone out of control, leading to a resolution that is much too permanent. Cain was jealous and responded to Abel’s faith with a blow to the head. We’ve all heard about murders, but few of us have any real experience with it. Even fewer will ever murder someone. We probably will not be murdered. Every murder is one too many, and it is our hope that God will keep those tempted to kill from doing so.
Unfortunately there are too many people who have little regard for human life, and though we may not take that lack of regard to its inevitable end, we often use words that threaten. How many of us yelled, “I’ll kill you!” to our siblings when they did something that made us angry? We didn’t mean it, of course, but words mean things. We learn as children that sticks and stones may break bones, but names never hurt us. The more we say something, however, the more likely it is to be real to us. If our response to every supposed affront is “I’ll kill you!” it won’t be long before we are responding in a real, physical way.
It is one thing for siblings to cry out in a moment of anger, but yet another for the kind of threats we see happening today. The internet has become a dangerous place, and many people with controversial opinions are getting death threats. Many celebrities, politicians, and other people with a public presence need twenty-four-hour security. There is some risk to being a dominant personality with a following, as there will always be someone who disagrees with your point of view. They speak and do things that anger others; they are often equally loved and hated. I once read a story about person attending a political rally that received threats just for being there. Even children are threatening one another in school yards and on the Internet. Bullies have led other young people to commit suicide because they are so afraid.
We know right from wrong. Our parents and the other adults in our lives have taught these things to us, however there is also an innate understanding of what is good and what is evil. As Christians, we have the scriptures to show us what God sees as right and wrong, but other religions seem to follow a similar formula. I wonder if we haven’t done ourselves an injustice by teaching that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me” because even the words really can do harm.
Today’s passage from Proverbs provides the basic foundation for the laws that many religions follow. The Ten Commandments teach us to respect authority and to not murder, steal or lie. As Christians, we know we need to follow the Word of God, but people in general know the difference between right and wrong. God gives us a conscience, the knowledge between what is good and evil. We know it is not right to threaten to kill our siblings, and as we mature we learn to respond more civilly when we are upset. Sadly, it seems too many people in today’s environment have not learned how to deal well with any offense against them.
We err; we sometimes respond too harshly when we are hurt. When we do fail, we have an intercessor in Jesus Christ. He died on the cross so that we will be forgiven for what we have done against God’s Word. However, as forgiven people, we are urged to avoid the things that God despises: pride, lies, murder, scheming, evil, false witness and dissension. These are all sins that begin with the words out of our mouths and the language we use in responding to the world around us. Words matter, and as Christians we are encouraged to watch what we say, even if we don’t mean it, because we know that words can lead to a physical response that can’t be fixed.
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