Don't Blame God For Your Screw Ups
A Message From the Proverbs
I’ve written before about how much I love the book of Proverbs and how I try to read a chapter from the Proverbs every day. The last several weeks I have had the privilege of teaching from the book of Proverbs on Sunday morning so much of my study time has been sifting through this book of wisdom. The thing about proverbs, whether biblical or otherwise, is that they are meant to pack a punch; when you hear them they should really knock you over the head with the meaning.
One thing I’ve observed, however, is that sometimes our Bible translations can muddy the meaning of a good Proverb.
“He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.”
-Proverbs 9:7-
Maybe it isn’t all that hard to discern what is meant by that piece of advice. If you correct someone who is a fool and hates knowledge, it probably won’t turn out too well for you. I am not sure what it means to “getteth…a blot” but I don’t think I want it to happen to me.
Another thing I have noticed is that the proverbs in the Bible often require a lot of explanation because they often involve puns, play on words, rhyming ideas in couplets; in a way they are almost like poetry. Because of this some translations can vary wildly from one another and often the meaning can literally get lost in translation. It’s for this reason that you would be well served to read the Proverbs in several different translations in order to get a sense of the meaning.
It was in my study that I began reading through some of the Proverbs in “The Message.” Now let me add a disclaimer: I ordinarily would not advocate anyone exclusively read “The Message” because it isn’t really a translation. It barely even a paraphrase. At best I would call it a commentary by a man named Eugene Peterson in which he ties his commentary directly in the biblical text. It is fine to read in addition to a good translation in order to supplement and to get another man’s interpretation but that’s about it.
One particular Proverb that just made me laugh out loud from “The Message” was,
“People ruin their lives by their own stupidity,
so why does God always get blamed?”-Proverbs 19:3-
I just love that!
This is what a proverb should be. It is a morsel of wisdom that when you hear it, if you aren’t a scornful fool, just makes you say, “Man! That sure is the truth!”
It also speaks to a deeper issue that has become increasingly apparent in our culture. Foolishness is contagious and as one person pursue it he or she spreads foolishness to others. Parents will make bad decision after bad decision and then pass that mentality on to their children. Generational curses abound.
Running parallel with that is an increase of people who are afflicted with problems like poverty, discontentment, depression, anxiety, and myriad other societal ills. What do we also see increasing? Accusations being leveled at God for allowing terrible things to happen.
This Proverb cuts right to the heart of the vast majority of the problems we face in this world. Nine times out of ten if you are struggling with something you are, at least in part, to blame. Maybe you aren’t the most proximate cause of the immediate problem but if you trace back far enough you will find the moment in time when you chose to pursue foolishness. However as we suffer in the here and now what do we often say? “God! If you are so wise, loving, good, etc. why would You allow this to happen?!”
The reality: You ruined your own life by your own stupidity so why are you blaming God?