在当下活出智慧 Wise, Not Otherwise

Title: Wise, Not Otherwise
Date: 6 November 2022
Preacher: Rev Enoch Keong

Love your enemies and hate the wicked. Doesn’t sound very correct, but this is what I arrived at when I reflect on Proverbs 29.

Love you enemies because as Christians we are to love. We are to be all things to all man for the sake of the gospel. Hate the wicked because that is the reality described in the final verse of the chapter, “An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. (v.27)” That’s reality to the sage.

This verse contains the last words from the proverbs copied by the men of King Hezekiah, that runs 5 chapters long. Last words, often contain important reminders, commands and requests. So here it is as if the sage is saying, after you have read the 5 chapters, if there’s one thing that must happen in your life, it is this, hate the wicked.

Hate is a strong word. To hate the wicked, is something uncomfortable to hear and to say. But allow me to give 2 reasons for saying it still. First, the verse uses the word ‘abomination’. The word appears multiple times in the book of Proverbs, in the phrase “abomination to the Lord”. We will read 2 out of the 10 verses containing this expression, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. (11:1)” And “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. (15:9)” The word ‘abomination’ in these verses describes God’s hatred. Hated against despicable acts of injustice, which includes perversity, misrepresentation, deceit, hypocrisy, wickedness, and pride. [1] So to hate wickedness is to feel God, and to see things the way God sees them.

But you may disagree with the sage, for we are not God. And who are we to judge others? As Christians our call is to love.

Let me give the second reason, which is not as high and mighty sounding. That is, although to hate the wicked can sounds unchristian, it is not unbiblical. Listen to this prayer,

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies. (Ps 139:19-22)

In calling out to God to perform justice, this psalmist sees the need to say that he hates his enemies with complete hatred. So, hatred is an acceptable emotional response for godly people to have? For Christians as well?

When the Pharisees accused Jesus for casting out demons by the prince of demons, Beelzebul, Jesus has this to say, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Much as we don’t see the word hate in this verse, Jesus’ retort is suggesting a necessary conflict and exclusion, not love and inclusion. No middle ground says Jesus, between those who are with and for God and those who go against God and his will.

So, if hatred is an accepted emotional response biblically speaking. And we who are called to mimic God in his ways, are to do so even when it comes to hatred. Then what is the last words from Proverbs 29 urging us to do?

We mentioned earlier that God hates despicable acts of injustice, which includes perversity, misrepresentation, deceit, hypocrisy, wickedness, and pride. God hates them because such things disrupt and even destroy community life and pose hurdles to living flourishing lives.

Such despicable acts characterize the unjust, he wicked, the fools. So, in saying that life should constantly be a situation where “An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous”, the proverb is saying that we are to develop a strong negative feeling toward the fools and the unjust, so that we will want to stay away from these people and not join them to do the things they do. There’s really is no middle ground between the just and the unjust, the wise and the fools. The last words from Proverbs 29 is therefore a call; a call to strive to be wise, not otherwise.

But we notice a mismatch, don’t’ we? The mismatch between the reality painted by the last words from Proverbs 29 and the reality we see in today’s world. The proverb says, no middle ground. Our world says, practice tolerance and mutual acceptance in every aspect of life, establish new common grounds. This mismatch, I believes, causes tensions in us often times, a tension between wanting to please God or to please man.

To be sure, tolerance and mutual acceptance has led to many good things, examples from our local context would be interfaith dialogues and harmony between the races. In other words, tolerance and mutual acceptance helps us in the business of loving others.

But tolerance is not without problems. Tolerance urges embracing and mutual acceptance without judging, which is a double-edged sword.

When we apply this understanding to say culture, music and food, we see creativity and freshness, like nasi lemak burger (if we won’t mind the example being a bit of a stretch).

But when the understanding is applied to say lifestyle and ethics, as in areas of life involving values and morals, tolerance can be boon or a bane. In the area of lifestyle, one positive outcome might be dual key housing. Heard of it? The husband values his freedom fiercely, the wife wants cohesion. Need not fight, practice tolerance, get a dual key apartment if the couple can afford. A house with a studio apartment attached to it yet separated by walls and a door from the main unit. With a dual key unit, the couple can have their freedom and be right next to one set of parents at the same time. They get to enjoy the personal space and the quietness, without having to sacrifice community life.
As a negative example, tolerance has led to a greater acceptance of trial marriages, which the bible disapproves.

When the understanding is applied to matters involving ethics, our society has practice tolerance long enough to see the good and the bad sides of things. A good example I came across would be a family that chose to keep a helper for many moons instead of sending her away, although her work performance was way below satisfactory level. Reason, because the helper is good person at heart – tolerance, leading to embracing and acceptance.

As to the downside, in our result-oriented world, tolerance means that we can price efficiency over ethics. This has, for example, led to acceptance of professionals whose public and private lives does not tally. The society embraces such individuals, such as someone in the helping profession but an abuser at home. That’s ok, as long as they perform in their professional roles. We might be working with or under someone like that.

Friends, we live in a world that presses us to practice tolerance. I hope enough examples has been giving to demonstrate that tolerance is something good and bad at the same time.

But, can I say, we tend to be not discerning enough. And a social climate that insist on tolerance has made us more secular than biblical in our thinking, actions and preferences.

If you agree with this assessment, let me point us to 1 warning and 2 encouragement from Proverbs 29 on navigating in such a world.

We find the warning in the first verse, “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.” The word ‘reprove’ can mean punishment, rebuking and teaching. I hope people around us don’t find it a need to keep reproving or nag at us.

But may I say this, you and I are in fact continually rebuked and reproved. Reproved by, by God’s word. We prefer to say that the word of God convicts us rather than reproves us, and that’s fine. The question is whether our ears and hearts are opened for God’s word to speak to us on the way that we think and act? On whether the way we practice tolerance is biblically sound and God pleasing. Or our ears are dull and our hearts are numb to an extent that although we come to God’s words through bible reading and attending worship services, we hear but we do not listen. We bow in worship but stiffen our necks towards spiritual growth and transformation. The verse warns against being so.

May I request of us to perform a quick self-check now, to see whether what has just been said might be describing us to some extent?

Whichever the case, let’s move on to the 2 encouragements on navigating in a world that demands us to practice tolerance. The first one is found in verse 18, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” I like to direct our attentions to the second half of the verse. The stress here is that God’s word is available to us, is there for us, and what is critical would be whether we opt to follow what God’s word is saying.

What the proverb stresses on can only be a timely message in a social environment that presses us to be tolerant. I have not read enough on tolerance to know a more complete and definitive definition of it. But no matter, because I believe the feeling we get in our day to day encounters is exactly like how we have phrased it this morning: Tolerance urges embracing and mutual acceptance without judging.

Ours is a pleasure-oriented society. To binge-watch or to do something more environmentally friendly? We choose binge-watch. Choose bubble tea or something healthier instead? We go for bubble tea. I am not saying about us. But news and commentaries are telling us what are the peoples’ choice, or choices, which goes to suggest that ours is a pleasure-oriented society.

And tolerance has one major emphasis as far as I can see. That is to be tolerant, more tolerant and to accept every and any alternative without judging. Marry the two, a pleasure-oriented culture with a push for tolerance, and imagine how such a culture will shape us. The truth is, we don’t even have to imagine. It’s already a reality.

Friends, we are to live life and mingle in the society we find ourselves, no two way about it. But can we opt to let the bible have the bigger say in our lives?

I am not asking us to be moral polices or holy weirdos. How about just this for the time being, when we come across popular ideas, put it side by side with the word of God, think and pray through them, before deciding how much to buy in to such ideas.

Worth a try? If we say yes, we will have to start revisiting some of the popular ideas we have already bought into. At the same time, we know that it’s not gonna be easy to do so. It’s never easy to be countercultural. To do so can lead to loss of opportunities, in term of employment, business, friendship, romantic relationship, etc.

On this, Proverbs 29 gives the 2nd encouragement to nudge us on:, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” The verse reveals a general attitude that we might have toward other humans. Let me read from a commentator who explains this clearly:

“The parallel to “trusts in the Lord,” however, shows that the “fear of man” is not the fear of particular dangers posed by others, but an attitude toward other humans. It is the exaggeration of human powers, which is the opposite of trust in God...To fear God is to respect his power, and this respect means trusting in his protection…Conversely, to fear man is to believe in human power, hence to rely on humans and bend to their will rather than to God’s.” [2]

In more layman terms, ‘fear’ in the verse refers to anxiety, that is being fearful for no specific reason. And this anxiety stems from seeing human powers too big, and God’s power too small. This can be true, at times, of even the most spiritually mature people. I am less than that, so it’s true for me. How about us? Do we find ourselves having this “fear of man”?

The sage is not saying that all we need to do is to stop fearing man, trust only in God, and we all things will turn out well. The world, ancient and modern, doesn’t work this way. And it cannot be that the sage is being so naïve. What he is saying is this, are we willing to give our hearts to God and trust in him? For God is able to provide and deliver, if, doing so, would help us to progress in the journey of blessedness.

In sum, in striving to be wise, not otherwise, Proverb 29 is urging us to give our ears and minds to God’s word and to give our hearts to God.

[1] New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Vol. 4. Page 317.
[2] Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 10-31 (New York: Yale University Press, 2009), 846.

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