April 25, 2021
“The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.” Proverbs 12:16 ESV
This is such an important life lesson. Hotheads act foolishly, but those who ignore insults come out ahead in life. They will be trusted and respected by others because they refrain from retaliating and resist the urge to defend themselves. In contrast, the fool is quick to speak out of turn and is dulled to how they are impacting those around them. In Scripture, fools appear in all stations of life from farmers (Nabal – 1 Samuel 25) to kings (Rehoboam – 1 Kings 12). And we see widespread examples of the prudent from Nabal’s wife, Abigail, to our best example, Jesus—who ignored the caddy remarks of the religious leaders and proceeded to do the Father’s will.
Lord, help us not to take ourselves too seriously when others lodge insults at us. Rather, help us to follow the godly example of your Son who ignored the insults of those who felt threatened by him and instead spoke words of grace and truth that invited all his listeners to repent and be restored. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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