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Proverbs 26:18-19 As a MAD MAN {Lāhâ} who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, 19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

Word Study: Last week we learned about the meddler, who sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong. The meddler “meddles with strife that doesn’t belong to him”. The Bible warns that this is like “taking a passing dog by the ears”. He brings his own punishment on himself. But this week we look at the “MAD MAN” or the Lāhâ, “the arsonist or person who loves to see things burn, or to make others weary or faint”. The Lāhâis not self destructive, but loves to start trouble. The Lāhâ is described only one other time in the Scripture, in the Book of Genesis during the time of Joseph. The Scripture says:

Genesis 47:13 (KJV) And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan FAINTED{Lāhâ} by reason of the famine.

The word Lāhâ is only found twice – the two verses above – in the Holy Scripture. Just as a famine makes people suffer, the Lāhâ makes people suffer. When the Lāhâ is caught at what he is doing, he says “Well, I was just joking. Can’t you take a joke?” The Lāhâ is as bad as a berserk warrior, running about, shooting those around him.

Sometimes the Lāhâ starts a whisper campaign against others.

Proverbs 26:20-22 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no TALEBEARER, the strife ceaseth. 21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. 22 The WORDS OF A TALEBEARER are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

The Lāhâ often resorts to gossip. The gossip uses insinuation or implication. That person distorts the truth, or exaggerates the facts. Anytime the work of God begins to go forward, the Lāhâ starts whisper campaigns and lies to attempt to derail the work of God.

When God sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city, he faced certain opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab. These people did not want to see Nehemiah succeed, so four times they sent for Nehemiah to come to a meeting with them, pretending to be concerned for the work. Nehemiah refused to meet with these people, saying:

Nehemiah 6:3 I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?

He was focused on doing the work God gave him to do. When Nehemiah repeatedly refused to meet, Sanballet sent an open letter that stated:

Nehemiah 6:6-7 It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. 7 And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

Nehemiah refused to meet with them. Giving them a meeting on false pretenses would just add fuel to their fire. Nehemiah knew that their intent was to kindle strife, not to honor God. So he refused to give them an audience, and trusted in the Lord. The Bible says that Nehemiah rebuked them:

Nehemiah 6:8-9 Then I sent to {Sanballet}, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but YOU INVENTED THEM IN YOUR OWN HEART.” 9 For they all were TRYING TO MAKE US AFRAID, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O GOD, STRENGTHEN MY HANDS.

Nehemiah focused on the work he was doing for the Lord, not at the Lāhâ. And the work was done.

Jesus warned us that, “by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Proverbs 26:23 BURNING LIPS and a wicked heart are like a POTSHERD {ḥereś}covered with silver dross.

Sometimes the Lāhâ will use flattery and hypocrisy to cause trouble. The phrase “BURNING LIPS” emphasizes that the Lāhâ speaks FERVENTLY, and sounds sincere, but it is like a piece of clay pottery with a silver glaze. Outwardly it looks great, but in reality it is but cheap clay. It is like the flattery that Judas Iscariot gave Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane:

Matthew 26:49-50 (NKJV) {Judas Iscariot} went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

Luke 22:48 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Judas honored Jesus as “RABBI”, or as Honored Teacher, and greeted Him with a kiss. But his outward flattery hid the fact that he was betraying the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Proverbs 26:24-26 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; 25 When HE SPEAKETH FAIR, BELIEVE HIM NOT: for there are SEVEN ABOMINATIONS in his heart. 26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

Those who hate you will often speak graciously to your face, but plot behind your back. When Ezra led the Jews from Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, the enemies of God openly offered to help the Israelites in their rebuilding. We are told in:

Ezra 4:1-3 (NKJV) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “LET US BUILD WITH YOU, for WE SEEK YOUR GOD AS YOU DO; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but WE ALONE will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

The leaders “Zerubbabel and Jeshua” refused the help of these flatterers. My commentary notes:

“In an anti-God world, the Christian must not go his way in gullibility, but with caution.”

Jesus told us, “ I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). Not every person who speaks well of you is actually for you.

Evil Has A Boomerang Effect

Proverbs 26:27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

When I read this passage, what came to my mind was the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a king known for being cunning and deceitful. He often planned traps and problems for his enemies. He lied, cheated, anything he could do to get ahead. When Sisyphus died, the “gods” condemned him to an eternal task. He was placed in front of a huge stone, and made to push it up a hill. He pushed that stone up the hill, getting near to the top. But each time he reaches the top, the stone rolls back down hill – and he must start over again – forever.

I believe the Greeks stole this image from our Holy Bible. God said:

“he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him”

That’s the very picture of Sisyphus! When you roll the stone, setting a trap for others, it will RETURN UPON YOU or roll back on you. If you DIG A PIT for your enemy, you will find that the evil you did will end up trapping you. The Bible tells us:

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If you “dig a pit, you will fall into it” (Ecclesiastes 10:8). If you roll a stone to hurt someone, you will be hurt by the stone itself. The Bible tells us that:

Galatians 6:7 (KJV) whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

We are called to do good, and overcome evil with good. The Bible tells us about a man named Abimelech who:

Judges 9:5 (NKJV) went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone.

Abimelech killed “seventy men on ONE STONE”. There was a stone altar like place where he executed all these men. How did Abimelech die? The Bible says that when he went to Thebez to conquer it, the people fled to high tower. We are told:

Judges 9:53 (NKJV) … a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

He killed seventy on one stone. He himself was killed by one stone. What goes around, comes around!

There is also the story in the Book of Esther about Haman and Mordecai. Haman lied about Mordecai, and sought the King to have him hung on the gallows. Mordecai kept doing good, trusting in the Lord. In the end Haman was executed on the very gallows he created for Mordecai

Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.

And who can forget those enemies of Daniel the Prophet, who was told he could not pray to God for 30 days. When the King established the decree at the request of his leaders, “King Darius signed the written decree” (Daniel 6:9). Those who broke the decree were cast into the lion’s den to be punished. The Bible says:

Daniel 6:10 (NKJV) Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and PRAYED and GAVE THANKS before his God, as was his custom since early days.

Of course, Daniel was vast into the lion’s den. But the next day, when the King went to the pit Daniel was in, Daniel was not harmed. The Bible says:

Daniel 6:21 (NKJV) Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”

What happened to those who had Daniel cast into the lion’s den? The Bible says, “the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den” (Daniel 6:24).

It is wisest to overcome evil with good, to pray for and do good toward our enemies.

Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

You may be hated, but if you are God’s child, trust in Him. Do as Jesus said:

Matthew 5:43-48 (NKJV) You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The Way of the Master is to trust God, and to do good to those who do bad to you.

Let God Take Care Of You

Proverbs 27:1 Boast {hālal} not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Word Study: The word rendered “BOAST” is the Hebrew hālal, which means “to shine or praise. It’s part of the word hallelujah which means “to praise God”. We are not to brag on or illuminate what we think we are going to do tomorrow. As humans, we have no control over what is going to happen.

God calls us to live in the NOW in His PRESENT will for our lives.

The stepbrother of Christ wrote:

James 4:13-17 (NKJV) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

God calls us to do good NOW, and to let Him take care of tomorrow. King David said:

Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil, and DO GOOD; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalm 37:3, 27 Trust in the LORD, and DO GOOD; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. … 27 Depart from evil, and DO GOOD; and dwell for evermore.

We are called to not walk with evil, but with God. We are to focus on DOING GOOD TODAY, not tomorrow. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We should use each day PROFITABLY for the Lord, not for ourselves. We should not worry about tomorrow, but trust the God Who loved us and gave Himself for us. My commentary notes:

“In boasting about tomorrow, man boasts about himself, thinking that he controls the future. When God created time and placed us as human beings within its framework, He purposely kept tomorrow hidden from us. Except for some rare instances of prophetic insight, nobody knows for sure what the future holds. God obviously did this so that we would put our trust in Him. In the words of the Apostle Paul: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31). Jeremiah elaborated on the theme with: “ ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:24). We do not know the future, but we know Him who holds the future.”

There’s an old song that says:

I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

Let’s walk with Jesus today, and trust Him for tomorrow. We sow our seed for the crop, but we trust the Lord for the harvest. Amen.