The Mouse in the House
Drive out the scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease. (Prov 22.10)
On the shelves in my study, you can find literally dozens of books on the broad subject of “church.” Pick a feature, there’s a book. And there are many more out there waiting to be read. But over the years, I have observed a curious omission in all those books–they almost never deal with “discipline.” One book has a whole chapter, for example, on “Resolving Congregational Conflicts,” but says not a word about the elephant in the room–I mean the “scoffer” of Proverbs 22.10. The author defines “conflict,” identifies “types” of conflict, and suggests techniques for conflict management such as “circular seating” and “Rogerian repetition.” All well and good, but what about the “scoffer?”
Maybe almost all the church books ignore the “scoffer” because almost all are written by seminary professors, not pastors (and that’s not a knock on seminary professors–I was one). But in the rough-and-tumble of everyday living, every pastor knows (indeed we all know) exactly what Solomon meant about the “scoffer” in the assembly. In any church or any organization–a class, a deacon body, elder board, ministry team, even a family–one person with an attitude can subvert everything good and godly. The classic case is Diotrephes (3 John), who loved to “put himself first,” talked “wicked nonsense” against the Apostle John, and kept the church from doing Kingdom work. John pledges to “bring up what he is doing,” because the scoffer must either (a) repent or (b) he must go. Hear Solomon well: You can’t “manage” a scoffer, you must drive him out.
These hard words make better sense when we understand the character of the scoffer. The Hebrew word (lēts) originally meant “interpreter.” The scoffer, we might say, “interprets” everything, but always in a negative light. Maybe he jokes about everything (so nothing is ever serious). Or he criticizes everything (so nothing is ever good). Or he mocks everyone (so no one is ever respected). However he does it (scoffing takes many forms), he casts everything in black light.
You don’t need a book on conflict management to predict the results. Solomon mentions “strife” and “quarreling,” but also “abuse.” That sounds a little odd, doesn’t it? Here again, the Hebrew word (qālôn) helps us–it means “disgrace,” “dishonor,” “shame.” (The King James Version has “reproach.”) Solomon is saying that the scoffer not only disturbs the assembly with quarreling and strife, he dishonors it with shame and reproach. He gives it grief within and a bad name without. A dead mouse stinks up a whole house.
We all know people like that; but most of us would say that we aren’t like that ourselves. And rightly so. Most of us aren’t–most of the time. But shouldn’t this proverb teach us how important unity is? And how fragile? Be “diligent“–let the force of the word sink in–be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4.3, NASV). Get the dead mouse out of the house. You are loved.
Your Pastor,
Richard Wells
Tags: Christianity, pessimist, Proverbs, scoffer
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