March 25

Mar 25 - Today from Proverbs 25 we look at verse 26
"Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked."

There are times when it is right to yield in a situation - even to the wicked. In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught that we are to offer the other cheek, to go the second mile. In a very strange way, that kind of yielding puts one in control of the situation. In Jesus' day, if a Roman soldier commanded a Jew to pick up an item and carry it, the law was that the Jew was required to carry it for up to a mile - but no more. (Simon of Cyrene had no choice but to carry Jesus' cross to Calvary.) For that first mile, the Roman soldier was in control. Jesus said, "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." (Matthew 5:41). By keeping a servant attitude, you are in control for the second mile. You have brought a witness to the Roman soldier that you not only respect the law of Caesar, but you regard an even higher law, the law of God. Such actions puzzle people who like to flaunt authority. It challenges their paradigm. Jesus was always doing things like that. He ushered in God's kingdom.
But, this proverb teaches that there are times when one is not to yield to the wicked. This proverb was addressed in particular to kings - or people in authority. People in authority are accountable to God for those whom God has placed them in authority over. Fresh springs and wells represent influence and effect, whether by word or by example. People in authority are keepers of the well. They are responsible to do their best to see that those they serve (that's what people in authority are to do), are getting life-giving water through their service - no matter what it is. When a spring is muddied or a well polluted, the people who drink from it are in danger of health problems - perhaps even untimely death. That's the picture God gives when a righteous man in authority compromises his standards of right and wrong and yields to the wicked. It brings sickness of soul to those he has been given charge over. It makes life situations unpalatable, and causes confusion where there should be clarity and purity. It causes untimely separation (death) of relationships.
People in authority have a bigger picture to deal with when making decisions. They have to consider, "How is this going to affect those whom I serve?" When a decision has been corrupted by compromise, people will suffer. Count on it. And know for certain that there will be an accounting before God.
And, don't overlook this fact, even you hold a position of authority. No man is an island. If you are an employer, a church officer, a spouse, a parent, a teacher, an assistant - whatever. You can be sure that you are somehow responsible for some flow of 'life's water' of which other people depend on being fresh and palatable. Don't compromise your moral sense of right and wrong in areas that influence and affect others. No one is helped, and it just isn't worth it. Ever.