August 19

Aug 19 - Today from Proverbs 19 we look at verse 28
"A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil."

Mockery is laced with contempt. In almost every instance where people mock, they are reacting to things that they do not understand. Such is the case with those who view the world from their own understanding rather than from the viewpoint of the Creator. In this verse the KJV uses the term ungodly in place of corrupt. The literal interpretation means without profit. Jesus asks in Mark 8:36, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his own soul?" Jesus always has a way of cutting through all arguments and getting right down to the heart of the matter. In the eternal scope of things, there is nothing to profit from in this world system. Man can ultimately only profit when man secures eternal life. All else is temporal. The only thing man will take with him when he leaves this world is who he is. If he is righteous, he will inherit eternal life. If he is unrighteous, he will suffer for ages. Righteousness comes only through Christ Jesus.
The ungodly are those who develop values and use standards according to the corrupted world system. Their concept of gain is based on a self-serving basis. They do not understand about God's purposes, sin's consequences and eternal judgment. Thus, they become corrupt witnesses who do not understand justice. They mock morality, they mock holiness, they mock the Name of the Lord, they mock those who are different, they mock those who are victims of misfortune . . . they mock things that they do not understand. They are to be pitied - not hated. There was a day when I was a mocker. Although Jesus redeemed me from that life, there are days when I slip back into mockery. There are days when I mix heavenly values with worldly values and I become a corrupt witness. There are days when I seek to gain some of this world - and people who need to see Christ in me cannot see Him, they see only the mocker that I once was. I offer no excuse. I only plead for mercy, and ask for grace to repent. It is only with such a humble attitude that our witness can be restored. How blessed we are to serve such a merciful God. How unfortunate are the godless. Our witness is meant to offer a change of their misfortune.
"The mouth of the wicked gulps down evil." Evil is a pure destructive force. It is strange how seductive evil is. I guess it's because evil is so self-serving. "Eat this, and you will become like God." (Gen. 3:5). Evil always appeals to aggrandizing self. The godless have a great hunger for it. The wicked intentionally ingest all they can get. They gulp it down. It satisfies - but only for a moment. Their appetite quickly returns for more. Self is an insatiable beast.
We come back again and again to God's intention for man. Worship God - love Him with your all, and serve your neighbor. There is no room for self-worship in that. Jesus taught it, and Jesus modeled it. Then He called us to follow Him. "I will send the Holy Spirit, and you will be my witnesses." (Acts 1:8). He called us to live a life that bears witness to His servant-life. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to serve. When we fail to serve, we show contempt for our Savior and we become corrupt witnesses. We will never see the Kingdom of God manifest until we bear witness to His Kingdom by serving our fellow man. We may be mocked in the process, but it's only because we are misunderstood. Jesus was.