August 26

Aug 26 - Today from Proverbs 26 we look at verse 9
"Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool."

Consuming large amounts of alcohol acts as an anesthetic. Strangely enough, that is often the appeal of getting drunk. Rather than confronting and processing through the pains of life, people dull the pain through substance abuse.
Actually, pain is often a gift. It tells us that something is wrong, and that we need to take corrective action before serious damage occurs. When we place our hand on a hot object, pain tells us to pull back before we suffer serious burns. When we have a toothache, pain tells us to see a dentist before we lose the tooth. When we wander into a thornbush, pain tells us to correct our course before we puncture our skin and make ourselves susceptible to infections. When you think about it, without pain we would all probably die young.
Foolishness is the anesthetic of the soul. A Proverb is a short concise statement that conveys a moral truth. Morals are standards of good behavior, measured by the purposes of God. Fools serve themselves, not God. A proverb is meant to prick one's moral conscience in order to correct one's improper direction in life the way God meant it to be. If the subject is spiritually sensitive, he responds to God's correction and avoids the more serious consequences. This is wisdom. If one is anesthetized by self-serving ways, drunk in the pursuit of the pleasures of this world, he will never feel the prick of moral correction. He is unable to determine where the thorn touches his own life and will eventually suffer certain consequences. This is foolishness.
The thorny points of correction in God's Word are for my personal benefit. God loves and cares enough for me to place the thornbushes along the path of Life. My responsibility is to be a student of His Word. When I encounter a prick of conscience, I can make proper corrections and continue on without serious consequence. But, it is also important to note that God did not place the thorny bushes of moral correction for me to take hold of and brandish against my neighbor. In doing this, I would be the first to suffer, and more than likely I would drive my neighbor away. God gave us something different for dealing with our neighbor. Its called grace. Jesus is to be our constant example. Let me ask you; Did Jesus first approach you brandishing a thornbush, or offering grace? Be careful with what you choose to come at your neighbor with.
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." -Jesus- Luke 6:36