January 22

Jan 22 - Today from Proverbs 22 we look at verse 10

"Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended."

If you are ever in a gathering where there is arguing, insults and strife, you will find at least one mocker personality at the center of it. Wisdom says to 'drive out the mocker'.But doesn't the Bible teach that we should be peacemakers? That we are to love others and do all we can to restore them?
Yes, it does. When you 'drive out the mocker' from the rest of the folks, you have made a huge step toward peace. The love we are commanded to love with isn't an emotion. It is a decision to do what is best for the object of your love. Here we see two objects, the gathering and the mocker. If we love the gathering, we want to see that the strife, quarrels and insults are stopped. This is done by removing the source - the one or one's who have no respect for authority, and who have little or no regard for the feelings of others.
If you want to love and restore the mocker, that's fine. But do it outside of the fellowship of the gathering, where their arrogance will no longer be a threat to the rest.
A word of caution: This proverb is directed toward leaders - those with proper authority. In the context of the sum of God's Word, we are not to live in an anarchical society. There is to be order, and within that order there are appointed positions of authority. In a government, there are law enforcement agencies. In a business there are corporate directors and managers. In a church there are officers of the church (Bishops, Pastors, Elders, Deacons, etc.), and in the home there are parents. All authority comes from God (Romans 13:1). Those who abuse it will one day give an accounting to God. Those who resist or show no regard for it will also give an accounting.
I have observed that driving out the mocker by the proper authorities is a universal principle. It works in the family, in the work place, on mission trips, in the church and in government. It may not seem to be 'politically correct', but it is a principle of wisdom. It is preventative maintenance. By not driving out the mocker, you go into damage control, which is much more difficult and more costly.