Jan 6 Don't Confuse Me

January 6

Don’t Confuse Me with the Facts

Pr 18:13 ¶ He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

This instructional proverb tells us to listen to both sides of a story (heareth it) before we make any decision (answereth a matter) or you may wind up looking foolish and/or embarrassed.

Acts 16:16-40 is a wonderful example of making a decision before you hear both sides of a story.  Paul casts a demon from a girl who was very profitable to her “owners”. They haul Paul and Silas to court and complain to the magistrates. Without asking Paul or Silas anything they have them beaten and thrown into jail. An earthquake unlocks the prison and their shackles and the jailor winds up accepting Christ. But Paul and Silas stay and send word to the magistrates that they are Roman citizens.  I would have loved to have seen the faces of the magistrates when they learned they had beaten Roman citizens. Rome had some stiff laws regarding it’s citizens and the magistrates had violated several of them.  This is a case of answering a matter before they had heard it. If Paul or Silas had been allowed to speak the magistrates would have learned they were Roman Citizens and avoided the trouble they were in. 

Unfortunately I often see this error repeated among Christians and churches.  “Did you know that brother Smith was seen sneaking into the back door of Alice’s Bar?” 

“Oh dear, and he is a Deacon in his church. What a hypocrite”  If they had asked Deacon Smith he would have simply told them,  “Alice’s Bar?... Oh yeah, I had to replace the blower motor on their furnace. What did you want to know about it?”   Yes they would have looked foolish and been ashamed, just as the proverb says.

I was once in a church where there was an issue that had divided the church into , well let’s call them the red team and the blue team.  A man who did not want to get involved asked me what he should do when the red team told him something awful about the blue team (of vice versa) I suggested when someone told him some awful thing about someone on the opposite team that he pick up his phone and call the “bad” person to ask them about it. He saw me a couple days later and said as soon as the visitor learned who he was calling he excused himself and left.  Some people don’t want you to know both sides.

 

In 1 Samuel 15 we have the story of Saul going to destroy the Amalekites as God had told him to do. Instead he brought back the best animals.  The fact that he had not obeyed God’s direction was obvious.
Samuel could hear the animals. But before he condemns Saul he asks “What have you done?”  Samuel wants to hear both sides of the story before condeming Saul.

When Christ was brought before the Council of Chief Priests they already had made up their mind about him and after a few questions decided “Lu 22:71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.” 

In Genesis Joseph rejected the advances of a married woman and wound up in prison.  

Ge 39:19 ¶ And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

The book of Proverbs is not filled with just good advice. It is the word of God. While we no longer need to sacrifice rams and bulls for sin, we do need to be obedient to the clear teachings of the Word of God.  If you have received Christ as your savior then “You are not your own, You are bought with a price” 

 

The Bible is the instruction book we are to study and having studied to put it’s precepts into practice in our daily lives.  As Christians our sins have been forgiven.  That does not permit us to write our own rule book. God already did that for you. It’s called the Bible. Dear friend will you study it and apply it to your life today?