The Wicked Who Only Strive for Rebellion

[Proverbs 17:11-13]

Have you ever heard of “Oppositional Defiant Disorder” (ODD)? According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, children with this disorder show a persistent and hostile attitude toward authority figures. The symptoms of this disorder are said to include: (1) frequent temper tantrums, (2) engaging in excessive verbal arguments with adults or asserting their own opinions, (3) actively resisting or refusing to follow adult requests or rules, (4) deliberately provoking others to become upset or angry, (5) blaming others for their own mistakes or wrongdoings, (6) becoming overly sensitive and easily irritated by others, (7) frequently getting angry and holding grudges, (8) saying rude or unpleasant things when angry, (9) seeking revenge (Internet).

In today’s passage, Proverbs 17:11 says, “A rebellious man seeks only evil.” Based on this verse, we will reflect on the title: “The Wicked Who Only Strive for Rebellion, and learn the lessons that God has for us.

What is “rebellion”? Rebellion refers to disobedience, opposition, or resistance to someone in authority (the act or state of disobedience, opposition, or resistance to authority — Swanson). When you think of people who rebel against authority, who comes to mind? For me, it is the people of Israel.

Look at Deuteronomy 31:27: “For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are; if you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after my death?” This is a statement Moses made after writing down the law and delivering it to the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 31:24). Moses knew that the Israelites, who had repeatedly rebelled against God, would continue to do so even after his death. How did Moses know this? See Deuteronomy 31:16: “And the Lord said to Moses: ‘You are about to lie down with your fathers, and this people will arise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land where they go to be among them, and they will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.’” As Moses' death was imminent, God revealed to him that when the Israelites entered the promised land of Canaan, they would follow the foreign gods of that land, forsaking God and breaking the covenant God had made with them. Moses, having witnessed their repeated disobedience during the 40 years of wandering in the desert, was fully aware of their stubbornness. That's why he said, “I know your rebellion and your stubbornness.”

The people of Israel, who were notorious for their repeated rebellion and stubbornness, could be seen as an example of the “rebellious man” described in Proverbs 17:11. They were those who only strove for rebellion against God. This passage teaches us three important lessons about those who engage in rebellion against God, as outlined in Proverbs 17:11-13 (Swanson):

First, the rebellious wicked will inevitably face calamity.

Let’s take a look at Proverbs 17:11: “An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore, a cruel messenger will be sent against him.” The Bible tells us that the wicked who only strive for rebellion will have a cruel messenger sent to them. In other words, God will send His messenger to bring judgment upon those who only resist His Word. Why does God send His messenger to bring judgment upon them? The reason is that God is a righteous God, and the rebellious person continually rejects God’s Word. Those who repeatedly reject God’s Word and resist correction ultimately cannot avoid judgment from the righteous God (Walvoord).

But why do rebellious people refuse God’s correction? The reason is because they are foolish. They are stubborn in their hearts, and their tongues are perverse, leading them inevitably into disaster, as Proverbs 17:20 says.

Dear brothers and sisters, our God is a righteous God. He rewards the righteous with goodness, but He sends disaster to the wicked (sinners) (Proverbs 13:21). Therefore, it is natural for God to bring judgment upon those who strive only for rebellion. That judgment is a righteous action of God. If we rebel against God and receive His judgment (punishment), we must not harden our hearts further (Proverbs 28:14). Instead, we must confess our sins and repent. We must not rebel against God anymore, but rather obey His Word. And when we face disasters, we must seek refuge in the Lord, who is our shelter (Jeremiah 17:17). We must trust in Him (2 Samuel 22:19).

Secondly, the wicked who only strive for rebellion are dangerous people who harm others.

Let’s look at Proverbs 17:12: “It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool who is doing foolish things.” Brothers and sisters, what would happen if we met a bear robbed of her cubs? Let’s look at Hosea 13:8: “I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their chest, and there I will devour them like a lion; the wild beasts shall tear them.” How terrifying is this Word of God? God is saying that He will meet the people of Israel like a bear deprived of her cubs, tear open their chest, and devour them. This is a terrifying warning!

However, the Bible tells us that it is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to meet a fool who is doing foolish things. This means that the fool is even more dangerous than a bear that has lost its cubs. How so? How can a fool be more dangerous than a bear robbed of her cubs? The reason is that, according to Pastor John MacArthur, a fool is more irrational in anger than a wild bear (Fools are less rational in anger than wild bears - MacArthur).

Can you imagine this? Can you picture a fool showing irrational anger right away (Proverbs 12:16)? A fool not only shows immediate, irrational anger, but also harbors twisted thoughts and anger for a long time, eventually leading them to harm or even kill someone. An example of this is found in 2 Samuel 13, where Absalom, the son of David, held onto his anger for two years, planning to kill Amnon, who had raped his sister. When a person harbors anger for a long time, they inevitably end up committing sin (Park Yun-seon). That is why Proverbs 27:3 says: “A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but the anger of a fool is heavier than them both.” What does this mean? It means that a person who harbors anger for a long time makes others uncomfortable and unbearable. Especially when the fool harbors anger, it is like a burden on the soul (Park Yun-seon).

Therefore, we must not meet a fool who is angry. We should not even get close to them. The reason is that a fool finds delight in doing wickedness (Proverbs 10:23). And a fool who delights in wickedness is a rebel who strives only to oppose God’s Word. Such a person only harms others, so we should not only avoid getting close to them, but also avoid meeting them altogether.

Finally, in third place, those who only strive for rebellion will encounter calamity in their families.

Let us look at Proverbs 17:13: “Whoever repays evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.” According to Dr. Park Yun-seon, repaying evil for good is a characteristic of rebels. Those who act in this way are worse than cattle or donkeys (Isaiah 1:3), and in reality, they are those who lift their heels against their master (Psalm 41:9; John 13:18) (Park Yun-seon). Therefore, the Bible says, “evil will not depart from his house.” This means that God will bring calamity to the house of such rebels. A representative example of this is the house of David. When David disobeyed God's word and sinned against Him, God prophesied: “… the sword shall never depart from your house” (2 Samuel 12:10). Just as God had prophesied, calamity came upon David's house, including Amnon's incest (2 Samuel 13:1-19) and Absalom's bloody vengeance (2 Samuel 13:20-29).

Brothers and sisters, how would you react if such calamity came to your family? Can you imagine it? Certainly, our first response would likely be surprise, shock, pain, sorrow, fear, and many other emotions. However, we need to see such familial calamities as an opportunity to confess our family's sins and repent. We need to confess and repent of the sin of rebellion against God and disobedience to His word. In doing so, we should make a commitment before God to obey His word. That commitment should include the obedience of "repaying evil with good." Let us look at 1 Peter 3:9: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Of course, not every family calamity is directly caused by our sins. However, when it does happen, we should take it as an opportunity to be trained and refined in our faith as we endure with patience and perseverance.

As we conclude this reflection on the word, in Psalm 78:40-41, the Bible describes the behavior of the people of Israel during the Exodus: “How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.” This was the behavior of the Israelites, and I believe it is also the behavior of many Christians today. In other words, just like the Israelites, we continue to rebel against God, grieve Him, and repeatedly test Him, provoking Him. We must not continue to rebel against God. We must no longer be those who strive for rebellion. We must not be those who harm others. If we live in rebellion against God and harm others, calamity will inevitably come upon us. Instead, we must strive to obey God with humility, just as Jesus did. We must become those who work to fulfill God's will and make Him happy.

Therefore, my prayer is that all of us, with the power of the Holy Spirit, would be those who fulfill God's will and make Him pleased.