A rebellious man who seeks only evil
[Proverbs 17:11-13]
Have you ever heard the word “Oppositional Defiant Disorder” (ODD)? According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, children with this disability have a persistent, uncooperative and hostile attitude towards authoritative figures. Symptoms of this hostile defiant disorder are said to be: (1) Frequent tantrums or temper tantrums, (2) Excessive verbal quarrels or self-assertion with adults, (3) Actively resisting or refusing to comply with the demands or rules of adults, (4) Deliberately encouraging others to be irritable and angry, (5) Blaming others for their mistakes or wrongdoings, (6) Being irritable and easily irritable by others, (7) Being often angry and resentful, (8) When angry, they say spoiled and disgusting words, (9) Revenging (internet).
If we look at Proverbs 17:11, the Bible says, “A rebellious man seeks only evil”. Focusing on this verse today, I would like to receive a lesson from God under the title “A rebellious man who seeks only evil”. What is “rebellion”? Rebellion is act or state of disobedience, opposition, or resistance to one in authority (Swanson). Who do you think of when you think of people who disobeyed, opposed, or resisted such an authority? I remember the Israelites. Look at Deuteronomy 31:27 – “For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death?” This word was commanded to the Levites who carried the ark of God's covenant after Moses had finished writing all the words of the law (vv. 1-2) to all Israel at the age of 120 (v. 24). This was what Moses said, knowing that after he died, the Israelites would more rebel against God. How did Moses know this? Look at Deuteronomy 31:16 – “The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.” When God said to Moses that Moses' death was imminent, Moses knew that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Canaan, they obscenely liked the foreign gods of the land. And God told him that they would forsake God and break the covenant that God made with them. Just imagine. In life, how much did Moses witness the Israelites’ rebellion as he led the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years? That is why Moses said, “I know that your rebellion and your stubbornness” (v. 27). The rebellious and stiff-necked Israelites are people who repeatedly rebelled against God, and we can say that they are wicked people who seek only evil, which is said in Proverbs 17:11. The Bible Proverbs 17:11-13 teaches us three things about the rebellious man who seeks only evil (Swanson):
First, the rebellious man who seeks only evil will surely encounter disaster.
Look at Proverbs 17:11 – “A rebellious man seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.” The Bible tells us that a cruel messenger will be sent to a rebellious man who seeks only evil. In other words, God will bring disaster by sending God's messenger to the rebellious man who seeks only evil. Why does God send messengers to bring disaster? The reason is because He is just God, and the rebellious man who seeks only evil keeps on rebelling against God and His word. He who repeatedly rebels against God and His word but seeks for rebellion refuses to be reproved by God, and in the end, he will be judged by just God (Walvoord). Why does he who seeks only evil refuse to be reproved by God? The reason is because he is fool. Proverbs 17:20 says that he will fall into trouble because he has “a crooked mind”, and his tongue is deceitful.
Our God is a just God. There is the reward of the righteous, but disaster for the sinner (13:21). Therefore, it is natural for God to bring disaster on those who seek only evil. That disaster is God’s just judgment. If we are rebelled against God and are subject to God's judgment (retribution), we should no longer harden our hearts (28:14). Rather, we must confess and repent our sins. And we must no longer rebel against God, but rather obey His word. And we must escape to the Lord, who is our refuge when we face disaster (Jere. 17:17). And we must rely on the Lord (2 Sam. 22:19).
Second, the rebellious man who seeks only evil is a dangerous person who only harms others.
Look at Proverbs 17:12 – “Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.” What will happen to us when we meet a bear robbed of her cubs? Look at Hosea 13:8 – “Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart.” What a terrifying word of God? How terrifying is this saying that God will attack the Israelites and rip them open like a bear robbed of her cubs? However, the Bible tells us not to meet a fool who does foolish things, even if we meet the bear robbed of her cubs. The fool is more dangerous than the bear robbed of her cubs. Why is that? Why is the fool more dangerous than the bear robbed of her cubs? It is because the fools are less rational in anger than wild bears (MacArthur).
Can you imagine the fool irrationally showing anger right now? (Prov. 12:16) The fool not only irrationally expresses anger right away, but also kills the other person after holding anger in his heart with perverse thoughts for a long time. An example is Absalom the son of David in 2 Samuel 13. He continued his anger for two years to kill Amnon, who raped his sister. In this way, if a person holds anger for a long time, he will surely commit a sin (Park). That is why Proverbs 27:3 of the Bible says, “A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.” What does it mean? It means that the person with anger makes the other person unpleasant and unbearable for a long time. This is especially the anger of the fool (Park). Therefore, we must not meet the fool who is angry. We should not even get close to that fool. The reason is because the fool is pleased with his wrongdoing (10:23). And the fool who takes pleasure in his evildoing is one who strives for rebellion against the word of God. Such a person only harms others. So we should not only be close to him, nor should we meet him.
Third and last, the rebellious man who seeks only evil will face disaster as a family.
Look at Proverbs 17:13 – “If a man pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his house.” According to Dr. Yoon-sun Park, repaying good with evil is characteristic of rebels. Those who act like this are those who can't even do anything like an ox or donkey (Isa. 1:3), and who actually lift their heels toward their owners (Ps. 41:9; Jn. 13:18) (Park). Therefore, the Bible says, “evil will never leave his house.” In other words, God is bringing disaster into the rebel's family. I think the representative example is the family of David. Because David disobeyed God's word and sinned against God, God prophesied, “… he sword shall never depart from your house …” (2 Sam. 12:10). According to this prophecy, the disaster came into David's family. In addition to the incest of David's son Amnon (13:1-19), there was Absalom's bloody revenge (vv. 20-29).
How would you react to this catastrophe in your home? Can you imagine? Of course, our first momentary reactions will vary from surprise and shock, pain and sadness, fear, and so on. However, we need to use this kind of family disaster as an opportunity to confess and repent the sins of our homes. We must confess and repent of the sin of rebellion against God and disobeying His word. In the midst of that, we must make commitment to obey God's word before Him. In that commitment, there must be an obedience to repay for evil with blessing. 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 all family catastrophes are due to our sins. Then we should make it an opportunity for our homes to be trained in persevering and enduring in faith.
In Psalms 78:40-41, the Bible says about the Israelites at the time of the Exodus: “How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.” I think this is exactly what the Israelites look like and also what we Christians look like as well. In other words, like the Israelites, we constantly rebel against God, grieve Him, and put Him to the test again and again. We should no longer rebel against God. We should no longer be the ones who strive to rebel against Him. We should no longer be those who do harm to others. If we rebel against God and live a life that hurts others, disaster will surely come upon us. Rather, like Jesus, we must be the ones who are willing to obey God humbly. Therefore, I hope and pray that we may be able to fulfill God's will and please Him.