Read
17It's better to take hold
of a mad dog by the ears
than to take part
in someone else's argument.
18It's no crazier to shoot
sharp and flaming arrows
19than to cheat someone and say,
“I was only fooling!”
Reflect
When I was about ten years old, my dog managed to put a hole in a rather important vein in my wrist when I had tried to take something out of its mouth. Somehow, at ten, I knew to put pressure on the wound and was close enough to home to get it all bandaged up before any real damage could occur. Still, I’ve kept my hands far away from any dog’s mouth to this very day because of that one incident.
That one incident has also given me a very real perspective through which to read the first verse of this small passage. My eyesight may not be 20/20, but my hindsight sure is, and looking back at that moment when I was ten, I know I had no business putting my hand in that dog’s mouth. Sure, the dog was in the wrong for grabbing something it wasn’t supposed to eat, but when it started growling, that is basically the universal sign for “You’ve got a bite coming if you don’t back off,” and I didn’t listen. Likewise, when two people are growling at each other, and you decide to jump in, it’s far more likely that you’ll get wounded, not thanked. If you need to step in, better to wait until the situation has cooled down a bit before you try your hand at an intervention.
Speaking of heated situations that result in injuries, the second portion of this passage advises not to play with fire when it comes to other people’s trust and your reputation. It’s a long, slow process to rebuild a burnt bridge.
Respond
Sovereign Father, thank you for being faithful and true. Please teach me how to be like you: faithful to my friends and enemies alike, and a beacon of truth amidst lies and hate. Help me to point people to you through everything I do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Larissa Benfey
Larissa is a Toronto based actor and writer who has dabbled in everything from scripts to short stories, and is now setting her sights on novels. Having studied English and history at Tyndale University and Seminary, she loves a good story, but her favorite stories always have happy endings - which is part of why she loves the true story of the Gospel so much.