Proverbs 24:5-14

‘’It’s better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day. Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win you need a lot of good counsel.’’ The Message.

Before taking on an appointment with a Christian organisation, a well-known Bible teacher asked permission to consult with some trusted friends. He quoted (6): ‘’In the multitude of counsellors there is wisdom.’’ Furthermore, wisdom is sweet (13, 14). But not everyone tastes it (7): ‘’Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue.’’ The Message.

It certainly is unwise to be a ‘’schemer’’ (8).

Trouble is a revealer of character (10): ‘’If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.’’ We usually don’t know what strength we have until trouble comes knocking on the door. Then we discover that we are stronger than we thought – or weaker.

The next verses (11, 12) remind me of the evangelistic responsibility of the church:

‘’Rescue the perishing: don’t hesitate to step in and help. If you say, ‘’Hey, that’s none of my business,’’ will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know – Someone not impressed with weak excuses.’’ The Message.

‘’If we know someone is in mortal danger and do not try to save him, God will judge us. This applies to those who are in spiritual danger as well; this is why Christians are called to share the Gospel with unbelievers (1 Corinthians 9:16). We may invent excuses for not doing so, but God weighs our heart (Proverbs 21:2); He will repay us according to what we have done (Psalm 62:12; Romans 2:6) – and also according to what we should have done but didn’t (James 4:17).’’ Tom Hale: ‘The applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.957.

In our church small groups this week we learned about ‘the good Samaritan’ and how we are to be a ‘neighbour’ to anyone in need. We must not ‘pass by on the other side’ but, like the Samaritan, go to where the need is. There are no excuses.

Prayer: Lord give us growing hearts of compassion.