Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Aug 1959

Amongst the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of king Hezekiah copied out, is this,

"As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold,

So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear" (Proverbs 25.12).

This is a happy combination-" a wise reprover," and "an obedient ear." It may not be of frequent occurrence. Indeed Solomon again says,

"A scorner loveth not to be reproved:

He will not go unto the wise" (Proverbs 15.12).

The A.V. rendering is, "A scorner loveth not one that repreveth him."

Such indeed was Ahab of old. When Jehoshaphat went down to Samaria to Ahab (and indeed it was a downgrade movement for Jehoshaphat, for he initiated steps followed by his wilful and disobedient son, Jehoram, who had married Ahab's daughter Athaliah, who, in turn dragged Jehoram still further down), and when Ahab proposed to Jehoshaphat that they should go against the Syrians to Ramoth-gilead to battle, Jehoshaphat was anxious to hear what a prophet of the LORD had to say about this enterprise. They had heard Ahab's four hundred prophets say, "Go up; for God shall deliver it into the hand of the king." With this Jehoshaphat was not satisfied, so he said to Ahab, " Is there not here besides a prophet of the LORD, that we might inquire of him?" Ahab's answer was, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah, the son of Imla." Jehoshaphat who knew something of the value of a prophet of the LORD, a man with the LORD's message, said, "Let not the king say so" (2 Chronicles 18.5-6).

Ahab was a scorner of all persons and things that were good, and in him was fulfilled the word of Solomon written before his day, "A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him." Ahab did with Micaiah as Herod Antipas did with John the Baptist at a later time, and as men did with Paul also, but Paul said that the word of God was not bound. So it was with Ahab; the hand of God was present at the battlefield at Ramoth-gilead and brought Ahab down with an arrow which pierced him between the joints of his coat of mail. Ahab might reject Micaiah and treat him with dishonour, but it was not within his power to keep the arrow of divine judgement from fatally piercing his carefully mailed body.

The people of Israel were in a sad way when they laid a snare for him that reproved them in the gate (Isaiah 29.21), the faithful elder in the capacity as judge who sought to correct the wrongs that he saw in his people. It is a sad day when the voice of the judge is smothered by whatever evil means the lawless adopt. It is said by Amos, who lived in a dark period of Israel's history, "They hate him that reproveth in the gate and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly" (Amos 5.10). Was it not so, that many were willing to run after a man of Absalom's character and to reject the sound and solemn words of men of the character of David? Even in affairs of this world some men of no outstanding ability have clambered to heights of notoriety on the willing shoulders of others whom they afterwards sought to pull up after them Indeed the world is full of this kind of thing in smaller circles of human intrigue and preferences The voice of wisdom and integrity is often hushed by the shifting winds and schemes of perverted thought. It is said of the Lord as Jehovah's Servant in Isaiah 11. 3, 4

"His delight (Scent " Quick understanding" A.V. ) shall be in the fear of the Loan: and He shall not 3udge after the sight of His eyes neither reprove after the hearing of His ears but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth

(Isaiah 11.3, 4).

Happy indeed is our case when we are able to say with David the psalmist,

Let the righteous smite me, it shell be a kindness

And let him reprove me, it shall be as oil upon the head;

Let not my head refuse it " (Psalm 141.5).

Let us hearken to the reproofs of instruction which are the way of life (Proverbs 6.23), for " He is in the way of life that heedeth correction (or instruction) but he that forsaketh reproof erreth" (Proverbs 10. 17).

To reprove others is a work suited only to those of upright character and integrity. The Hebrew word for "reprove" is Yakach and means literally "to be in the front," "Hence figuratively," Gesenius says, "to be in the sunshine, to be clear, manifest, to appear." Hence a reproof administered by one whose arguments may be as clear as daylight, but whose actions are shady and inconsistent, must in the very nature of things fail in its effect. Did not the Lord say in this connexion,

"Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye ; and to, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cost out the mote out of thy brother's eye

(Matthew 7.8-5).

These words are corrective and powerful and give guidance to those who would administer a reproof.

That reproofs are needed, both within and without the Fellowship, is clearly seen from Paul's words to Timothy, especially in the light of the apostasy which like a flood was beginning to carry many away from the teaching of the apostles

"Preach the word ; be instant in season, out of season: reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine (teaching) ; bat, having itching ears, wilt heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts ; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables" (2 Timothy 4.2-4).

And from his words to the Ephesians we see that the saints were to reprove such as lived in and wrought in the darkness.

"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them ; for the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. But all things when they are reproved are made manifest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is light" (Ephesians 5.11.13).

This is one of the most difficult things to do, to administer a timely and wise reproof. But how it reacts upon one's own conduct The utmost care must be taken that one's own actions are pure, otherwise the reproof had better never be given. Even to such as those whose life is above reproach there may be a deal of enmity and reproach and persecution stirred up by those who are offended at being reproved. Thus it was that Solomon wrote,

Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee

Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee " (Proverbs 9.8).

Did not John the Baptist lose his life because he reproved Herod for his wickedness ?

"Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison" (Luke 3.19, 20).

And to this infamous act he added yet more to his many deeds of sin and shame, he ordered John to be beheaded in prison, an act next door in wickedness to that of the murder of the Son of God at Calvary, in which Herod shared.

We are told, in Luke 9.7-9, that when Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of the Lord's works, lie said, "John I beheaded: but who is this, about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see Him." His wish was given, for he happened to be in Jerusalem at the time of the Lord's arrest, judgement and death. When Pilate heard that the Lord was of Galilee, which was of Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod. Then we read,

"Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was of a long time desirous to see Him, because he had heard concerning Him; and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him" (Luke 23.8).

Though Herod questioned the Lord, the Lord had no word for him, and "Herod with his soldiers set Him at nought, and mocked Him." He might silence John the Baptist by imprisonment and death, he might join in silencing the Lord in the same way, but be can never silence the rebukes of his own conscience for ever.

J. Miller | Aug 1959
Jottings