161. Learning From Bears And Antagonizers (Proverbs 17:12-13)

Learning From The Way Of The Fool, Part 3

Kevin A. Dodge

4/14/2024

Turn with me to Proverbs 17:12-13. These are our verses to study and memorize this week.

Proverbs 17:12-13 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly. 13 He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

Introduction

Here in Proverbs 17:7-26 we are learning important lessons from the ways of the fool. Solomon is giving us timeless lessons on what to avoid as we seek to live in wisdom. Verses 7 and 26 bookend this section with references to righteous princes and nobles who on the one hand ought not behave like fools and on the other hand end up being mistreated when foolishness runs rampant. Thus it is important for leaders to avoid theses kinds of behaviors themselves and to prevent them from becoming rampant in society.

In between those verses Solomon highlights three aspects of the ways of the fool. In verses 8-15 he focuses on the fool’s unjust behavior. In verses 16-20 he deals with the fool’s crooked, senseless mind. Then in verses 21-25 he concludes with the fool’s effect on family and society.

We are right in the middle of that section dealing with the fool’s unjust behavior. We saw in verse 8 how fools use money and bribes to pervert justice and get what they want. This will closely match with the last verse in this section, verse 15, which talks about the condemning of the righteous and the justifying of the wicked both being an abomination to God. In verse 9 we saw how the fool gossips and destroys relationships rather than privately and justly dealing with issues in a way that reconciles and preserves them. In verse 10 we saw that despite the justness of rebukes, a fool will not listen to them. Verse 11 followed that up by highlighting how the rebellious man unjustly seeks only evil.

Now we come to verses 12 and 13. Here we will see two more unjust ways of living that characterize fools. Do you spend time with rebellious people: with people who flout God’s standards of righteousness or perhaps the laws of the government? Do you spend time with people who plot, plan, and carry out foolish behavior? Do you enjoy spending time with that “fun-loving” unbeliever who is a bit edgy and rebellious in their words, jokes, and actions? In verse 12 we will see the danger of getting involved with the foolishness of fools.

Do you find yourself repaying good done to you with evil? Do you sometimes meanly snap back at the good, kind helpful words of others because you do not want to hear them? Do you find yourself hurting those who love you the most? In verse 13 we will see the foolishness of repaying good with evil.

In his great insight into human nature Solomon here continues to highlight foolish ways of living that all of us face. If we are wise we will inspect our own hearts to deal with any seeds of these behaviors that exist there and work to prevent them from derailing us from the way of wisdom. These are issues which in every generation bring about the downfall of many people. May we not be among them! Let’s look now at these verses more closely to learn what to avoid and beware of from the ways of the fool.

Our first proverb highlights the foolishness of fraternizing with fools.

12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.

It is less dangerous to meet a bear whose cubs have been taken from her than a fool carrying out his foolishness.

If you live in an area with bears you have no doubt heard the warnings about not getting between a mama bear and her cubs. Brown bears especially are notorious for being protective of their cubs when threatened.¹ This notoriety is nothing new. It was a common fact more than three thousand years ago in Solomon’s time. Despite that, the wisdom given here is that it is better to meet a bear in that kind of situation than to be around a fool in his folly. This is one of those proverbs that is supposed to make us really question why he would be so extreme in his statement. Why would he say this?

Solomon is clearly not undermining the danger of a bear whose cubs have been taken from her. No, he is trying to get us to realize how extremely dangerous it is to be around fools who are carrying out their foolishness. We are not to take foolishness lightly. It is dangerous and can hurt us more than an enraged bear might. Just like an enraged bear, it might kill us, maim us, or otherwise wound us greatly.

At least with a mama bear missing her cubs you know what to expect. You know the extreme danger you are in. Because of that you can know how to react. You can try to stay away from the cubs and not get between them and their mama. You can slowly back away as you are able, and use your trusty bear spray as necessary. In the case of our local black bears you can also try to be as big and loud as you can to scare them off.

On the other hand, with a fool in his folly many people do not realize the extreme danger they are putting themselves in by being around that person. They naively spend time with them. They listen to their words. They laugh at their actions. Maybe they even help them out a bit with their projects. They become accomplices and will reap the same consequences. They might not have directly committed the folly itself, but they end up getting themselves involved in the injustice. Thus they become partially responsible for it and get ensnared into the sin and its consequences.

All of this can take place without people even realizing that the person they are spending time with is a fool working their folly. While a bear is obviously a bear, a fool often is not so obviously a fool. Sometimes the fool himself does not even realize it. He may even think himself wise and on a good pathway of life. But the reality is far from it, and the results can be catastrophic—worse than meeting a bear whose cubs have been taken away.

This highlights the extreme importance of truly knowing who you spend time with. This is why it is so important not to have unbelievers as close friends. This is why it is important not to make business partnerships with unbelievers. This is why it is important not to date or marry an unbeliever or someone who is not seeking the Lord first and foremost in their lives. This is where the dangers of so-called peer pressure comes in. The people who end up being our closest acquaintances—who we spend the most time with—have the most influence upon us. If they are pursuing foolish, sinful behaviors it will influence us, affect us, and end up including us in the consequences.

All too often people are naïve and do not realize the true danger of fraternizing with fools. They do not have the discernment to recognize fools. They get involved one baby step at a time in their sins and foolishness. Then they end up reaping the consequences alongside of the fool in his folly. Or, they finally wake up and realize that they themselves have become the direct victim of the fools schemes. By then it may be too late. The long term damage may already be done.

This often happens with male/female relationships. Someone is fun to be around and attractive. This blinds one to the realities of where a relationship is going and the true character of the other person. Immorality all too easily results with lifelong consequences. Even if immorality does not occur, marrying someone who is not truly following the Lord or is not a believer at all sets one up for a lifelong struggle and heartache. If one is already married, this is a recipe for an adulterous disaster.
It would have been better for you to have met a bear bereaved of her cubs than to have ever met that person. Do not think it could not happen to you. King David, a man after God’s own heart, even became such a fool destroying others. Many have been taken in by such people who seemed good but had sinful schemes.

We must always be on alert and discerning of people and situations— just like we would if we were hiking in a forest known to be heavily frequented by grizzly bears. One morning when I was a teen I went for an early run on the dirt road behind my parents house. It made its way through a thick pine forest on both sides, and was intersected by some other small dirt roads. At one such intersection I met a man in camouflage clothes with a rifle on his shoulder. I stopped and asked him what he was hunting. He said he was tracking a cougar. I can tell you that as I continued my run deeper into the forest that I ran with my pocket knife in my hand just in case! That cougar gave a whole new sense of alertness to the rest of my run. I was on the lookout for anything that moved the whole time I was out there!

Spiritually speaking there are lions prowling around every day seeking whom they may devour. Fools carry out their foolish pursuits all around us. Many men and women seek to take advantage of others in relationships. Others continually work their folly to cause you to part with your money and things. This may be as innocuous seeming as an advertisement on the TV or internet, or it may be as deceitful as the person brazenly lying to your face trying to get you to give them some money.

Beyond those things there are a myriad of other pursuits that fools follow after. Any time a false god is followed instead of the one true God, there is a fool in pursuit of folly—drugs, alcohol, materialism, and sex are all very common pursuits. Many other things that could be fine in and of themselves can also easily become the fools folly when they become an end in and of themselves— sports, fishing, hunting, jobs, vehicles, sewing, cooking, eating, exercising, going to the gym, dieting, investing, marriage, hobbies, watching movies, games, the pursuit of fun, etc. In reality, having anything in our lives that we allow to pull us away from God’s purpose for us and from loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and body causes us to become fools in pursuit of folly. We can find out if we have such an idol by asking what our time and money goes to instead of to following and serving God.

In everything we must be discerning to not become ensnared in the idolatrous behaviors of others. It may or may not seem to cause immediate danger. But regardless of whether it wastes and ruins our lives slowly or quickly it is still a horrible, destructive reality. To avoid that we must be discerning. We must know God and His Word. We must know truth and righteousness through and through. We must know what the Bible calls foolishness. We must grow in applying God’s Word to situations so that we can see through what is wicked masquerading as good and avoid the dangers of a fool in his folly. According to God’s Word it would be better for you and I to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than for us to get entangled with a fool in his folly. Think about that the next time you are tempted to allow a hobby to become an idol, or you are tempted to get involved with someone else’s pursuit of their foolish idols.

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this sad reality with Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10. There Paul gives this sad assessment of his life:

2 Timothy 4:10a for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica;

Demas, as a fool, pursued his foolishness. He loved this present world. The things and pleasures of this world became more important to Him than truth, righteousness, his relationship with God, and eternity. He abandoned serving God in favor of the passing pleasures of sin. If we would associate with someone like this we will end up either being influenced by their way of life, or being fellow recipients with them in reaping what they have sown. Yes, we should lovingly call them to repentance, but we must not let ourselves get ensnared into their sin or its consequences. This is why, according to 1 Corinthians 5:11, we are not to associate with believers who are in known, unrepentant sin. We are commanded not so much as to even eat with them.

Ultimately, when we associate and participate with fools in their folly we make God our enemy through that idolatry. We see an example of this in Hosea 13:4-9 where the bear robbed of her cubs analogy is also used. God is speaking to Israel here in her unfaithfulness.

Hosea 13:4-9 Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me. 5 I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. 6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me. 7 So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside. 8 I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs, And I will tear open their chests; There I will also devour them like a lioness, As a wild beast would tear them. 9 It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help.

God did not make us to live like fools who deny and defy Him by self-focused, sinful, idolatrous pursuits. If we live this way generally ignoring and forgetting God in our day to day pursuits we pit ourselves against God, the only savior from sin, the only true help that there is in life. Or if we even just partner with others living this way we make the pursuits of this world—our relationship with these people—more important than walking with, knowing, and obeying God. Like a frog boiled in water their influences rub off on us until we too pursue folly like they do. If we do this, it will be to our destruction. It would have been better to have met that bear than to have met with that fool in his folly, because God will be against us.

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this with the rest of Scripture we see that this danger of becoming involved with fools in their folly is precisely what Paul warns of in 2 Corinthians 6:11-18.

2 Corinthians 6:11-18 Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. 13 Now in a like exchange—I speak as to children—open wide to us also. 14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 17 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

God’s call to our lives is for holiness. We need to realize the real danger that partnerships, associations, and getting entangled with fools in their folly is to our lives. It can be worse than meeting a bear bereaved of her cubs. On the other hand, look what is awaiting us as we give up our affections for what can destroy us. God will dwell with us, walk among us, and be our God. We will be His people. But make no mistake, in that relationships God does not want us involved in the sinfulness of idolatry. We need to be careful not to touch what will defile us. We need to be separate from wickedness. (cf. also Proverbs 14:7)

This does not mean that we avoid unbelievers altogether. It does not mean that we essentially attempt to go out of this world to avoid all other people. No, not at all. That would be to avoid God’s very purposes for us in making disciples of all nations and being ambassadors of reconciliation to the world! Rather, this is where that key phrase in our proverb “in his folly” comes into play. That means that we are to be discerning enough to not involve ourselves in any of their sinful actions when they start pursuing them. We are to be discerning enough to realize that their main pursuits are not going to be our main pursuit. We are to be discerning enough to leave before getting roped into any of their foolish pursuits. We are to be discerning enough to know where our own temptations are and to be extra careful of situations and enticements in those directions. We are to be discerning enough to make precautions, to be wary, and to walk in wisdom.

We do not participate in their idolatries. Instead, we call them to true hope, forgiveness, salvation from sin, forgiveness, and eternal life. None of that will be found in any of their idolatries. It is only found in Jesus Christ.

To do all this, we will need to daily walk with God. We will need to keep ourselves pure and not let any sin come between us and Him. We will need to know and walk in the truth. As we seek Christ and delight in Him in these ways we will know what to avoid and run from as other people begin pursuing their foolish follies. The truth protects us from lies.

Truth in Connection: As we apply this proverb to our lives, we need to ask ourselves where we are in our relationship to fools living out their folly. First, we should ask ourselves if we personally are living like a fool by living for our own sinful, selfish idols instead of for God. When we ignore God, deny Him, defy Him, and live in our sin Scripture, in Psalms 14:1, says that we are fools. We tell God “no” and try to deny His authority over our lives. One way to do this would be to deny His existence or that we can even know Him. But another way is to simply live as if He did not exist. If one of these is your situation, then I would urge you to realize your danger. You will stand before the Holy God who made you. He will judge your sin. So turn from the destructiveness of your sin to Jesus. He is the only way that our sin against God can be paid for and removed. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose the third day to bear our sin punishment upon Himself and to conquer sin and death. Trust in Him as your Lord and Savior.

Secondly, if we are a child of God and are trusting in Jesus as our Lord and Savior then we should ask ourselves who we are associating with and partnering with. We should ask ourselves if we have been putting ourselves in situations where we are being influenced by the sinful pursuits of others, where we might end up receiving some of the consequences of their sinful pursuits, or where we might end up being victimized by their pursuits. The dangers are real, and all around us. If we are not being discerning and walking very closely with Jesus through the truth of His Word, then the likelihood is that some of these dangers have crept into our lives. If so, then we need to make changes on who we associate with and what we allow to influence us. We do not routinely go waltzing into a bear’s den and get in between a mama and her cubs, do we? So let’s not do even worse by routinely involving ourselves with fools in their folly!

Our second proverb highlights the foolishness of repaying good with evil.

13 He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

Calamity will doggedly follow the one who returns evil for good.

At face value it might sound odd to think of someone repaying evil for good. Why would someone give back evil to someone who was doing them good? A loving person would be thankful and want to repay it with good. Even a selfish person who was halfway thinking rationally would want the goodness to continue. So while they might not always respond with the utmost good, they would not respond with evil and cause a beneficial thing to stop! Thus indeed this kind of behavior is quite foolish. Nonetheless, in reality this kind of foolishness happens quite often.

How often are parents egregiously mistreated by their very own children despite having provided for them, loved them, sacrificed for them, and helped them in so many ways over the years. Likewise, how often are children cruelly mistreated despite the many ways that they have helped or are helping their parents. Similarly, through adultery, divorce, and many other abusive behaviors countless husbands and wives horribly mistreat each other despite all the good that they have done for each other. Many employers, employees, friends, pastors, church members, teachers, students, etc. have likewise experienced being repaid evil by those that they have immensely helped.

The reality from this verse, though, is a stark reminder that this kind of betrayal is not only foolish, but it also brings long lasting consequences. It has a trickle down effect. When people undergo this kind of treatment they will not want to trust and help you again. Additionally, there are quite often lingering family and relationship consequences that far outlast the initial realities. Divorce often can impact children and their relationships for generations. The same goes for other forms of abuse and betrayal. They stick with people and scar them. Beyond that there is God’s judgment upon this kind of blatantly wicked behavior. He sees it and finds it particularly offensive.

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see this reality in the law in Deuteronomy 28. If Israel did not obey the Lord but turned after other gods to serve them then God would bring curses on them. God’s judgment of cursing would become a sign and a wonder on them and their descendents forever according to Deuteronomy 28:46. A few verses later in Deuteronomy 28:58-59 this is added:

Deuteronomy 28:58-59 “If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, 59 then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.

God had chosen Abraham, protected his descendents through the years, multiplied them, and then brought them miraculously out of Egypt into the promised land. If they responded to all of God’s goodness by spurning Him through the great evil of idolatry there would be lasting consequences—as there have been with their exiles, their persecutions, and the destruction of their temple twice. It has been horrible to see, and worse for them to experience. But thanks be to God for His ongoing love to Israel that He would also promise to one day redeem the whole nation. Thanks be to God that there is grace and His promise of forgiveness to all that come to Him in repentance through Jesus, whether Jew and Gentile. His mercy is so undeserved.

On an individual level, we also see this sad reality in the case of David and Uriah with David’s adultery. Uriah was not just any soldier. He was a Hittite foreigner who had been fiercely loyal to David and was one of his best soldiers. He was one of the famous 30 mighty men that had fought with David (2 Samuel 23:39). He had converted to being a follower of God and was so honorable that even when recalled in the middle of a battle he would not take it easy and refresh himself for even that brief time while others were still in danger (2 Samuel 11:11). Despite all of that goodness and loyalty David committed adultery with his wife, and then had him ruthlessly and deceptively killed. There is not much worse that you could do to a man than that.

The consequences for this evil foolishness were vast. Note God’s response in 2 Samuel 12:9-10.

2 Samuel 12:9-10 ‘Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10 ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

God saw this as an evil done directly against His own goodness, as well as against Uriah’s goodness. Because of that the sword would not depart from David’s house. And that is what happened despite David’s repentance. Many consequences simply cannot be avoided. The baby died. Three of his other sons, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, also died violently—as did many other descendents in his kingly line. It is not a light thing to repay good with evil. We must avoid this extreme foolishness and repay good with good. On the highest level we must not repay God’s redeeming mercy and grace with sinful behavior. It is the height of inappropriate disrespect.

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see the pain that this behavior brings on other people in Psalms 35:11-16. This is a Psalm of David and reflects what he had often experienced in life against himself—from king Saul, from his own son Absalom, as well as from a number of others who had been his friends. It is not the way things ought to be.

Psalm 35:11-16 Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know. 12 They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul. 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. 14 I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother. 15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The smiters whom I did not know gathered together against me, They slandered me without ceasing. 16 Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth.

Indeed, it was a horrible experience. In Psalm 38:20-22 David recounts this kind of thing again, but this time he concludes that Psalm with the response that we should have to this behavior against us.

Psalm 38:20-22 And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good. 21 Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

We should turn to God for help. We should seek Him for protection and rescue. Romans 12:14 and 17-21 then add a bit more and clarify how we as Christians should respond beyond that.

Romans 12:14, 17-21 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. … 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20 “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We should bless those who persecute us and mistreat us. We should bless them, not curse them or take vengeance into our own hands. We should entrust that to God’s holy and powerful hands of justice. In the meantime we should live at peace as much as is possible and repay their evil with good. We should overcome their evil by good.

Not only should we not be repaying good with evil, and not only should we not be repaying evil with evil, we should actually be repaying evil with good. Seeking out and doing what is best for others should always be what we do regardless of how we are treated. In respect to our response it does not matter how we are treated. We should only have one mode of living, one kind of response: repaying good, never evil.

Truth in Connection: The inescapable fact is, though, that this is not how people naturally live. Indeed, this is only possible for those who know the depth of their own sin against God, the depth of what they have been forgiven and rescued from, and who keep their eyes on Jesus’ amazing love to them. Only as we abide in Jesus and walk by His supernaturally given power can the evil in our own hearts be overcome by good. Likewise, only by sharing the overflow of that goodness with others can we overcome the evil of others with good. We must know Christ this well, and remain this close to Christ’s immense love for us day by day, moment by moment for this to be what comes out of our lives.

All too often the opposite happens. How many people return evil for the good that they have been shown? Let’s be even more pointed, how many of us as Christians return evil to God for the goodness that He has shown to us? This is what we do every time we sin. This is what we do every time we speak an evil word. This is what we do every time we are selfish. This is what we do every time we misuse and abuse God’s good creation. We twist it and do evil with it. We waste the lives that God has given us in selfish pursuits.

This is not the way it ought to be, and there are lasting consequences. The good world that God created is the way that it is now because of the lingering consequences of sin. Generation by generation the consequences have been compounding starting with Adam and Eve. But there is a better way than this foolishness. We must turn from our sin and trust in God’s redemption through Jesus Christ. We must trust Him as our Lord and Savior to truly transform our hearts and minds. Then we must walk with Him day by day in close communion. Know Jesus’ love more and more deeply so that we stop repaying good with evil and begin repaying evil with good like He has done for us.

Conclusion

Is there an area of your life where you have been repaying evil to others? To God? Surrender it to God. Trust Him. Know His love. Turn the other cheek. Show His love. It is impossible for us, but with God it is possible as we come to truly know His love, forgiveness, and salvation ourselves. Will you trust Him that His way of love is better than your way of sin? Will you keep trusting Him even when people mistreat you? Will you turn from mistreating others and God? Will you keep turning from it when you discover that you have done it again? This is God’s wise redeemed way of living. Let’s walk in it by His grace day by day.

If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.

© 2024, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible^® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org