9/14/2025
Turn with me to Proverbs 19:25-20:1. These are our verses to begin studying and memorizing.
Proverbs 19:25-20:1 Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge. 26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son. 27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge. 28 A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity. 29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And blows for the back of fools. 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.
Introduction
This next larger section of Proverbs that we are starting goes from Proverbs 19:25-22:16. This will finish out the middle section of the book of Proverbs written by Solomon (Proverbs 10-22:16). Given the large section of text this covers, there are numerous subsections within these verses. The major ones are Proverbs 19:25-20:1 which gives us the introduction and deals with the mocking scoffer and discipline. Proverbs 20:2-21:1 follows that by dealing with the scoffer and the king. Proverbs 21:2-21:31 escalates that and deals with the scoffer and God. Finally, Proverbs 22:1-16 deals with the blessing of the righteous and the overthrow of the scoffer. Those are the bigger divisions. As we progress through them we will see how they interconnect, and note the minor sub-divisions that also exist within them.
Like many of Solomon’s transitions between sections, this section flows out of the one that we have just finished (18:22-19:24). There we looked at finding good within our relationships by obedience to God’s wisdom. That section concluded with a chiasm (19:15-24) that had discipline in its emphasized center (19:18-21).
Since discipline of wickedness is so important for our relationships and society, the next section discusses dealing with the scoffing fool within society. It will do this by depicting the evil character and behavior of the scoffer, the judgments and discipline it deserves, its consequences, the king’s treatment of it, and God’s perspective. As it does all this, it will also end up teaching us the character and integrity that should characterize God’s people within society. Much of this will come by learning from the negative example of the scoffers way of life and the discipline that comes upon him.
As with many new sections in the book of Proverbs this one also begins with an emphasis on the importance of being teachable and on the value of wisdom. It also references one’s parents, as commonly occurs. We see all this in the first two verses (Proverbs 19:25 and 26). One of the aspects that is interesting here, which is a bit of a foreshadowing of some of the tone of these proverbs, is that all of these verses in this introduction come from a rather negative angle. The reminder of the importance of wisdom is expressed through corporal punishment and rebuking. The reference to one’s parents is in the context of a shameful son who beats them and drives them away. The third verse sarcastically commands the son to stop listening to discipline to be able to stray from wisdom. The fourth verse describes the wickedness that is produced by the evil speech of the mocking scoffer. The fifth verse talks about the judgment and physical discipline that is prepared for these scoffing fools. The last verse then highlights one of the main causes of the mocking, scoffing fool: the drunkenness produced by alcohol. These are all written from a negative angle, as will be many of the verses in these next couple chapters.
Another interesting facet of these opening verses in this introduction is that they seem to alternate between expressing a problem and giving the needed remedy. If we take the last verse of the last section (19:24) on being a sluggard as the first problem, then 19:25 gives the solution: discipline or reproof. Proverbs 19:26 then gives another problematic and shameful behavior: parental abuse. 19:27 gives the solution in its sarcastic way. People need to stop ignoring discipline and hold onto wisdom. 19:28 enumerates another problematic behavior: wicked words spread by false witnesses. 19:29 gives the solution: scoffers must be judged, and fools must receive physical punishment.
Proverbs 20:1 expresses another societal ill: the violence, abuse, and destructiveness of being controlled by alcohol. The solution to this problem is partially found in the previous verse, if we sandwich it with the last two verses in a mini chiasm (with the dual references to mocking in 19:28 and 20:1). The solution is also partially found by seeing this as part of a transition to the next section. From that angle, Proverbs 20:2 highlights the anger of the king upon those who disrupt society with their wickedness. He is the one who prepares the judgments for scoffers and gives those blows to the back of fools in 19:28.
All of this negative, wicked behavior that we see in these introductory verses shows us that as a society we need to strongly deal with the wicked, mocking, scoffer. If we let ourselves, or our society, go down this pathway of the scoffer it will destroy us and our families. It will produce shame, remove us from wisdom, cause injustice, and result in violence. It needs discipline and judgment where it occurs.
We need to avoid a scoffing, mocking life that produces this wicked character and destruction. We need to see the many avenues there are that produce this kind of scoffing life in order to avoid them. We need to see the remedies for this kind of life, both as individuals, and as a society. This coming large section of verses is going to help us do all this as it leads us towards embracing wisdom. If we do, it will develop the character and integrity that leads to a thriving society.
With that overview, let’s take a closer look at the first couple verses of our introduction.
25 Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge.
The simple can learn from the punishment of scoffers, but a wise person will learn simply from words of instruction.
This proverb is a contrasting one where the first half is quite different than the second half. By that contrast we see the results and differences more clearly. In this proverb the scoffer is beyond hope. They have gone too far and will not themselves learn from their discipline. Their repentance is not even mentioned. Yet, there can still be some profit in their punishment. Others who are not yet hardened in their sinful pursuits might learn by seeing the consequences of that wicked behavior upon the scoffer. If they want to avoid that result, then they will learn to avoid that behavior.
In contrast to that, the wise person, the person of understanding, the person who normally thinks before they act, will learn simply by being talked to. They will learn from the words of rebuke, correction, and instruction that are given to them. They are used to trying to consider their lives. So when an error is pointed out they are teachable. They want to learn. They are not too stubborn and hardheaded to be taught. They will stop going along the dangerous path they have started upon.
On a first reading of this proverb in the NASB it might seem that the contrast here is that the naïve might learn from the discipline of the scoffer, whereas the person of understanding will gain knowledge from their rebuke. That is not the emphasis here. The verb for “will become shrewd” and “will gain knowledge” are in the same imperfect future tense. A perusal of other translations will show that the other main translations do not translate these verbs like this. It would seem that with their translation they were trying to emphasize that the discipline of the scoffer does not always result in the naïve learning. Sometimes they are too dull to get the point even though they see the consequences right in front of them. Some naïve people end up having to learn the hard way themselves. That is all true, and we would not want to take this verse as a promise that all the naïve are necessarily going to learn when the wicked scoffer is punished.
Yet, we also do not want to misunderstand that to mean that it is the focus of this verse. This contrast actually more highlights the difference between what it takes for a naïve person to learn in contrast with a wise person. The wise learn from a word of instruction or rebuke. It takes the naïve seeing or experiencing the consequences more tangibly for them to learn. The contrast of this verse also highlights the consequences that come upon the scoffer for refusing to learn altogether versus verbal discipline being all that is needed for the wise.
These contrasts should cause us to ask ourselves, what kind of person am I? Am I a scoffer hardened in my pursuit of my way regardless of the truth and consequences? Am I a bit naïve and hard-headed where maybe I can learn, but it often comes through having to see consequences up close? Or, am I a person of understanding who tries to consider my way of life in light of God’s wisdom and who am humble enough to learn from the correction of God’s Word? Can I learn from the verbal correction of other people without having to see or experience all the consequences myself?
With our upcoming proverbs Solomon is getting ready to walk through quite a number of areas of life and character. He is going to give verbal or written rebukes where he highlights the scoffers way of life with its results and with how it needs to be disciplined. Will we be wise enough to learn from that? Or, will we need to see the consequences in real life ourselves? Or, God forbid, are we already a completely un-teachable scoffer? May we be humble enough to be teachable throughout life. May we be wise enough to learn from a rebuke—from the words of instruction of God, His Word, and godly people. May we not allow ourselves to become wicked, mocking, un-teachable scoffers who are only suited for judgment!
Proverbs 15:5 bluntly highlights the choice before us using the same word that our proverb has for “shrewd”:
Proverbs 15:5 A fool rejects his father's discipline, But he who regards reproof is sensible.
Which will you be throughout life? Will you be a fool or a teachable wise person? Let us be of those who determine to humbly learn from the wisdom of God’s Word. Let us daily seek it out to understand and apply it.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see a stark example of this proverb with the plagues on Egypt during the Exodus. Pharaoh was a scoffer and mocker. He would not learn despite all of the judgments that God poured out upon Egypt. He hardened his heart and then God continued to harden it so that all the world would see His power and know that He was God above all so-called gods. As a scoffer, Pharaoh was beyond help from the judgment. Yet, one of God’s key designs with His judgment was to teach the rest of the naïve, foolish world that He was God and unlike any other. God made this purpose clear during the seventh plague in Exodus 9:13-21.
Exodus 9:13-21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14 “For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 “For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. 16 “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. 17 “Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go. 18 “Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 “Now therefore send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” 20 The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21 but he who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
God specifically was using the plagues to teach the naïve and the simple. In seeing Pharaoh’s judgment it should have caused the naïve among them to gain sense, stop worshipping their false gods, and turn to the one true God. We know from Exodus 12:35-38 and Deuteronomy 29:10-13 that not only did many Egyptians bless the departing Israelites with gifts of silver and gold, but also a “mixed multitude” joined them and went with them. Likewise, when Israel finally went in to conquer and take the promised land of Canaan the fear of God came upon the Canaanites because of what God had done to Egypt. It was because of this that Rahab and her family joined themselves to Israel, and why the Gibeonites deceitfully worked hard to make a covenant with Israel to preserve their safety. The naïve and simple learn from the judgments that come upon others. They run from them. They do what they can to avoid them.
Even better than that, though, is to be one who intentionally seeks to know God’s wisdom and learns from God’s Word. He listens to God’s rebukes and instructions without having to see the consequences of wickedness personally. That is the kind of teachability that we need to cultivate in our lives as the people of God. That is the attitude that we need to discipline ourselves to have.
We see an example of this with Apollos in Acts 18:24-28. In this situation Apollos was already a gifted teacher who was himself teaching other people about God. Yet, he was also humble enough to be corrected and instructed when he was ignorant.
Acts 18:24-28 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Notice what happened here. He was accurately teaching of the prophecies of the coming messiah, and of the need for repentance like John the Baptist had taught—and maybe even that Jesus was the Messiah. Yet, he did not know the fulfillment of it all in Jesus—perhaps with His death and resurrection (it is not precisely clear here how much he was missing). Regardless, when Priscilla and Aquila took him aside he was teachable. Do you see what that resulted in? It resulted in him making even more of an impact in his teaching and ministry. He powerfully refuted the opposing Jews in Achaia. He was able to proclaim not just that the messiah was coming and the people needed to repent, but also that Jesus was the complete fulfillment of all those prophecies. He was indeed the messiah who had come. He died, was buried, and rose again in accordance with Scripture. He underwent the punishment for the sins of all those who would turn in faith to believe in Him. Thus God powerfully used him because of his teachability. He was a wise man who learned from the rebuke and instruction that he willingly listened to, examined, and applied to his life.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see a poignant picture of this in the parable of Jesus about building our house on the rock in Matthew 7:24-27. This parable comes right after Jesus taught the people about the gate being broad that leads to destruction and the gate that leads to life being small and narrow. He had also taught them about the danger of false prophets and that we will know people by their fruits. A good tree will produce good fruit. Immediately before teaching this parable he also warned them that not everyone who says to Him “Lord, Lord” would enter heaven. It would only be those who do the will of the Father. Those who had done many good things in His name, but had not truly known Him would be cast out as wicked evil-doers. After all of that Jesus then taught this parable:
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
In Scripture God rebukes us for our sin. He warns us that they will receive His judgment. He tells us that He is holy, and will not allow sin into His presence. Yet, many ignore those warnings and build their life regardless of Him. They continue on their sinful way. They live as if somehow it will be okay and God will ignore it because of some good works. He will not ignore sin. He will judge it. The wise man heeds God’s rebuke. He realizes that there is nothing on his own that he can do that will remove this sin problem and God’s judgment. But then he also heeds God’s call to “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”(Matthew 11:28) As Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jesus went to the cross to receive the penalty for our sin upon Himself and bear it in full. That is what He did through His death on the cross. But then He rose and conquered death. He gives His eternal life and forgiveness to all those who come to Him in faith. That is the only way that we can be forgiven and that we can have a house (a life) that is built on the rock that will withstand the storm of death and God’s judgment. It is only in Jesus as our rock, our refuge, our salvation, and our protector that we will survive. It is only when He gives us His righteousness and takes away our sin that we can be reconciled to God.
Truth in Connection: Given all that, have you been reconciled to God? Have you truly trusted Him as your Lord and Savior? Have you heard His rebuke of your sin, taken it to heart, and gone to Him to save you? Trust Him today as your Lord and Savior. That is the way we can truly be made alive and enabled to do His will with the right heart and actions.
If you have trusted in Jesus, are you continuing to listen to His rebukes and instructions about what is right and wrong? Are you continuing to heed His voice and act on His Words? This life has its struggles as we deal with our old sinful flesh, and as we deal with the trials and persecutions that come. Through them all, we need the wisdom of God for how to live in this new redeemed way of life. We must determine that in every area of life for all of life we will be teachable by the truth of God’s Word.
May we not be hard-headed and become scoffers. May we not be foolish and naïve and wait until we get hit upside the head by God’s discipline. May we eagerly and humbly seek out and heed His instruction and rebukes. This is exactly why we are given all of the events of Scripture. They were given for our instruction so that we might learn from them (Romans 15:14, 1 Corinthians 10:11).
At some point all of us are going to be naïve. Yet, God has recorded the events of His Word so that we can learn from the failures and disciplines of people throughout the ages. If you have not read through the Bible, or the Old Testament in a while, then do it. Look for what you can learn about life from the record of God’s work in people’s lives throughout history.
Learn from the flood and the rainbow. Learn from Moses, Joshua, Abraham, Sarah, Job, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, John, Paul, Timothy, and Titus. But also take time to learn the important lessons from many of the others who are less well known like the four sisters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, and Tirzah. Or from others such as Elihu, Othniel, Abigail, Rechab, Baruch, Rhoda, Persis, Archippus, Onesimus, and Gaius. There are a host of others that Scripture talks about with lessons that we can and should learn from. May we be teachable from the life lessons and examples that we are given in Scripture.
Back in Proverbs, our introduction to our new section continues the lesson about being teachable with our second rather negative reminder. It calls us to listen to the wisdom of our parents in a rather unique way.
26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son.
Mistreating one’s father also pushes away one’s mother and brings shame for that shameful behavior.
It is as if Solomon has used up his normal section introductions, and now goes for a shock factor way of calling his readers to listen to their parent’s instruction. Of course, this also quite aptly fits the negative tone of trying to deal with the scoffer who actually behaves this way. Yet, it is fair bit of a shift from the much more positive ways to “find good” in our relationships that we have been looking at. As such, it rather catches our attention.
It is a shocking thing when a son attacks their own father and assaults him. It is not the way things ought to be. It is not God’s design for the family. It is not the kind of repayment that a child should ever give to the one who has provided for them, taught them, spent time with them, loved them, helped them, given them opportunities, and otherwise poured their life into them. It is indeed a disgraceful thing for a child to behave this way to their parents. Yet, that is what a scoffer does. Those who do not want to hear the truth, who despise it, who do not want to hear the rebuke of wisdom, who are un-teachable often end up angrily resisting it. The farther they go along like this the more likely that they end up acting in ways that are unconscionably evil. In so doing, they sear their consciences and end up justifying behaviors that somehow make it acceptable to violently behave towards their parents or others that they disagree with. In so treating one’s father this way, the scoffer even drives his mother away. If you notice, the word for “and” in the first part of the verse is in italics. That means it was added for clarification. Thus a more direct rendering would be something like “the one who assaults his father will cause his mother to flee.”
A mother’s love is legendary. Tributes have been given down through the ages of long-suffering mothers who have self-sacrificially poured out their lives for their children. To drive a mother like this away is the bottom of the barrel in despicableness and shame.
From this shocking picture we ought to be jarred into thinking about the way things ought to be. If we, of course, would not want to behave this way, then we are pushed into thinking about the way that we ought to treat our parents. They ought to be respected. They ought to be learned from. Their experience and wisdom ought to be valued. We ought to humbly listen to them and very carefully weigh their advice. We ought to be teachable in the reproof, instruction, guidance, and wisdom of God that they impart to us.
Thus this proverb in a dark, reverse-psychology kind of way depicts the problematic scoffer who needs to be disciplined while also leaving unsaid, in the silver lining of this horrific proverb, that the opposite is the way that we ought to live. We ought to work hard to make sure that the trajectory of our lives and the way that we treat our parents is not headed in this direction. When we defy God, scoff at the truth, mock at what is right, disregard wisdom, and become un-teachable this is where we are headed. We need to avoid this kind of scoffing life so that we learn from the wisdom of the upcoming proverbs.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this proverb most vividly in the violent coup that Absalom attempted over his father David. He was not content stealing Jerusalem. He defiled his father’s concubines, and raised an army to kill David and his followers. It is hard to think of a more disgraceful way to treat one’s father. Yet, David mourned for him in his death when he was defeated. What a heart-breaking and evil way to treat the one who raised you, provided for you, and loved you from an infant on up. It truly is a shameful behavior to assault your father, to treat him with disrespect, and to ignore the godly wisdom that he would want to continue to share to help you in life. (2 Samuel 15-18)
There are many other examples in Scripture of foolish, violent, scornful, wicked sons who drove their parents away and greatly grieved them by their behavior. Cain, with the disgraceful murder of his brother Abel, was exiled away from his family and became a wanderer. After Noah got drunk from the wine of a vineyard he planted after the flood, his son Ham shamefully mocked and mistreated him. Ham’s son Canaan then lost the family blessing and instead would serve the others. (Genesis 9)
The sons of the priest Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, made a shameful mockery of the priesthood and sacrifices to God. They were also immoral and ended up being killed by God in a battle with the Philistines. (1 Samuel 2-4)
All of these men were not teachable when they were rebuked. They did not learn and did not want to learn God’s wisdom and righteous way of life. In their scornful, violent, wicked behaviors they all brought great shame and disgrace upon themselves for their evil behaviors within their families. That is the outcome of refusing to heed wisdom and scorning those who share it. It is particularly disgraceful when that violent, scornful behavior is directed towards the ones that truly love you.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this Proverb with the rest of Scripture we see this same kind of issue in the law in Deuteronomy 21:18-21. According to God, this kind of foolish, scornful, depraved behavior deserves the strongest of judgment when it gets to the point of no return.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21”If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, 19 then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. 20 “They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 “Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear.
This is talking about an extreme case of scornful, unrepentant, rebellious, dangerous behavior that will not change. Under the law, this kind of behavior had to be stopped so that it did not spread. As our previous proverb talked about (Proverbs 19:25), this kind of behavior must be dealt with so the naïve will learn. It may be too late for the scoffer, but at least others can learn to not repeat this kind of evil behavior.
In the New Testament, we see that one of the characteristics of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:2 is that children will be disobedient to parents. The natural God-designed order of the family will be spurned, rejected, maligned, mocked, defied, and overturned.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
A society that reaches these stages is self-destructing. There is only one remedy. Repent and turn to God’s wisdom. We must stop despising and scorning what is right. We must humble ourselves before the truth, repent from our evil, destructive, sinful ways. We must trust in God for His forgiveness, salvation, and eternal, righteous wisdom. Have you turned to Jesus for the life, forgiveness, and wisdom that He alone has? Do not wait until it is too late and His judgment upon scornful sinners arrives. Learn from His past judgment of the sin of others. Be teachable from Him and from all those pointing you to His wisdom.
For those of us who have trusted in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are seeking to continue to learn from His wisdom, He gives some bracing truths that we need to remember in Mark 13:7-13. On this earth we are not promised that things will get better. Rather, we are promised by Jesus that in the end times this proverb, which talks about father’s being assaulted, will be fulfilled. Notice what this passage says about the end times before His return and the establishment of His eternal kingdom.
Mark 13:7-13 “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8 “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
Do you notice what it said there? The wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes that we often talk about in relation to end times are here mentioned as just being birth pangs. They are not the end. Instead, what must take place is the gospel being preached to all nations. During this time of preaching we are specifically warned to be on our guard. We are going to be mistreated for the gospel. We will be arrested and abused. It will get so bad that not just enemies will do this to us. Our very own family and children will do this to us. We rightly think it extremely horrible when someone is brutally murdered by their enemies for the truth of the gospel. We rightly grieve for it. But what is coming is much worse. Our own families will be the ones turning us in and doing it.
We do not highlight this to cause fear. Rather, we highlight this because Jesus does. We highlight this because Jesus wants to prepare us to be on guard for the reality which will occur in the brutal last days and in the days leading up to it. We also highlight this in full recognition of what we talked about last week with not needing to fear man because we fear, love, and trust God as our Savior. On that note, notice how Jesus ended those verses. He reminds us that His salvation is coming. Thus we can hold on and faithfully endure no matter what comes upon us in the process. As we also emphasized last time we do this by looking to Jesus, remembering the joy that He went to the cross on our behalf for, and remembering that we have not and will not suffer more than He did on our behalf. Thus, we can courageously look to Him, resist sin, resist growing weary in well doing—even to our enemies, and continue proclaiming the gospel to all nations until He calls us home or returns for us.
Truth in Connection: Regardless of what happens in our country, we can indeed stand firmly in the purposes for which God has saved us from our sin. We can continue to proclaim His life-saving grace through what Jesus did on the cross with His death, burial, and resurrection. We can continue pointing people to the reality of His wisdom for all of life and what it means to truly follow Jesus as His disciples. We can continue to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. We can continue loving our enemies. We can continue building each other up for the work of the ministry. We can continue looking for Jesus’ return or “loving His appearing” as it is termed in 2 Timothy 4:8. We can continue walking by faith and trusting Jesus in all our circumstances. We can continue to remember that God is working all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We can continue to have our hearts and minds at peace, guarded by Jesus, as we with thanksgiving make our requests known to Him. We can indeed continue, regardless of the scorners and scoffers. We can continue because of Jesus’ love and grace to us each and every day. We can continue because of His promise to be with us always even unto the end of the age. We can continue because His Word is true and He is faithful.
Let us then not be intimidated or discouraged by the scornful mocker. Let us continue to live for the glory of God in all that we do, knowing that for us, to live is Christ and to die is gain. We have an eternal citizenship in heaven that we look to beyond all the good and bad that we experience here on this earth. Let us then continue walking in the fear and love of God. May we faithfully, humbly, and lovingly serve Him until the day we die. May we always be teachable from His wisdom and build up our families—not tear them down like the scornful mocker.
Conclusion
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.
© 2025, 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
English (US) · 