Turn with me in your scriptures to the book of Proverbs. We have before us our progress in a survey of folly in chapter 17, particularly this section now before us. We have verses 10 through 15. If you are able, I invite you to stand with me in honor of God's word. I'll read this portion in your hearing. May we honor God, not only outwardly, but inwardly. In the hearing of this is infallible and inerrant word. Proverbs chapter 17 at verse 10. Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool. An evil man seeks only rebellion. Therefore, a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. The beginning of strife is like releasing water. Therefore, stop contention before a quarrel starts. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just, both of them alike, are an abomination to the Lord. Thus ends the reading of the Lord's holy word. Let us ask his blessing upon the preaching of it. Let us pray. Most holy Father, we ask that we may feed upon Christ. This is his word. May it flow forth in the word preached. to give life to our souls, to enliven us for his service, to strengthen us in our faith. Instruct us unto wisdom, for he indeed has all wisdom. He is the wisdom of God. With love, may we hear his word. In his name, amen. You may be seated. Here in this larger survey, of folly running through the close of the chapter at verse 28. We have seen previously a brief introduction to that in a catalog of foolishness in verses 7 through 9. There we saw certain tokens of great folly in the liar, the briber, and the gossip. Here, moving from that brief catalog as a kind of introduction, we move to a subsection in this survey of folly, and we might call this subsection, verses 10 through 15, folly's means and ends, or folly's behavior and punishment. Each of the sections here in this survey of folly have a similar pattern. There is an introductory proverb, which Walt Key, an excellent commentator on these proverbs, calls an educational proverb that stands as a reminder of a great principle out of those first nine chapters, heading up a section with similar themes that structures it. We have that here in this section, and we'll notice in this section, not only that introductory proverb, but then in it and following, themes of Folly's incorrigibility, Folly's violence, and Folly's injustice. Those themes woven together in this subsection, speaking of the ends coming from the means. of folly, a survey of folly's behavior and punishments, as we said. So considering how the Holy Spirit, by the inspired pen of Solomon, structured this subsection, there are parallels built in. First, there is that introductory proverb, Proverbs 17.10. There we see particularly that theme of incorrigibility, but it stands as the head of what follows, and what follows has alternating verses that unfold parallel themes. We'll mention that here and then remind you as we look at the content here. Verses 11, 13, and 15, alternating verses, have a common theme unfolding, and then those middle alternating verses 12 and 14, we'll see, unpack a similar theme. So again, the Lord delights in structuring poetry and building out the themes as they keep increasing in intensity, building upon one another, looking at the content in This structure will start with that introductory proverb, that educational proverb, as Waltke calls it. Verse 10, rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool. It reminds us of a contrast that we saw at the close of the previous section. Remember there, we saw in that catalog of fools, the gossip. Right? And we were warned against that abuse of a fool's tongue by the reminder that love doesn't behave like that. The fool is destructive in his use of the tongue. Love does something different than that. Love covers over transgression. Doesn't spread it around to the destruction of someone. Love covers over. Here, with great skill and wisdom by the Spirit, Solomon reminds us There's something else that we should say about the work of the wise. It's not only covering over in love, but in the right time, it speaks a word of reproof. So it builds on what we saw at the close of that catalog before. Wisdom will not use the mouth for gossip. That's destruction. In love, there will be discreteness, covering over transgression, but that's not all. It doesn't stop there. Here, we're reminded of that great principle that wisdom reproves. And for the wise, that reproof is received. Words will not be used for destruction, but for building up. Rebuke is more effective for a wise man, that first part of verse 10. So we're reminded that there's a place for covering over and a place, not for gossip, but for rebuke, by implication, rebuke in love, right? Love will cover over and love will rebuke the one who will receive with discernment. But this proverb reminds us that though there is a place for rebuke, it's only fitting to the one who's discerning, the wise. It will be wasted if it's given to the fool. The second part of this introductory proverb, verse 10. Rebuke the discerning, yes, but the fool needs to be flogged. The language here. Speaking of rebuke, note that it's, again, the word being used, not in gossip and destruction, but the word being used to the wise. What does that word do? Literally, here it's translated, it is effective, right? Well, if you look at the authorized version, the literal language is that it sinks into the soul. It goes down into the one hearing it and is effective. It sinks in to the wise man. That's how it's effective, as we have it translated here. The fool, in contrast, is hardened against the word, and it will do nothing to him, except for, as we'll see, enrage him, perhaps. But here, the contrast is intensified by saying, the word is useless to him. He needs something other than the word. the coarsest form of correction, corporal punishment, which is still ineffective, no matter how much is applied. That's how the metaphor is used, or the language of a hundred blows. In the law, there's a limit in flogging, if that were used, to 40, right? Here, the Extreme is used to say, it doesn't matter how many times he comes for flogging. The word will be utterly ineffective, and so will be the flogging, the only thing that would be worthy of the fool. And yet, the fool is so hardened that not even that will be effective, no matter how much it's applied. There are important contrasts that should leap to mind in this description, this educational proverb at the outset. The word is sufficient to the wise. Consider our calling in that. The word is sufficient to David when Nathan comes, gives him the prophetic parable, and it stirs up David, and he says, you're the man. What happens? There's the heart of wisdom. He's crushed. All it took was the word. You're the man. And he's moved. the way the wise should be moved to repentance and transformation. Remember, not even a word to Peter. During Christ's affliction, he just looks. And Peter's crushed. So the heart, under the influence of the gospel, the lightest stroke is enough. The word, the look, does its work in wisdom, but then the contrast. We see examples of that as well, don't we? What about the heart? Devoid of the grace of the gospel, no wisdom. We see examples of that as described in the second part of verse 10. Think of Pharaoh. Would he turn? No, no matter how many blows, and finally he feigns to turn, and he still didn't turn. And what's his end? Blows that take him so that his army is completely destroyed. Nothing but destruction awaits the fool. He can't receive the word. Blows are all that awaits him, and that, too, destruction. Think, too, sadly, how that happened to those rescued from Pharaoh. Later, wicked kings in Israel receive the word of prophecy over and again, and what do they do? They become hardened in heart until they're destroyed. And they bring about the destruction of God's people. God's people behave in the same way. The word of instruction comes and they have no room to hear it. They're hardened and nothing is left for them but blows. And even that was ineffective. They go to death. And so that introductory proverb, is a great and powerful reminder and call to us to have hearts softened by the gospel, moved to wisdom, that the word is enough. Even the look of the Savior is enough. Verse 11, an evil man seeks only rebellion. Therefore, a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Here, remember, verse 11 has parallels that will unfold in alternating verses. verse 11, verse 13, verse 15, will increase the direction this is going. It's describing the evil in the heart of the fool and the consequences that they fall in. That's going to unpack here, intensify in alternating verses 13 and 15. Here, the fool's heart is identified as evil in its willful, angry, defiant, persistent rebellion. It's the earmark of the fool's heart. And it's important to catch what's packed into that language. It is willful, angry, defiant, and persistent rebellion. There is a penchant for opposition to everything wholesome and good so far as it comes from God. That's what you'll find coming out of the heart of the fool. Certainly, in this kind of rebellion, There is also the rebellion against any correction. If wisdom were to rise up and speak the word, what would it get in response? This, a violent rebellion, a vigorous, persistent opposition that's all the more vigorous in the face of a word of correction. The consequences is expressed as using the poetic device of metonymy. It means a part is taken for the whole. A part that is associated with something represents it. Here, this is a common biblical metonymy. A cruel messenger will be sent against him. That language needs to be unpacked a little bit. The agent of judgment is identified poetically with the judgment brought. An evil messenger will be sent against him. What that's saying is he's going to get destruction. He's going to get the evil that is in his heart, causing him to rebel, will come upon him. And that unto destruction. An evil messenger. will be sent against him. So he loves evil, he'll receive evil. And that unto destruction as we look in verses 13 and 15 going forward, we'll see that it's a divine judgment. As we unpack it, we'll see that it actually leads to a destruction. And we're reminded by the use of the language of rebellion, that we have in view, particularly rebellion against God, and yes, the scriptures teach that its end is death. Remember, in 1 Samuel 15, verse 23, there's that powerful comparison where we hear what rebellion is like. It is like the sin of witchcraft. What was the penalty for witchcraft? Death by fire. but ultimately death. And so, there's powerful language used against such a fool's heart. His evil heart is a heart of rebellion, which will bring evil upon himself unto destruction. Thus, the darkness and doom of divine judgment awaits the incorrigible violent rebel. Verse 12, Remember that it's paired with the alternating verse 14. Here unpacks the theme of the violent trouble of fools. So before we have an increasing of evil and violence, here, a violent trouble of fools. their evil hear violent trouble of fools. And this, verse 12, is an argument from the lesser to the greater, using the she-bear robbed of her cubs. It's striking. The Waltke, one commentator, says the imagery is of the one who steals the cubs. comes face to face with the mama bear, with the cubs in tow. What's going to happen to that person? He's going to get torn to shreds, utterly destroyed. And he's brought the destruction upon himself. That's the colorful metaphor put before us here. The original hearers would have been familiar with a Syrian bear. There aren't any more of these bears in the Middle East. But at that time, Up until the 1900s, there were Syrian bears in that region. The last one known in that region was killed in the region of Galilee sometime around the Second World War. These Syrian bears stood about six and a half feet tall. That sounds not as scary as some of the ones we know about. Yeah, but get this, they ran roughly 500 pounds. Yeah, I don't want to meet that mama bear. Not at all. This simile is used to describe violent rage throughout scripture. The she-bear-robbed-of-her-cubs is a poetic simile used in various places of scripture. Remember, Hushai described David and his mighty men to Absalom. when he was undermining the council of Ahithophel, he said, listen, no, you don't want to do what Ahithophel said. What you want to do is take into account the fact that David is like this. He and his mighty men are more powerful. They're frightening. They're terrifying as mighty men, like a she-bear robbed of her cubs. So powerful and frightening are they. You need to take this action instead. He used this metaphor to describe them. Similarly, Hosea uses this metaphor to describe the wrath of God against his rebel people. In Hosea 13 verse 8, the Lord God is like this, terrifying and violent in his wrath, like a she-bear robbed of her cubs. Well here, Solomon uses this, and this is important to see, to describe the danger of a raging fool. What could be worse than running headlong into an angry mama bear with her cubs in your arms? Solomon says, I can tell you something worse. Facing a raging fool, pursuing his folly. Again, we're shocked by the comparison, the contrast. That's not what we would naturally think. But we need to be reminded. of just how violent such folly in the heart can be. It is, in fact, deadly and terrifying in its exhibit. Think of what Saul did when his heart was full of such raging folly. What did he do? He killed a host of innocent priests. Remember that? The slaughter of the innocent priests in 1 Samuel 22. And we don't have to think too far back to see exhibits of that in our day. This is really a pithy and poignant proverb. Think about what's happened in our day with raging rioters who call themselves Antifa, who call themselves protesters for BLM, Great violence, many deaths, billions of dollars of destruction. The spirit through Solomon is right. And the powers that be love what is wrought in that rebellion. Just as a quick footnote, when I was researching this, I couldn't get answers for what I was looking for when I did a web search with the generally available web search engines. You know what it gave me when I asked about how many deaths related to those riots? It gave me a long list of popular media saying this fact-checked, false, fact-checked, false, fact-checked, false. So I had to look around for a privacy-oriented, off-mainstream search engine. Ah, then it unfolded to me. Yeah, insurance companies reported billions of dollars. Yes, from the BBC, tracking the number of deaths. Oh, then I could find it. Yeah, we thought so. No matter how hard, those who love such folly and violence try to hide it. Indeed, there was exactly what Solomon says, In this exhibit of folly, great destruction, terrifying violence, just what Solomon would suggest by the inspiration of the spirit. Verse 13, returning to that original theme from verse 11, whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. See that echo of the theme, an evil man seeks only rebellion? That's the heart of the fool. It's evil. Here, that theme of evil is stressed to remind us of the parallel. Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. Now, note straight up, as we Consider this, there's a prohibition that's recognized in scripture easily against rewarding evil for evil, let alone evil for good, right? Are we not taught that the Lord forbids rewarding those who've done evil to you with personal retribution of doing evil to them? And this is given to us in Deuteronomy but we find it, trace it throughout Scripture, Deuteronomy 32, verse 35, vengeance is mine and recompense, the Lord says. We find that principle in Psalm 94, verse one. It's continued into the New Testament, Romans 12, verse 19, and Hebrews 10, verse 30. This is a well-known principle. We must not return evil for evil. How much less evil for good? The Lord does, however, not only remove personal vendettas, vengeance is his, but then he also ascribes responsibility to those in authority, not for personal vengeance, but for retributive justice. Vengeance is not to be sought as personal retribution, that's forbiddenness. But there is a place for retributive justice. Romans 13, verse 4. The sword is given to the magistrate and not in vain. So this isn't forbidding, by contrast, the right use of retribution. It's just not personal retribution. Retributive justice is delegated by God to those appointed to exercise it. The one doing this, is required to do so not in a personal, vengeful way, but as an allegiance to the God who delegated authority for it. The complete opposite is found on display in the heart of the fool who, in the face of good, returns evil. If evil for evil is is a sin that is forbidden how much more evil for good. How atrocious that is. And the evil spoken of here, the language literally means immoral treatment that does harm. The fool does that in the face of good. Those who do him good, he will do immoral things to do them harm. So wicked, so evil is his heart. This'll be how he lives. And the one doing this will find that there are consequences to it. In God's ordinary moral order, the evil will come home with a vengeance, quite literally. It'll come back upon his own head, and he won't be the only one who pays the price. All those who are his responsibility will suffer the evil that comes upon him. It's said here, it comes upon his house and won't leave. He brings it upon himself. and others. Those in his charge will suffer the evil that he has been exercising as he also will experience it. Now note the implications as we unpack that. That evil is extensive and widening as it comes down on his head. as the consequence of his evil heart and behavior. And we need to remember, by implication, those charged with retributive justice, leaders, who instead behave like this, returning evil upon those who've done good, evil will come upon them and their house. Now that's frightening, think about it. Leaders in a nation are called fathers in scripture. And if we will consider a moment, we're seeing this in our very experience in our land. Those who are charged with doing justice, who instead find those who are good and bring a judgment of evil against them, evil will come upon them and their house upon the nation. They'll have an unwelcome house guest. and it'll remain. We're seeing that in our day, aren't we? Consider the treatment of those who have, in fact, tried to pursue the good of God's law and then have been treated as evil doers and punished. You remember Baronelle Stutzman, the florist from Washington? Using her creative gifts to bless, fruitfully, those who came to her for floral arrangements She was glad to do whatever kind of floral arrangement, but she couldn't break God's law by participating in a so-called same-sex wedding by creating floral arrangements for it. And so she kindly said, no, I can't do that. I'm glad to sell you all my artistry for other purposes, but I can't use it in a way that I know God forbids. I can't participate in that. What happened? The civil magistrate brought the wrath of its justice upon her head to crush her. There are consequences to that. We're reaping them in our land. Remember Jack Phillips? His ordeal's been unending. He's a cake maker. And again, same fruitful desire to do good in his labors. The same animosity coming against him. I am glad to use my craft to sell to you these goods, but I can't use this craft to do things that are against God's law. He requires me to do good. That would be to do evil. I can't do that. With love, I will serve you in every way I can in good conscience. I can't do that. So the full wrath of Colorado's state government comes upon him unending trials, financial struggles, and torment in the judicial system, returning evil for good. Our land is seeing we have an unwelcome house-thrashed. Evil has come upon the house of our land, and it doesn't want to leave. We see the same thing with lawfare, Right? Using the place for justice as a means for personal vengeance. Here's the principle. What's going to happen in a land where the fathers of the land do that? Evil will come upon them and their house. Should we not be moved to pray for repentance? That that judgment should be turned away. Verse 14. returning to the parallel with verse 12. The beginning of strife is like releasing water. Therefore, stop contention before a quarrel starts. Here is that theme of avoiding trouble with the fool. From verse 12, you don't want to meet a bear robbed of her cubs, much less a fool in his folly. It's worse. Well, here that theme is built further. when engaging with someone, and you discover he's a fool, here's the metaphor put out, or the simile, you'll see the dam start to break. You'll recognize, ooh, there's a fool, and he's amping up for violence, because that's what's built into his heart. He wants to rage. I see the dam having a crack, the water trickling. What should I do when I see that? Here, the very beginning is the opportune time for the one with wisdom. When you see the crack in the dam, the fool becoming apparent in his interaction as having a great deal of chaotic destruction pent up, I am ready to become irrationally oppositional. I want the fight. Remember what we learned about the she-bear. Do not contend with him. Instruction is given to us here. Stop the contention, depart before the quarrel starts. Remember, words are useless with him. End it quickly and depart. Bridges gives David as a beautiful example of this wisdom in Psalm 32. If you note verses 13 through 16 and verse 20, he has those who are coming at him with this kind of folly, and he says, I recognized it, I would not speak. I became deaf to them. I turned away and I appealed to the Lord. So should be our response as well. He appeals to God in the matter. Now this doesn't preclude other situations where appropriate actions should be taken, but the better part of wisdom is on display here. Wisdom discerns the time to avoid the one recognized as exhibiting such folly. it'll lead only to destruction, like meeting the she-bear, remember? We don't want that. Verse 15, the closing verse of the section. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord. Here, the parallel reaching back to the one with an evil heart, rewarding evil with good, Rewarding good with evil, I should say. Here, that has reached its climax. The one who justifies the wicked, he who condemns the just. Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord. Here, we have in view particularly public justice. Waltke does us a service when he points out that there has been a tendency in our justice system as we've wandered away from its rootedness in moral absolutes, as it becomes arbitrary means of exerting some kind of power, we lose the good that it could do. What am I talking about? Well, we have come to think that it's far better to let 10 evildoers go rather than run the risk of condemning one just person. Waltke points out, no, did you hear what God said? Neither one of those is okay. Do not construct your justice system so that you're willing to diminish justice to the evil for any reason. exercise justice as God delegated authority to do so against the evil. Does our justice system work that way anymore? No, think about it. The whole plea situation that attorneys general manipulate, they do not pursue explicit justice. They diminish charges in order to get things dismissed. The Lord hates that. There was justice to be served. Serve it! Just as he demands that good be done to the innocent. Just as much as we think, wow, now, that's the big deal. Don't ever let anything happen to the innocent. Well, right! God says yes and amen, as it were, and vigorously so, just so, with justice to the wicked. It is not right to construct the justice system so that the wicked go unpunished for their wickedness. We've gotten here because we're no longer rooted in the morality that comes from the Lord who abominates that corruption. The farther we get from a grasp of true and ultimate morality, the farther we'll drift into these kinds of abominations. Ah, now this should burden our heart. We've been well instructed and we need to pray for our leaders because we've seen, tracing through these, not only the work of fools we may encounter personally, but what happens when evil finds its way into the place where justice is to be served. Evil will visit our house in this land and remain. Oh, may we beg of God, mercy, that there will be a restoration of the justice that arises from the wisdom of God's morality. It's written all over nature. It's recorded in his word. Oh, may the evil depart from our house. May he establish righteousness in our land. Let us pray. Father, how beautiful the art of the Spirit, the pen of Solomon. but how frightening the consequences we've seen, those ends that come in this display of folly. And as we've traced these lines, this thread, please build us up properly to respond with wisdom, to avoid the fool, to measure as you have taught us to measure, to be those of the soft heart, for whom the word is fit, even the look, the glance of the Savior is enough. And we beg of you mercy in our land, where evil has found its way into the fathers of the land, into the leaders who are supposed to work good for good, judgment against the evil, and have reversed all these things. Certainly we are seeing the consequences of that. We pray that you'd have mercy, that the gospel would break through, and that light would be shed into these places, and such abominations would cease. We pray for your preserving hand, for your mercy to your people, and for the restoration of a genuine justice. that is honoring to the one who calls for it in public places, even the Lord Almighty. We ask these things in the name of Christ. Amen.