Don't Rage
repent
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 19:3
When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.
As far as we can tell, it was French novelist Alphonse Karr who first used the proverbial phrase, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” More recently, Bon Jovi incorporated that phrase into his song, “The More Things Change.” Anyone reading Proverbs 19:3 might come to the same conclusion.
Adam, right after the Fall, when asked why he ate the forbidden fruit, slyly put the blame back on God. “The woman YOU WHOM YOU GAVE ME, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Nothing changes.
We kick the foundation out from under the house and curse God when it collapses on our heads.
When others blame God for their problems, we should remember that they are likely not being honest about their own contributions to their issues. Similarly, when we feel anger towards God’s management of our lives, we need to take responsibility for our actions and examine our contributions to our troubles.
What Adam did, what this proverb exposes, is how human nature has worked since the Fall. The more things change, the more they stay the same. That includes how we view our troubles.
The point of this proverb isn’t simply that we need to beat ourselves up over our troubles, or that God wants to be able to gloat over what a mess we have made of our lives. No. It is that taking personal responsibility, confessing our sins, and acknowledging our contribution to our trouble is the first step towards forgiveness and recovery. This proverb shows us the folly of responding in this way and points us toward a better response.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. Jesus saves. He restores. He rebuilds what we have wrecked. So, don’t rage. Repent.
