Monday, June 10, 2013

Proverbs 30:33 Deliberately stirring things up

33 "For as churning cream produces butter,
    and as twisting the nose produces blood,
    so stirring up anger produces strife."


Have you ever tried to use a butter churn? There is an art to it . . .it's not just slamming a paddle up and down inside the churn for a brief time. The start of the process is separating cream from milk; this cream is cooled, because the fat droplets will clump more easily when hard, then when they are soft. The cream is poured into the churn. Then the dash, or dasher, is introduced into the churn, and a steady, even pace of moving the dasher is begun. Youngsters were often given the job of churning the cream into butter, but often had the chore taken from them, since they lacked the patience needed to continue the rhythmic movements in just the way the mother needed them to do, for the best results!

Here is my point: there is a routine, a deliberate and planned way of churning butter. And there are people in our world who have a routine, a deliberate and planned way of stirring up other folks' anger. I believe that this is what Agur is speaking of in this verse. 

He is telling us that just as surely as churning cream results in butter, or hurting someone's nose results in bleeding, stirring up anger has an expected result as well -- strife.  You see, it is not the anger itself that he is speaking of, but the deliberate effort to stir up anger; it's very deliberate, and there is an end result in the mind of the "stirrer."
These folks enjoy seeing the strife and conflict that they stir up. They love to see division and disunity, and they love to see friendships torn asunder. In that way, they are very like our enemy, Satan, for the scriptures say that he likes to see those things, too.
Satan is the author of confusion, and he enjoys planting fearful thoughts in our minds to distract us from our peace, our faith in our Father. In this way he torments us (if we allow it) and plants strife and conflict in our hearts.
But our Savior likes to see just the opposite.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  Romans 16:17
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.  1 Cor 1:10
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Eph 4:1-6

Let's be agents of peace and healing, not like those who deliberately stir things up!

2 comments:

  1. I agree! But I do wonder, though, how one stands for Biblical truth and not cause division when others insist on going down an unbiblical path within a church? Is it ok to see unbiblical practices take place and not raise concerns for the sake of peace?

    This is something that has often worried me.

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  2. Remember God harden the heart of Pharoah and in doing so God multiplied His signs and wonders (Ex. 7:3)....God is totally in charge. He moves man's heart in the direction He wants and in the end He shall be honoured.

    ReplyDelete

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