Proverbs 25:7-8

New Living Translation (NLT)

Just because you’ve seen something,
don’t be in a hurry to go to court.
For what will you do in the end
if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?

For Meditation

I am sure that the day four-star General Colin Powell stood before the Security Council of the United Nations to push for its endorsement of Desert Storm 2, the infamous Iraqi war that toppled Saddam Hussein, will go down for him as the most regrettable experience of his illustrious career. In a masterful presentation that was editorialized by the Washington Post as ‘Irrefutable’, Secretary Powell called on the UN to stop Saddam militarily. Years later, it has all been proved to be a carefully concocted scheme to cover up President Bush’s main reason for the war – revenge against the “guy who tried to kill my dad.” Maybe Secretary Powell believed the ‘facts’ of his presentation at that time, but I am sure he knows the truth now, and regrettably, he has to live with the shame of it for the rest of his life.

1. Have you been embarrassed by your witness before? Have you sworn to something, only to be disproved by some indisputable evidence or reputable witness (Prov. 25:7-8)?
2. Do you know that our eyes can deceive us sometimes? Isn’t it true that our judgment could be faulted by wrong perception or prejudice?
3. So, why run our mouths so quickly without fact-checking or consideration of other opinion? Is there a gold medal for being the first to tell or being the glibbest talebearer?
4. What did Ahimaaz gain by outrunning the Cushite to deliver the news of Absalom’s death to King David, but embarrassment and humiliation (2 Sam. 18: 23, 29)? Can you imagine the cost to his reputation as one of David’s trusted messengers (15:36)?
5. Do you get the idea from King Solomon when he wrote, “Just because you’ve seen something, don’t be in a hurry to go to court … For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?” (Prov. 25:7-8). Maybe we can ask four-star General Colin Powell about this; don’t you think?

I pray we realize the value of discretion in every situation and at all times before we suffer some humiliating disclaimer that could ruin our reputation and witness forever – not to mention ruined careers.

So: May caution be your trusted friend in all things; and may you trust the Lord for knowledge and discernment (Prov. 8:12), so that your ways may be firm.

Shalom