Lots of nuggets of wisdom today in Proverbs 17.
This one stings right to the heart:
5 Whoever mocks poor people insults their Creator; gloating over misfortune is a punishable crime.
I know there have been times I’ve laughed or made fun of people different than me. It’s easy to do. It’s easy to try and make yourself look better at the expense of others.
I talked with a friend recently about our Junior High days. He said that he was at the bottom of the social ladder and always felt tormented, was beat up and ridiculed because he was different. I admitted that deep down I was just like him but I fought and clawed to keep up my appearance and to find someone who was “worse than me” to keep the attention away from me. I would point out the flaws of others just so my own flaws wouldn’t be picked on and pointed out in the “all important” social hierarchy of things.
Yet as this verse says, when we make fun of the creation – aren’t we really making fun of the creator?
If you were to make a painting or a sculpture and I saw it and started laughing and saying, “Oh that’s ridiculous. I can’t believe you that.” You’d take that pretty personally. After all it’s not just a painting, it’s a painting you made. You spent your time creating it. It only makes since then that if we mock the poor (financially, physically, mentally or others) we’re simply insulting the Creator Himself. Ouch. Makes me really want to examine my thoughts and comments throughout the day a little closer and fill my mind and heart with Godly things instead.
