The scripture never offers a positive viewpoint of meddling. One might consider intermeddling with wisdom as a good thing, yet the scripture teaches otherwise. Today’s passage states that a man through desire seeks and intermeddles with “all” wisdom. According to James, there are two major types of wisdom, earthly (James 3:15) and heavenly (James 3:17). According to Proverbs 18:1, the man intermeddles with all wisdom, including the earthly. He separates himself from the pure truth and opens his mind to all the various types of wisdom that the world offers. Just as the scriptural teaching on meddling in other places, the man has no business involving himself with the world’s wisdom.
The world constantly and consistently contradicts the truths of God. For instance, it has convinced mankind that it is manly to start a fight and cowardly to cease from strife. As is almost always the case, the world’s natural way of thinking stands in stark contrast to true scriptural teachings. According to scripture, “It is an honour for a man to cease from strife.” This reveals that the most honourable of men are those who through God-given wisdom are able to bring strife to a peaceable resolution without the need for war. A fool, however, continues to meddle until a fight breaks out. The Bible clearly states the dangers of meddling, yet a fool chooses to ignore the scriptural warning to his own hurt.
Meddling in the problems of others is a dangerous practice resulting in unforeseen outcomes. The Bible uses two comparisons to help convey the danger involved with meddling. Proverbs 17:14 compares meddling to the letting out of previously restrained water. The idea is that meddling with the problems belonging to others is like personally opening the gates once restraining a large body of water. The second comparison is found in Proverbs 26:17. The Bible says, “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.” When someone does this, the dog turns upon the individual. Both of these warnings demonstrate the grievous dangers involved in unnecessarily meddling in the affairs of others.
The scripture offers a negative connotation of meddling. After all, meddling is the unnecessary involvement of oneself in the affairs of others. Unfortunately, it has been a common practice in the history of nations to provoke others to battle when war was unnecessary and often contrary to God’s will. For instance, Amaziah, king of Judah, sent messengers to Jehoash, king of Israel, asking for a face-to-face meeting. Jehoash responded with wisdom saying, “tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt.” Amaziah refused to heed the counsel and meddled to his own hurt. History is full of such testimonies both on a national and individual level.
As Necho, king of Egypt, was on his way to fight against Carchemish, king Josiah of Judah came out against him for battle. Necho assured Josiah that the battle did not involve Judah and that the Lord had commanded him to make haste against the house of Carchemish. In order to turn Josiah’s intervention, Necho reminded Josiah that his intervention would be meddling with the will of God. Josiah refused to listen to the warning and meddled in these matters costing him his life (2 Chronicles 35:22-24). Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, expressed a similar statement when he told his peers that they should let the apostles alone lest they fight against God (Acts 5:34-39).
Although the Bible repeatedly warns against fretting, believers fret because of others. Sadly, one’s worry can make the sin of others seem more desirable. We should not fret because of “evildoers” (Psalm 37:1), or “him who prospereth in his way (Psalm 37:7), or “the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass” (Psalm 37:7), or even “evil men” (Proverbs 24:19). Some believers may fret about these people because of their fears, but the scripture offers another reason why believers fret over the wicked. According to Psalm 37:1 and Proverbs 24:19, fretting over the wicked is directly associated to one’s envy toward them. Perhaps believers worry about these people so much because there is a deep-rooted desire to become like them. This desire can be rooted in the fact that those whom we fear are viewed as more powerful, more in control, and even more confident. Eliminate the envy and you will eliminate the fear.
Elkanah had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah remained barren. Peninnah used this opportunity of Hannah’s barren state to provoke her, hoping that she could trouble her rival. The Christian’s primary adversary is much different from Peninnah, but Satan’s goal and resolve is identical to this example. The adversary, the Devil (1 Peter 5:8), wants believers to live troubled, fretful, and defeated lives. If he can cause a believer to fret and to worry and to complain, he has a much greater chance of turning that believer’s heart against the Lord (Proverbs 19:3). The Devil knows that if he turns the heart, he might be able to cause that believer to curse the Lord (Isaiah 8:21). Satan uses worry as one of the foundational elements in his multipronged attack to bring about his greater objective. He wants to turn hearts against God! Those believers who struggle most with worry offer Satan the greatest chance of success
God tasks the watchman with some tremendous responsibilities. He has to remain alert for troubles at all hours of his watch and cannot slacken his resolve to stay attentive. Yet, we are told that if the Lord chooses not to intervene, all of the watchman’s worries and efforts are simply in vain. Interestingly, the watchman’s job is to worry! The fear of trouble keeps him up at night and causes him to rise up early in the morning to do his duty. Eventually, however, this worry produces physical ailments within the individual. With these negative outcomes, the worry and anxiety also provide no solution for the problems of this life. Worrying has deprived many good people of restfulness and sleep without offering the desperately sought after solutions. It is important to note that help has never come simply as a result of one’s worry, and no problems ever resolved themselves simply due to the magnitude of one’s worry. Bottom line: except the Lord intervenes in the problems at hand, no help will be forthcoming. Worry is vain!
Prayer serves as the greatest remedy for worry and fears. In Philippians 4:6, God’s word tells us to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” This truth is reaffirmed in 1 Peter 5:7 where the Bible says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” A man can expend time and strength caring for the things of this world including the necessities of life, or he can make a conscious decision to obediently cast those same cares upon the Lord. This allows the Lord to show Himself strong toward the individual by caring for His child. According to Philippians 4:7, by choosing to pray, the cares and worries of man are replaced with “the peace of God.” The Bible describes this peace as one that keeps the believer’s heart and mind through Christ Jesus and even passes one’s ability to comprehend its depths and riches.
Believers are commanded to “Be careful for nothing.” Contextually, the word careful means to be care full or full of cares. That being said, this is one of the most disobeyed commands in all of scripture. In Matthew 6:25, the Lord warned His disciples against dwelling upon or worrying about what they would eat, or drink, or how they would be clothed. The Lord’s rebuke implies that not even the necessities of life should serve as a source of worry for God’s people. It is important to note that worry and faith are at opposite ends of the spectrum because they do not and cannot coexist within the believer’s life and walk. A believer who is “careful” for things cannot and will not simultaneously trust God’s faithful provision. When a believer worries rather than trusting in God’s provision and protection, the believer’s actions deem God incapable to accomplish the matter without the individual contributing his “carefulness.”
