God’s Word for Today

25 June, 2025

17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own

is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death

19 is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

-Prov 26:17-19 ESV

WHEN A JOKE IS NOT A JOKE

Solomon compares an unwise prying into an argument to grabbing a passing dog by the ears. In ancient Israel, dogs were noted for being aggressive, untamed scavengers, and not friendly. No sensible person would deliberately provoke a wild dog. In the same way, a person with godly common sense doesn't intrude into conflicts when they don't have to. The consequences can be disastrous. A prior lesson warned against hastily testifying against others in court (v.8). That related to personal matters—how much more cautious should we be about other people's affairs?

As the cliché, says, "Don't start trouble and there won't be trouble." Conflict is to be avoided, not instigated. This is not to say that participating in other people's disputes is always wrong. We might be asked to arbitrate a disagreement or provide eyewitness accounts of events. We have the moral obligation to helping that justice will be done properly. Intervening when someone is being grossly abused or attacked is also an honorable reason to step in. What is condemned is described by the English term "meddling." This means an inappropriate intrusion or interference into someone else's business. The Hebrew phrase includes a term referring to crossing a boundary, and another describing strife and controversy. A person shouldn't choose to "cross into conflict" when they can avoid it.

Scriptures uphold the importance of peacemaking (Rom 12:18; Prov 15:1), impartiality (Jas 2:9; Prov 17:26), and fairness (Prov 18:5, 13, 17). There are times we have to step into a conflict when it is to protect the weak and innocent (Prov 22:22; 31:9) However, we should always be extra cautious about how and when we do so.

Verse 19 depicts someone caught in careless comments who tries to brush it off as a joke. The person who casually lies is throwing destruction around like an insane man launching flaming arrows in every direction. Like a modern person blindly shooting a rifle in a crowd, damage will be done, whether it's intentional or not. Saying "I didn't mean it," after the fact, doesn't remove the damage done. "Firebrands," sometimes referred to as "fiery darts" ignite what they strike. (Eph 6:16) In verse 19, it referred to someone firing arrows without control.

Glib talks and sarcastic comments come out of carelessness or gossip. They may come out of frustration and anger towards another person. They are dangerous not only for harm and dishonesty but for a lack of judgment. Scriptures warn that we should refrain from angry responses, hasty mistakes, and slander (Eph 4:26; Rom 12:19). Fits of anger indicate the influence of sinful nature (Gal 5:20). Definitely, the person depicted here is someone lacking sanity and control.

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