Do not pay
attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you (Ecclesiastes 7:21).
This is a rich
example of Ancient Near East humor and wisdom rolled into one. First the writer
warns that if we strain our ears listening for someone to praise us, we might
just hear someone maligning us instead. If we would have minded our own
business we wouldn’t have heard the praise, but then we wouldn’t have heard the
insult either. And, who are we kidding? Even a dozen accolades can’t take the
sting out of one insult.
Reminds me of a
pastor I know who had just finished preaching and was standing at the back door
shaking hands. Several people told him they liked his sermon, and he was rather
enjoying it. Then a man walked up and asked, “Is that the best you can do?”
We can’t soak up the
praise, without opening ourselves up to the criticism too.
And part of what
makes this all so funny is that we’ve done exactly the same thing. The writer
continues: ...for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have
cursed others (v. 22).
But it sounded so innocent when I said it about him, and
so mean when he said it about me.
Listen hard enough,
and you’re guaranteed to hear something that hurts your feelings. And face it:
There’s only one opinion that really counts.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Who are you listening to?
What’s God say about that?
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