Jump Start # 1201

Proverbs 25:19 “Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in the time of trouble.”

  I love the language of Proverbs. A person simply cannot miss the point. The illustrations are vivid and realistic. Such is our passage today. Three thoughts are addressed that are tied together. We’ll look at them in a reverse order.

In the time of trouble: everyone experiences trouble now and then. Sometimes it catches up to us because of poor choices that we made. I remember in college being involved in a pizza eating contest with a fat guy. I quit after 16 pieces. He ate 21. I hurt for a while after that. Bad decision on my part. Poor choices may lead to the police looking for you, getting fired from a job or being kicked out of school. Trouble is a consequence of poor choices.

Not all trouble is like that. Trouble can come, even when we have made the best decisions. At the end of the sermon on the mount, Jesus told the parable about the two men who built their houses, one on sand and the other on the rock. Rain, wind and flood waters came to both houses. That was trouble. James says to consider all joy when you encounter various trials. WHEN is the word used there, not IF.

When trouble comes, we need help. We need others. We need support, comfort and a helping hand. This is the connecting thought in this passage.

A faithless man: this is the one who shows up when trouble comes. He is faithless. He can’t be counted on. He is not dependable. He is not good. The very help a person needs won’t be found in one who is faithless. His advice is shaky. His wisdom and insights are bad. He looks out for self first and always. He is not trustworthy nor helpful. This is the wrong person when trouble comes. This person can add to the troubles. If faithless people are the only ones we have surrounded our selves with, then guess who will show up when we call for help? Faithless friends. Tragic. The trouble intensifies because of faithless people.

CONFIDENCE: trust, hope, help. That’s the idea here. Trouble has come to your home and you need help. Who are you going to count on? Someone untrustworthy? Someone shifty? Someone who is faithless and not a true friend?

The writer compares trusting a faithless friend to having a bad tooth or an unsteady foot. Back in the Old Testament period tooth decay was very common. People lost teeth all the time. They didn’t have toothpastes and regular visits to the dentists like we do. Having a bad tooth is something most readers understood. Most had teeth missing. A bad tooth was a pain that would not go away. It affected how you ate, it kept you up at night and it hurt. It really hurt.

This is the parallel to trusting faithless people in times of trouble. There is a place and a need to seek advice from others, especially when trouble comes. What should we do is a valid concern. Now, listening to a guy up to his eyeballs in debt tell you what you should do with your money is nothing more than a bad tooth. The same goes with getting advice from someone who can’t seem to stay married about relationships. Bad tooth. The same goes with someone who has never read the Bible ranting about God and religion. Bad tooth. The same goes for someone who has no kids about what’s wrong with families today? Bad tooth.

Faithless. Not dependable. Long on talk and short on doing. Not having the heart of a servant.

So what does a person need in the time of trouble? They need someone that they can count on. They need someone who is a true servant at heart. They need someone who will tell them the truth and not just sugarcoat things. They need someone who will come and stay with them. They need that spiritual rock to remind them of God’s truths. They need someone to sit with them in the surgery waiting room. They need someone to have hope and honesty. They need someone who is faithful.

In our times we don’t live long with a bad tooth. We are quick to the dentist when that happens. Long ago, a person suffered until it was unbearable. The pain was worsened by infection that led to all kinds of serious problems. It’s tough having a bad tooth. It’s even more tough being surrounded by faithless people who are worthless when you need them.

Many folks are trying to fly solo through life. It looks good on paper. The theories and reasons sound sound.  However, when trouble comes, and it does, who is around to turn to? Who will help? The trouble often leads to a crashing of the marriage, faith in fellow man and in God. This is one compelling reason to be part of an amazing church family. You need them and they need you. Faithful people who believe, are genuine and are helpful—hard to find them today. They are there. Most can be found every Sunday in a Bible believing church. People just like you and I. People who have families. People who feel the strain of the economy, who worry about jobs, aging parents, raising teenagers, finding time to get everything done, and having some peace of mind. People with a past. People who have made mistakes and poor choices. People who are not perfect, but they have latched themselves onto someone who is, Jesus. Following Christ, they have changed. They have become faithful and dependable. They have developed the heart of a servant. They have hope because of Christ. They have learned to forgive and offer grace. Perfect, no. But much better than they used to be and certainly a whole lot better than the faithless crowd who are stuck on themselves.

This is a plea not to just get to church on Sunday, you need to do that. But there’s more. You need to open  your heart and your home and really get to know these people. You need to include them in your life. Open up. Sure it’s risky. But you’ll find that God’s people care. They are a lot like you. They want Heaven, as you do. When trouble comes and it will, it’s these people that will help you get through.

It’s sad to see a person sitting alone in the surgery waiting room. It’s sad to see a family gather at the funeral home and they have no idea who will say words of comfort. They have never included a preacher in their lives and now that dad is gone, they don’t know who will say some words over him. Too often, an unknown preacher is found. It’s awkward and he doesn’t know the family nor the deceased. I’ve been there too many times. Trouble has come and there is no one to help.

Can you be that faithful friend to help someone when trouble comes? Can they count on you? Will you go?

Don’t be a bad tooth for someone. Our lights shine the brightest when we help in a moment of trouble.

Roger