Protecting the Precious

Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.

Proverbs 17:12

 

At our house we call it OMDB. Over. My. Dead. Body.

OMDB is shorthand for “I will relinquish this only when you pry it from my cold dead hands.” This warning comes into play when we stand guard over something that we will never be parted from while we have breath in our body. That precious thing is as important to us as breath itself.

 

Sometimes “OMDB” is used to safeguard the last homemade cinnamon roll or the softest chair for family movie night but usually it is reserved for things that really matter.

 

OMBD means this thing is part of me and I will not be separated from it. It’s the mother bear’s heartbeat. And according to Proverbs 17:12, it also defines the way a fool hangs on to his folly. Tenacious would be an understatement.

 

A mother bear watching over her cubs and a fool protecting his favorite folly are motivated by the same vitriol instinct. To approach the mama with the intention of separating her from the little ones which have literally been a part of her would be a death wish – very fool hearty. And the fool has the same instinctive response when being separated from what he has taken as part of his identity. From their core, both the bear and the fool will be inclined to do you harm if you come between them and what they hold precious.

That is reality born out in history.

 

I read through one example in I Kings as the life of Ahab was highlighted. What kind of king was Ahab? There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited in going after idols… I Kings 21:25 Ahab loved his pet follies.

 

Ahab can be classified as a fool because God had given him vivid life experiences for the clear purpose that he would “know that I am the Lord.” (20:13 and also 20:28) and yet he constantly pursued purposes contrary to God’s purposes.

 

One time God gave victory over an enemy king into Ahab’s hand and then Ahab foolishly reversed what God had planned by making a covenant with that same enemy king. The Lord evaluated the incident this way: Because you have let go out of your hand the man who I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.” (20:40) A classic case of misplaced grace and mismanaged mercy.

 

[A SIDE NOTE: This is an enacted parable which teaches us that we sometimes do the same thing with life issues – we make covenants and commitments with things that God would have obliterated from our lives. We hold precious that which the Lord would remove from influencing us.]

 

Probably Ahab’s most infamous and wicked foolishness was in the matter of Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab wanted it, set his heart to have it. In fact, his desire for it was so deep that his desire for life was dependent upon possessing that vineyard. Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen … and he lay down on his bed and turned way his face and would eat no food. (21:4) His wife enters the narrative, treacherous Jezebel, who devised a diabolical plan to destroy Naboth’s reputation through betrayal and deceit. And not only that, she plotted to the point that he was stoned to death. And then Ahab was no longer separated from what he desired and held to be precious.

 

Even in the aftermath of this astounding evil he received grace from God. And yet in chapter 22 of I Kings, we see still another incident when he would not be separated from his foolishness. And in this case, he imprisoned a godly prophet who tried to turn his attachment away from folly and toward godly wisdom.

 

Ahab’s vehement pursuit of foolishness reviled the protective instincts of a mother bear.

 

That is historic reality. That is what we should expect when we face foolishness and urge that it be released in exchange for wisdom. We should have the expectation that resistance will be equal to the depth of love for that particular precious foolishness. However much ownership is held or however much identity is attributed to that habit or decision or lifestyle – that is how much resistance there will be to giving it up.

That’s not to say that we are to avoid confronting a mama bear or a fool. If the mama bear is endangering the life of my “cubs” then there will need to be an intentional intervention to interrupt her plans no matter what the consequences may be. And there is a time to interrupt foolish pursuits in the lives of others also. To ignore or enable foolishness causes us to acquire responsibility for the outcomes created by that foolishness.

“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.

If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.

But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

Ezekiel 33:7-9

 

We just need to be forewarned that any time we come between a person and a foolishness they hold precious, we will be seen as a threat. Most likely we will be met with ferocious defensive action which escalates into vicious offensive strategies. And it can get ugly, really ugly.

Picture a 4 year old who sees a toy in the hand of his friend. According to the official handbook that governs life for 4 year olds, anything within their line of vision belongs to them and may be taken into their direct possession at will. They own that right at a very deep level. You will interrupt their precious foolishness at a great cost. There will be flailing of arms and legs, or stomping and sobbing, and probably screaming. And if you act to intervene based solely on seeing early warning signs of their intentions, their objections will be no less vehement and they will be reinforced by an outcry from bystanders that you are overly zealous and over protective.

But the interruption of foolishness promotes harmony and needs to be done.

 

Picture a 40-year-old who sees a woman in relationship with his friend. According to the official cultural handbook which governs life for 40 year olds (or any of us) in our current culture, anything within the line of vision belongs to them and may be taken into direct possession at will. They own that right at a very deep level. You will interrupt their precious foolishness at a great cost. There will be an adult version of flailing limbs, or stomping and sobbing, and probably screaming. Maybe a more sophisticated version but all the more vicious because of the enhanced cunning and manipulation skills. And if you act to intervene based solely on seeing early warning signs of their intentions, their objections will be no less vehement and they will be reinforced by an outcry from bystanders that you are overly zealous and overly suspicious.

But the interruption of precious foolishness promotes righteousness and needs to be done. Out of honor to the Lord we serve and out of love for the foolish one. Foolishness will bring them to deep hurt. They are in need of rescue.

 

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

Proverbs 24:11-13

 

We just need to be prepared by the historic reality which tells us that it may indeed turn out to be an OMDB situation.

 

The fury of the foolish is undesirable

but more undesirable is

living with their folly.

 

Am I willing to bring a righteous influence to my part of the world by being an agent to separate a fool from his folly?

Am I willing to learn the art of loving confrontation?

Am I willing to do the hard work of prayer on behalf of the foolish?

What is in the OMDB column for my life?

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkens unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 12:15