Ever Grab a Dog's Ears?
"He who passes by and meddles in a
quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears" (Prov.
26:17).
I am a huge fan of dogs. Big ones, small ones, tall ones, fat ones. I love dogs.
They are friendly, loyal, fun, loyal, hard working, loyal, furry and loyal (not
necessarily in that order). I once heard an old story that when God banished
Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden part of the punishment was that a huge
divide opened between them and the animal kingdom. In the last second before the
chasm separated people and animals, the story went, the dog jumped across to
forever stand with humans. While that story certainly is not biblical it sounds
pretty good to me because it reminds me of most of the dogs I have ever known.
But as friendly and obedient as dogs can be only a complete idiot would try to
pick up a dog by his ears. That is a vivid image, isn't it? Care to hold a
Doberman by those short little ears? What about swinging a full-sized Lab by his
big floppy ears? We instinctively know better. To grab a dog by his ears is to
guarantee pain and injury - and not to the dog!
Solomon plays off this easy-to-see picture to forcefully remind us to mind our
own business. Fooling with someone else's problems, butting into other's
arguments, meddling in other's affairs is just not smart. In fact, it is just
about as smart as grabbing a dog by his ears. When I see some folks in a big
wrangle and I am tempted to step in and get everyone straightened out I just
need to think about those canine ears. Then I will be reminded how my
interference is not wanted or needed.
That is a pretty practical proverb, isn't it? I am amazed at the number of
people who think the Bible is some outdated book that says nothing about life
today. I expect those folks have never cracked Proverbs! It is just brimming
with good ideas, wisdom, funny word pictures and more - all designed to help us
see the best way to live. It is an enormously relevant book that does not take a
Ph.D. to understand. Did you understand about the dog's ears? Then you are ready
to read Proverbs. Give it a try. You will be dazzled with the simple wisdom of
God's word, and your life will be better for following it. Trust God's wisdom!
Try some of Proverbs today.
By Mark Roberts
From Expository Files 13.9; September 2006
