God says some shocking things!

In the spirit of Prof's fun little thought from yesterday, I thought I would comment on Proverbs 26:11. My father once told me, "When preaching, don't use bedroom, bathroom or bugger humor." He has a good point. You can capture people's attention but lose their respect for what you say. If it's just to be funny, I try not to be gross. However, there are times when talking about something gross is crucial to explaining the meaning of a verse. Although with teens, being gross is actually away to gain attention and respect. But I digress.

I was reading through Proverbs chapter 26 today because I always read a chapter of proverbs everyday corresponding to what day it is. Today is the 26th so I read chapter 26. Anyway, I was struck by the overtly shocking language used in verse 11.

Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."

May times in the Bible, God uses shocking and gross analogies to catch our attention. They are things some people might consider gross or impolite to mention. (Some Must See Examples: Isaiah 64:6, Luke 14:35, and Revelation 3:16) But how else can God communicate to us what sin is like unless he compares it to something we can understand that is disgusting?

I remember my dog Angus puking up some Doritos once when I was a kid. I think he gagged on one of the sharp edges. He then proceeded to eat the puked Doritos back up. Yummy!! There is a memory I wish I could erase. (I know you'll never get back the time you have spent reading this)

But this nasty experience illustrates what it is like when you and I repeat our sin. When we return to a foolish mistake of the past and repeat it, to God it is just as disgusting as what Angus did with the Doritos. Hey, it's God's comparison, not mine!

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