Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Psalm 54 and Proverbs 18

“Unfriendly people care only about themselves;
    they lash out at common sense.

Fools have no interest in understanding;
    they only want to air their own opinions.” (v.1-2)

The differences between the various Bible translations of Proverbs 18:1 are quite informative. The “unfriendly person” (Hebrew=”nip̄-rāḏ”) of the NLT is more directly and literally translated as “a man who isolates himself” in the NKJV and as “a loner” in the Message paraphrase of the verse. The Good News Bible uses “people who do not get along with others” and the Voice paraphrase uses “whoever pulls away from others“. Personally I’d use “a grouch”.

What moves someone to pull away from others into a cloud of unfriendly, grumpy, self-isolation like this? What is it that makes someone isolate him- or herself behind a thorny hedge of refusal to listen to the opinions of others, refusal to see situations any other way than their own, refusal to accept even the dictates of common sense. Proverbs 18:1-2 makes its diagnosis of such a person’s inner condition very clear: People act this way out of selfishness, pride and arrogance. It paints an ugly picture of someone who is completely self-absorbed and arrogantly believes that they know better than everyone else. They won’t “waste their time” listening to the counsel or input of other lesser mortals. They won’t see any situation from another’s point of view but demand their own way every time.

When one cares only about oneself, real friendship, fellowship and collaboration become virtually impossible.

But beware! Are you thinking of someone else right now? Are you diagnosing a family member, acquaintance or colleague? That’s not the proper application of this Proverb. It’s not a microscope through which to gaze at others. It’s a mirror in which to inspect our own lives and hearts. Today we should keep a close eye on our own behaviour and our own hearts to detect any signs of this malaise in ourselves.

God of Wisdom, protect me from blindness to my own faults and from prideful self-isolation. Help me to search my own heart to identify and deal with the darkness of pride that lurks there, leading me to make it all about me and to push others away. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.