Living As If
He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished. Proverbs 17:5
Taunts – Ninety-seven percent of people in America say that they believe there is a god. So what? For the vast majority of these people, the belief that there is a god has absolutely no impact on their lives. They don’t tremble at the thought of God’s cosmic agenda. They don’t base decisions on His moral government. They just do what they want and live as if there were no god at all. For all intents and purposes, they are worse than atheists. They taunt God’s rightful authority over their lives by claiming He exists and then paying no attention to His will.
We have seen what this looks like in the form of affluent arrogance. It means adopting an attitude of accumulation and despising all those who don’t meet the wealth standard. But taunting God comes in more flavors than just economic vanilla. Any deliberate decision to do it my way regardless of God’s direction taunts the Maker. It doesn’t matter if it is direct disobedience or, as in this verse, an indirect rejection of a heart attitude. The result is the same. God is dishonored – and what dishonors God will not go unpunished.
The verb here is haraph. You can think of it as a cattle prod. It is a verb about inciting someone by mocking, belittling, cursing, dishonoring or reproaching. This is the sharp stick of abuse. It brings with it disgrace. Imagine how God will react to those who treat Him in this way. Actually, you don’t have to imagine it. All you have to do is read Jeremiah. God pours out His wrath on those who refuse to honor Him. By the time He is finished, the dead are piled so high there are is no more space in the graveyards.
Taunting God is a very serious offense. He will not let it pass. Proverbs tells us that maintaining an attitude of arrogance over the destitute is a sharp stick poked at God Himself. But there are other ways to taunt God. Any action on your part which endorses the question, “Where is God now?” is likely to lead to taunting. The semantic range of haraph shows us the wider picture. Speaking against God, blaspheming (basically using God’s name and reputation for my own purposes), bringing shame upon Him, defaming His character, cursing Him, diminishing His worth and significance and treating Him as unimportant all fall within the category of taunting God. It does not matter if God is the direct object of these actions or if the direct object is His creation or His community. Whatever offends God’s glory is the sharp stick of abuse of the Holy of holies.
I wonder if our lackadaisical attitudes toward worship, obedience, study and spiritual challenge are not really forms of abuse. Do you suppose that we have more to confess than cheating, stealing or coveting? Do you suppose that deep within us is a unmitigated desire to tell God off, to claim that we have the right to our own choices? Maybe repentance needs to unearth the root of haraph that grows in the dark, musty soil under our skin.
