How to Deal With a Curse and An Apparent Contradiction
Photo by Sherise Van Dyk on Unsplash
Opposites
They say “opposites attract,” but then, “they” say a lot of things. Life is full of opposites, but they aren’t always extreme. Opposites are not absolute, and they’re not mutually exclusive. They don’t offset or cancel each other out just because they are opposites.
It’s a common thought that opposites either cancel one another or are held in some perfect balance. But this is not true. Spring declares this as one cycle of the four seasons within a year, as does the sprouting of new plant life from a seed buried in the ground.
Black and white are opposites, but aren’t of equal strength or a perfect balance in the color spectrum. Black is the absence of visible light, whereas white is the presence of all visible wavelengths of light.
Darkness as a quality of black—the absence of light—does not absorb or destroy light. Light disburses and shines in the midst of darkness, as displayed in a nighttime sky full of stars. The light penetrates the darkness.
Good does not exist in a perfect balance with evil. At times, it may seem as if evil is stronger than good. But goodness will overcome evil. This is the essence of redemption—the existence of evil will come to an end. It is overcome by God’s goodness.
Those who trust in God—true believers—have this hope in their hearts (Heb 6:19), and we are exhorted to overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21). The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a testimony of this. Life overcame death.
God’s goodness will overcome and subdue evil. Light is greater than darkness. Faith in God is trust—confidence in God, who is the source of light, goodness, and life itself.
Scripture
Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow,
so a hastily spoken curse does not come to rest.
Do not answer a fool with his own stupidity,
or you will be like him.
Answer a fool with his own stupidity,
or he will think he is wise. (Proverbs 26:2, 4-5 GW)
(Context— (Proverbs 26:1-12 GW)
Simple insights
We don’t need to fear curses or be bound by superstition. When someone expresses a curse on us, it only has power if we allow it to be stronger than God in our minds and hearts.
Another version of the Bible expresses the phrase, “so a hastily spoken curse has no power” this way— “An undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim” (Prov 26:2 NLT).
We find an illustration of this with Balaam, the false prophet who could not pronounce a curse on the Jewish people. Although paid to do so, he couldn’t unless the Lord gave him the words and permission (Numbers 23:8). The Lord protected His people from an enemy king and a “prophet for hire.”
We are not to fear the curses, threats, or insults of others. The Lord whom we trust is greater than those people and their words. We need to fear God, who has power over our lives for eternity rather than fear the evil of others (Matt 10:28).
Just as swallows and sparrows never seem to rest but dart, flutter, and fly around, so are words spoken against us. Don’t take them to heart. Don’t allow them to nest in your mind. Trust in the truth of God—the One whom you trust above all.
A series of admonitions about fools and foolishness begins with what seems to be contradictory statements in verses 4-5. Do we answer a fool with their own stupidity and foolishness or not? Which is it? Well, it depends.
The point of this paradoxical proverb is the need for discernment and discretion—awareness and wisdom for the situation. Sometimes it’s wise to ignore foolish talk, even when it’s directed at us. But sometimes, foolishness needs to be confronted with the truth.
How can we know which to do when? There is no formulaic process to figure this out. No set answers. We need discernment and wisdom. We need to be aware of the situation and alert to what the Spirit of God stirs in our hearts and minds (Matt 10:16-20).
The one thing we don’t want to do is react. We are not to be driven by dogma or controlled by our emotions. I see this too often in social media and it accomplishes nothing good. Here is where discernment needs to lead to discretion.
Think before you speak to or answer a person who spouts foolish words. Listen to the Spirit of God rather than the voices of people. As James said so well—
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…. (James 1:19 NIV)
The noise of the world around us can get loud. And so are the voices competing for our attention. Everyone seems to have an opinion and feels entitled to express it. But at what cost? And what value do these opinions hold?
The short of it is this—people of faith are not at the mercy of the world’s whimsical wisdom because we can draw from the source of true wisdom—God’s wisdom. So let us live accordingly—guided by the Lord’s wisdom with discernment and discretion.
Reflection—
God’s goodness and truth overcome evil and foolishness. When we rest in the wisdom of God and rely on His Spirit, we can learn when and when not to answer the voices of those around us. We can live as a living testimony of His goodness.
Prayer Focus—
If you find yourself plagued with harsh words, ask the Lord to direct you in His Word—the Bible—to counter them with the truth. When confronted with foolishness, pray for discernment, wisdom, and discretion.
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