Just the Facts from Proverbs

Recently I have been watching old episodes of the TV show Dragnet from the late 1960s. I am not sure why I am getting into it but I find it very interesting despite the stiff, predictable acting and recycled character actors in each show. Those are "just the facts." I remember the dramatic dirty hand with the stamp at the end of each show, signifying Jack Webb's production company. Maybe I like seeing what the world was like when I was a child. Yet, life in Somerset County was much different than "the city" L.A. One thing that is obvious is how much clothing and hair styles have changed. Cars were a lot different in 1967 and so was some of the "far out" language. But seeing a police drama that is over 50 years old reveals that some things have not changed. People made foolish choices and their crimes were eventually found out. It does not take a great detective in a cheap gray sports coat to know why. The human heart is empty and deceitful apart from God transforming it through Jesus Christ. The words you are about to read are true. The names haven't been changed because no one is innocent.

When a person is living for the Lord, there should not be anything to cover up anything or be sneaky about. A close walk with God offers protection from fear. Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly, but those who despise him are devious in their ways (Proverbs 14:2). You may have dealt with a child or friend who had a hard time keeping up with the deception they need to conceal their foolish choices. Just like the end of a good cop show, the bad people are eventually caught and face their consequences. No wonder there is freedom in living according to God's ways.

As a former youth pastor, I find fascinating those Dragnet episodes where they are working out of "Juvenile Division." Those stories tell of teenagers going astray. Sometimes they run away. Other times they commit crimes because they think they can make easy money. There are those who get involved with drugs and alcohol or join a gang. Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips (7). One version words it, "Leave the presence of a fool."

As a parent of teenagers, I have always been concerned about the company my sons keep. I would rather see them without friends at all as opposed to having foolish friends who are a bad influence. Prisons would be far less populated if folks learned at a young age to run away and keep away from bad company since it corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33). Behind every wayward child or young adult is a broken-hearted parent, sibling, grandparent, or more. Though my teen years were fairly innocent and my friends not too bad, I still regret not being more of a godly influence as opposed to the one being influenced. In retrospect, I did not find knowledge on their lips. Most of what came out of their lips was not worth hearing. If you are a parent or grandparent, pray diligently that your loved one will avoid close connections with those who think and act foolishly.

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy (10). The human heart and mind are certainly complex. Much has been written and said in trying to figure out a person's motivation and thoughts. As much as we try to share our feelings and "be real" there is much we cannot really express in a way that another person can actually understand. I try to hear my wife and put myself in her shoes but it is not really possible to fully know her heart, just as she cannot know mine. She cared for me and grieved with me when my parents died, but she could not really know my loss. I did not expect her to. There are things we each find joy in that the other appreciates but cannot truly appreciate. Suffering and rejoicing are private and personal. To communicate them completely to another is not possible. When a fellow officer was going through deep waters, Bill and Friday could not totally relate or enter his world, but they did pursue him and sought to listen and challenge him in his darkest hours. We are called to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15).

The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish (11). This is another fine usage of contrast found in the book of Proverbs. I find it interesting that he compares the house of the wicked person with the tent of the upright. It is possible that he acknowledges that the fool may be able to afford a house while the godly settles for a meager tent. Wickedness can bring destruction of a family as well as the loss of their possessions. The classic show often portrayed families who might have had a big home and lots of stuff, but their family was brought down because of bad choices. God blesses those who walk uprightly with him. Those blessings may certainly be material but most importantly they bring about spiritual flourishing.

A few days ago I was with a patient who was near death. His faithful though fractured family gathered at his side. His wife told me that she wanted to be certain that he was ready to face eternity a few days before his decline. He asked her, "Have I been a good person?" She assured him that he had been a good man. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (12). The vast majority of people face eternity mistakenly hoping they have been good enough to earn their way to heaven. It seems right to people to basically live for self, be as good as possible, and hope for the best. They somehow miss the truth of the gospel and the fact that Jesus paid it all. The saddest episodes of Dragnet portrayed someone tragically dying. It is certainly troubling to know that living one's own way according to one's personal world view as opposed to God's way always leads to death. The badge we carry as Christians should open doors to sharing the gospel so that the truth is proclaimed. We do not have the right to remain silent.