Psalm 106: Verses 32-33 (NIV)
By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses’ lips.
Ephesians Chapter 6: Verse 4 (NIV)
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Judges Chapter 16: Verses 15-17 (NIV)
Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
The verses from Psalm 106 today remind us why the verse in Ephesians doesn’t just apply to parents and their children. Moses had much to deal with from a stubborn and rebellious people and finally it got too much for him. He was truly exasperated, but his rash words and emotions led to disobeying God’s instructions and meant he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. We can have sympathy with him for he was indeed pushed to his limits. But his exasperation led to his emotions getting the better of him. That’s why Paul counsels the Ephesian fathers not to exasperate their children.
I know when I was younger, I was easily goaded and would rise to the bait if somebody, even in jest, tried to wind me up. I usually fell for it, and that sometimes meant letting my emotions get the upper hand. I try harder now to bite my lip and not always take the bait, although I am not always successful.
The advice from Paul goes two ways. Firstly, we need to be careful in our speech and actions not to wind someone up unnecessarily, even if we thing our words and actions are justified, they might have the opposite effect to the one we intended. Look what happened as a result of Samson’s nagging by Delilah! So also, is it important for us to remain calm and resolute if we are faced with a situation which might rile us and cause us to do something we might regret. I think that’s what Jesus meant when He talked about turning the other cheek. Some people find it much easier to do that than others, but as Christians we need to be able to act with discernment and wisdom so that we recognise that there is a time to say and do nothing in response to someone trying to provoke us. A simple “help me, Lord” in such situations will always be beneficial for us, thankfully, if we take the time to pray it!
Dear Lord,
Help me to be wise and discern when it is right to turn the other cheek, and when it is right to speak. And if it is right to speak, may it be seasoned with salt and grace. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.