Most of us have watched the video of the church intrusion by now. We saw the posture and heard the tone of the protestors. I recognized the intent behind it all.
Just now the news arrived that Don Lemon had been arrested in connection with that disruption. The reaction among Christians came quickly and predictably. I have seen the angry comments to my posts all week…“Arrest him.”
Proverbs teaches that moments like this test us. They test our posture toward justice, toward worship, and toward those we consider enemies. Scripture slows us down and asks a harder question. What does your reaction reveal about the way you walk in God’s world?
This is still God’s world and He still expects us to live His way
Proverbs begins with a settled truth. This world belongs to God. Human life works when lived according to His design, but it breaks when lived against it. The fear of the Lord forms its foundation.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7
Don Lemon’s situation asks for patience. An arrest can tempt believers to react rather than reflect. Proverbs anticipates that temptation. It names the patterns that appear when restraint thins. The simple. The fool. The scoffer. Different expressions of the same unwillingness to be taught. When an enemy stumbles, the heart’s training shows itself.
The Wisdom Problem with Headlines
Some people move through life taking things at face value. What he hears, he accepts. Headlines settle matters for him. Short clips supply enough truth to satisfy his curiosity. Proverbs describes him without apology.
“The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.”
Proverbs 14:15
The simple man reads, reacts, and repeats. He trusts what aligns with his instinct and forwards what confirms his posture.
These two questions rarely slow him down….
Is this true?
Where will this lead?
Without those questions, people act fast and think little about where it leads.
“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are punished.”
Proverbs 22:3
The simple usually mean well. They take what feels clear and act on it without much reflection. In moments like this, that lack of examination can pass for confidence.
The fool speaks without restraint
The fool may sound certain and he most often sounds loud. However, his trouble runs deeper than ignorance. Proverbs describes a man who refuses to guard his inner life. He consumes without choosing. He releases without weighing.
“The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”
Proverbs 15:2
Correction reaches him and slides off.
Some People Love to Mock
The scoffer lives for collapse as he dismantles, ridicules and gains attention by tearing down. Proverbs describes his effect.
“Scoffers set a city aflame,
But wise men turn away wrath.”
Proverbs 29:8
Scoffing spreads quickly. It teaches others how to laugh at what should sober them. It stiffens hearts already leaning toward contempt.
When the scoffer enters a conversation, peace leaves.
“Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.”
Proverbs 22:10
Posting hateful comments on social media feels clever. It carries momentum as it draws a crowd. However, God watches it closely.
“Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble.”
Proverbs 3:34
That sentence lands heavy. God answers posture with posture. He resists the proud. He pours grace on the lowly. A Christian voice shaped by scoffing borrows fire and calls it light.
The heart exposed
Bring it back to the moment. A worship service was disrupted and now, today, authority has finally responded with consequences. Rightly so, Scripture (as does the law) speaks clearly about order in worship. The gathered people of God deserve peace and reverence.
Scripture also speaks clearly about the inner life of the righteous.
“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.”
Proverbs 24:17–18
That warning does not deny justice to the instigators or Don Lemon. Instead it interrogates the delight of the Christian.
It’s possible that a person may affirm accountability while savoring humiliation. A believer may defend law while nursing resentment. A churchgoer may speak truth while enjoying contempt and the Lord sees the mixture. An enemy’s fall provides a mirror. It reveals whether wisdom governs desire or whether bitterness does.
The path wisdom offers
Proverbs offers a cure shaped by listening.
“He who listens to counsel is wise.”
Proverbs 12:15
Most foolishness begins when people stop listening. Scripture calls us to hear God first and slow our speech. That is how wisdom grows.
The wise person guards what enters his mind. He selects his intake. He measures his words. He delays his judgment.
A quieter victory
The church gains nothing by savoring the fall of its critics. It gains strength through holiness, clarity, and restraint. A heart trained by wisdom feels sorrow before satisfaction. It prays before posting and speaks carefully when silence would serve better.
An enemy’s stumble places a choice before every believer.
The church in Minnesota where worship was disrupted will heal. The deeper work continues elsewhere. The work is inside the heart that reads the headline and inside the mouth that chooses its words.
That is where wisdom shows itself and that is where the fear of the Lord becomes visible.
Excellent article and very well stated. As for myself, in cases like this I find it difficult to balance justice and mercy. Unlike God Who does all things well, I’m a very flawed and fallible human being. Part of me wants to pray for his soul’s salvation, and part of me wants to see him swinging from the highest tree. I know the first part is right, but in my case at least it’s a very strong temptation to want to yield to the second option.
Mike,
God bles you sir.I understand how you feel. Mr. Lemon was very arrogant and as I wrote here, the pastor and congregation showed both God’s grace and mercy to Don and the mob that entered that church. Things could have gone south and sideways at some other church and the world would have reacted to that far differently as it concerns Christians, but we don’t hear about how that church demonstrated the teachings of Christ. Pray for me as I do the same for you.
Holy Father, I pray for all of us that is much is possible we forgive where we can, we leave judgment to You, we exercise patience and forbearance to others just like You do to us, and we show the love of Christ to a dark and dying world. May Your Holy Spirit guard our eyes and tongues and hearts in all that we see and say and do. Grant it in Jesus’s Name. Amen.
Thank you for this word. I wish I could say I am always good at this. My only hope is our gracious God keeps calling me back to humility before Him.
My heart grieves at all that is happening all over the globe right now. My hope and joy is knowing that our God is good and in Him is no darkness. My prayer is that all will come to know Him and find His peace. He is not only the answer, His Word gives answer to every question. Don Lemon needs the real Jesus, just like me. I pray he, and all who disrupted that service will find the peace that passes all understanding by Jesus name. They are lost and misguided just as I am sometimes when I take my eyes off our beautiful Savior. I wish them HIM.
Dear Sir,
I respect your opinion regarding this issue with Don Lemon, but the scriptures also give us guidance concerning laws of the land, Romans 13:1-7, 1Peter 2:13-17. The law is the restraining force put in place to reign in chaos per Timothy 1:9. The pastor and the people who attend that church showed both God’s mercy and grace. Mr.Lemon needs prayer, but he also must be subject to the laws of the land. Now, am I glad to see justice, yes, but I’m not going to dance in the street about it either.
Mike,
God bles you sir.I understand how you feel. Mr. Lemon was very arrogant and as I wrote here, the pastor and congregation showed both God’s grace and mercy to Don and the mob that entered that church. Things could have gone south and sideways at some other church and the world would have reacted to that far differently as it concerns Christians, but we don’t hear about how that church demonstrated the teachings of Christ. Pray for me as I do the same for you.