Proverbs 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.”
My grandpa, Ben Landers Loudermilk, used to say, “Hey Bunk (that’s me), there’s two kinds of people I try to stay away from, preachers and doctors.” I asked, Why Papa? He answered, “Because every time I get around one, they tell me something is wrong with me or I’m doing something wrong.” Of course I would laugh, but I really never knew if he was kidding or not. My Papa Ben was kinda like that.
Well today I went to the dentist. I was happy when I got up this morning and felt pretty good when I walked in the office. I really like my dentist here in North Carolina, they do a good job and have always treated me kindly. This time when I sat in the chair to get my teeth cleaned, my dentist (doctor) told me something was wrong with me. I have a cavity. I remembered my Papa’s old saying and laughed.
After the giggle, and explaining my laughter to the dentist, I thought about our study verse. The cavity I have is in a place that is sensitive. And I know it will be sore after the filling repair. But if I don’t get it fixed, it will become worse very quickly. Confidence in an unfaithful friend is the same. Lots of pain and if there is no repair, it will get worse. For me there’s at least two exhortations in the verse. There is also a reason to Love Jesus Christ more. Firstly, I need to be cautious about putting confidence in the wrong people. Friendliness and not confidence. I can be a friendly person without giving my confidence to every person I meet. Secondly, I need to work hard to be a man people will have confidence in. Confidence is and should be something earned and I pray God will give me temporal grace that I may live in such a way to gain the confidence of faithful men and women. Thirdly, The verse convicts me to love and trust Jesus more, because He is a friend like no other. A “friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). And He has earned the confidence that we put in Him. No one has ever been disappointed when they trusted Him (Romans 9:33). Amen!