{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 26:17, Don\u2019t Be a Busybody","description":"by Marilynn Chadwick "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.\u201d Proverbs 26:17 My husband, David, recently addressed Proverbs 26:17, but I find it so important that I want to expound upon it again today. Proverbs 26:11 says that if someone repeats their folly, they are fools. So, in an effort to walk in wisdom, let\u2019s look at this concept again. It is the danger of meddling in another\u2019s affairs, sometimes referring to the sin of being a \u201cbusybody.\u201d This kind of intrusion includes entering into someone else\u2019s argument. It doesn\u2019t take much imagination to see how grabbing a \u201cstray dog by the ears,\u201d as described in Proverbs 26:17, will cause us certain pain in the end. Just as a dog will snap at you if you grab its ears, people in a fight will sometimes turn their anger on the person who meddles in their quarrel. The word \u201cbusybody\u201d seems a bit old-fashioned. I\u2019ve always thought of a busybody as a term for the frivolous but rather harmless gossip caricatured in a comedy. But the Bible paints a more serious picture. Scripture warns that being a meddler or busybody comes with its own form of danger, even suffering. \u201cBut let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people\u2019s matters\u201d (1 Peter 4:15 NKJV). Did you catch that? Being a busybody, or meddler, causes suffering. Let\u2019s look at a different version of this verse in its context: \u201cIf you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Peter 4:15-16 NIV). Life is messy, and sin causes pain. But if we suffer, it shouldn\u2019t be as a murderer or thief. Or even as a busybody. The New Testament term for \u201cbusybody\u201d is defined as \u201cone who oversees that which belongs to another.\u201d Also described as \u201cfactious,\u201d the busybody, or meddler, causes trouble for himself or herself and spreads trouble and division to others. That\u2019s why it\u2019s not a minor offense. Proverbs repeatedly emphasizes the wisdom of avoiding the temptation to stir up strife. It warns that \u201cfools constantly meddle and bring trouble on themselves\u201d (Proverbs 20:3). Bottom line? Mind your own business! And when you\u2019re tempted to take charge of something that\u2019s not your own, remember the Bible\u2019s warning to avoid the suffering that\u2019s sure to follow. Next time I\u2019m tempted to meddle, I\u2019ll think back to that image of a dog snapping at me and try to resist the temptation to \u201cfix everybody and everything.\u201d ","author_name":"A Moment of Hope","author_url":"https:\/\/www.momentsofhopechurch.org\/listen","html":"