Proverbs 25:13 (ESV)
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
Who doesn't like good news. We typically wait eagerly for it. We get excited at the prospect of good news. Since most are not farmers we might have trouble with Solomon's analogy, but his point is none-the-less weighty: "In hot work a cool breeze is so refreshing, so too a good word on a bad day." If you are in sales and you are waiting for word to see if your client says "yes" to the proposal, you know this truth. If you are in sport and you are waiting to see if you are "in" or not, you know this truth. If you are grand-parent "to-be", you know this truth. But, the "message" in this proverb is implied as being "good news." The real emphasis in this proverb is not necessarily the message, but the messenger. What Solomon is telling us is that carrier of the message is as important as the message. In our day of email, voicemail and cyber communication we might fail to miss this truth. But, Solomon wants us to know that the person who delivers this message, in "faithfulness" is an important and refreshing aspect of the communication system. Perhaps what Solomon is telling us is that good news needs to be entrusted to faithful messengers. We ought to take as much care in the delivery of good news as we are the manufacturing of good news. There is no doubt their is an implication for those who are messengers of the gospel. We don't want to diminish that truth. But, the principle provides guidelines to all our communication. As you deliver God's Word (or, truth derived by studying God's Word and in prayer) be a faithful messenger. That is as refreshing to the hearer as the message.
No comments:
Post a Comment