mocking

I was rather embarrassed the other day when I realized that it had been quite some time since I had simply read the Bible instead of a book about the Bible. So, I’m going to read the Psalms for a while.

Psalm 1 has a wonderful promise for the righteous man or woman:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. (v. 3)

Both the Amplified and New American Standard add the word firmly before planted–righteousness brings security in fruitfulness and productivity.

The end of the psalm also tells us that “the Lord watches over the way of the righteous.” I want these blessings, these promises, to be evident in my life. Scholars suggest that Psalm 1 is an introduction to the entire book, so we can assume that what it means to be righteous will be fleshed out as we work through the psalms. But the first verse gives us some pretty good clues as well by telling us what this person does not do:

• does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
• or stand in the way of sinners
• or sit in the seat of mockers.

The Amplified expands on verse 1 like this:

• walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes],
• nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk,
• nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

I get a pretty clear idea about the first two: I don’t get advice from the wicked and I don’t put myself in the path of sinners. What I wonder about is the last one: who are the mockers and scorners? In true English teacher fashion, I looked up both words, because neither are common in everyday speech (at least not where I am):

scorn: the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless or despicable
mock: tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner

I always thought of mock as making fun of, but I see that there’s more to it than that; “worthless or despicable” is pretty serious. It’s also useful to remind myself what contempt means: to hold as worthless. So I see that sitting in the seat of mockers is to devalue something.

When I looked up the Hebrew for mockers, I learned two things: the word has to do with speech, and it is used most frequently in Proverbs. Looking through the references, I see that scorners refuse to accept correction; they may seek wisdom but won’t find it; and mockers cause problems for those around them. Proverbs 22:10 tell us to “throw out the mocker, and fighting, quarrels, and insults will disappear” (NLT).

It’s no surprise that mocking is intimately connected with pride. Proverbs 21:24 says, “The proud and arrogant man– ‘Mocker’ is his name; he behaves with overweening pride” (NIV). What could make someone reject the correction of the wise but pride? Or, more to the point, what could keep someone from receiving correction from God? In Isaiah 28, the prophet speaks to people whose pride was in their city and whose trust was in themselves. The “scoffers” who ruled believed that they had “made a covenant with death” so that they could not be destroyed (see v. 15). It appears that these mockers rejected both God’s blessing and his correction. And so Isaiah tells them, “stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier” (v. 22). The mocker, the scoffer, the scornful invites God’s judgment. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that he also puts himself into bondage.

So, what does this have to do with righteousness? Back in Psalm 1, we’re told that “blessed is the man” who does not “sit in the seat of the scoffer.” The scoffer rejects wisdom and speaks foolishness. He thinks too highly of himself and holds others–and God–in contempt. The mocker devalues God and His word.

Now, you may be thinking, “I would never devalue God!” And that may well be true. But we live in a culture that tends to esteem mockery, and an attitude of contempt can creep in if we don’t guard ourselves. We can see blatant examples in churches who preach, “When the Bible says x is wrong, that doesn’t apply today; that’s a cultural thing.” We have to be careful about wholesale rejection of Scripture that doesn’t fit with what our society accepts.

For myself, I’m more concerned about the subtle devaluing that can creep into my thinking. The thinking that makes a decision without praying because “I know what to do.” The attitude that reads about a miracle and says, “but God doesn’t do that any more.” The logic that says, “if I can’t figure it out, then there’s no way God can do it.” Consider the serpent’s words to Eve: “Did God really say…?” Satan mocks God, and he leads us down this path when he gets us to devalue God’s word.

Fortunately, Psalm 1 gives us a way to guard against a mocking attitude. Right after the list of what the righteous man does not do, we are told what he does: “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (v. 2). The antidote to scorn is delight. The righteous man takes pleasure in God’s word; he enjoys thinking about it. The Amplified says, “his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord,” and the New Living Translation takes it to the next level by moving us from thinking to action:

But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants;
day and night they think about his law.

Tagged as: delight, mocking, pride, Psalms, righteousness