Proverbs 3:30 (ESV) … “Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.”
People who live together in a community need to be able to trust one another. We ought to be careful to pursue the good of our neighbors. Don’t slander them with gossip (20:19). Don’t cheat or take advantage of them financially (20:10, 14). Evil men live by the laws of the economic jungle and prey on the naive and weak. The standards of Scripture go beyond cut-throat capitalism. It is unacceptable for one who fears the Lord to take advantage of the weak by charging an inflated price or hiding product defects. Nor should we contend with others needlessly (v. 30). The New Testament forbids one believer from suing another in the courts (1 Cor. 6:1–8). Those who are wise are not obsessed with their rights but rather seek to imitate Jesus, who did not insist upon his prerogatives (Phil. 2:3–8; 1 Peter 2:21–24) and did good to his enemies.[1]
[1] Newheiser, J. (2008). Opening up Proverbs (pp. 66–67). Leominster: Day One Publications.
Comments