Don't Get Picked Apart

DON'T GET 

PICKED APART!

Scripture Reading--Proverbs 30:17

"The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother,

the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,

and the young eagles shall eat it."

A friend was hunting deer in Indiana and had harvested a deer.  Because he was a significant distance from home, he dragged the deer to the hedgerow and walked home to get a four-wheeler so he could bring the deer home.  Later, while returning to the hedgerow, he saw several buzzards fly away from the area near the deer.

Approaching the deer carcass, he noticed that in the short time he was gone the buzzards had picked one of the deer's eyeballs out of its socket.  Interestingly, Proverbs uses a similarly grotesque picture to describe what can happen to a child who jokes about obeying his parents.   

Big, old, black buzzards are smart.  As scavengers, they feed on dead animals; however, they must confirm that the animal is dead before they can feed on it.  It wouldn't be good to try to enjoy some venison steak from a deer that's just taking a nap!  As the birds approach the carcass, they go to the head and pick at the animal's eyeball with the sharp point of their beaks.  The eyeball is sensitive.  If the animal is still alive, he will respond immediately.  No response, of course, indicates that the animal is dead.

The writer of Proverbs presents a graphic and unpleasant picture of what can result for children who don't properly respond to their parents.  How sad to see a young person miss out on much of God's blessing in life because he refused to cooperate with his mom and dad.  Ephesians 6:1 says that children should obey their parents "in the Lord: for this is right."

ASSIGNMENT:  See if you can recall Bible stories of young people who died prematurely because they rebelled against their parents.  ( Hint:  Look in 1 Samuel 2 and 2 Samuel 18. )

--Tom Palmer--