Over this past year or so several words have taken on new significance in my understanding. Recently the word “scorn” took my attention and I am surprised how significant this topic may be in daily life. So let me unpack it a little for you.
The key verse that brought ‘scorn’ into focus for me is Proverbs 22:10…
“Cast out the scorner, and contention will exit; yes, strife and reproach will cease.”
Here I saw a key link between scorn and ‘contention’.
Many homes live under the weight of contention so scorn could prove to be very relevant.
Previously I linked contention with pride, because of Proverbs 13:10…
“Only by pride comes contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
Scorn is another piece of the contention puzzle.
Contention is linked to scorners and also to pride. So scorn must be an expression of pride.
Scorn includes contempt, disrespect, disapproval, criticism, dislike, derision, indignation and disdain.
The link to pride probably sits with the scorner feeling a sense of elevation or superiority over the one scorned (that’s pride) so they judge the failings or poor qualities of the one scorned.
So scorn blocks forgiveness, because the scorner is not looking to act humbly or in good faith, but to serve their pride.
The scorner takes a place of pride and superiority over the one who is scorned so they do not adopt a posture of grace and forgiveness.
If there is contention in your home or your relationships you can be sure there is pride and scorn.
Many years ago my marriage was under great strain. I had offended Susan by my persistence to achieve a goal, without seeming to care for her struggles in the process. For many months our relationship was strained and I found Susan difficult to relate to. All that time she struggled with feelings of offence, knowing her attitude was not right but not able to break free from it.
Late one night we were finally able to talk about the tensions and Susan poured out her string of hurts and feelings of offence caused by my actions.
All I could do was admit that I had burt her and ask her forgiveness. Then the way forward was in her hands, not mine. I said to her, “You know what you have to do.” We were well aware of the need to forgive offenders in order to come to freedom ourselves.
Susan said she already knew she had to forgive me. She was struggling to do so.
When she got to it, Susan’s forgiveness took only a few moments to say but it changed the atmosphere completely and set our relationship free to blossom again. The impact was profound, even though the forgiveness process was almost momentary.
Think about your situation.
Is there contention, strife or reproach in your relationships?
Does the contention and strife settle down when someone else leaves the room, or when YOU leave the room? Who is the ‘scorner’ in your situation?
Do you face contention and strife in many of your relationships?
Are you sitting in judgement of others, elevating yourself in pride, thinking you have the right to hold them in contempt, disapproval and indignation?
If you take the place of ‘judge’ over others God will judge you severely and one of the judgments is that God cuts you off from the benefit due to you through those you despise, which could even be your spouse and family.
And consider another verse about ‘scorn’, the very first verse of the Book of Psalms.
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1
The ungodly walk, sinner stand, and scorners sit. Scorners make themselves comfortable in their place of scorn, pride and judgement of others. They probably affirm their right to stay in that seat of judgement through all manner of justifications and fault-finding.
If you are a scorner you are probably very inflexible and slow to come around to grace and forgiveness.
If this touches you in some way then please take a lesson from my lovely wife and get out of that seat of scorn into the wonderful freedom that grace and forgiveness pour down upon us.
Tags: arguments, broken relationship, contention, pride, scorn, unforgiveness
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