Deuteronomy 28:37
“And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.”
There are many famous proverbs that we hear throughout life that certainly teach us some good lessons. Some of these proverbs are:
“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
“The grass is always greener on the other side.”
“An idle mind is the Devil’s workshop.”
“Character is what you are in the dark.”
Each of these proverbs teach a valuable lesson. Most likely these proverbs came about because of a lesson learned in an adverse manner.
God told Israel that if they disobeyed His commandments that they would become “a proverb, and a byword.” A proverb is a short sentence often repeated, expressing a well-known truth or common fact, ascertained by experience or observation. In other words, God told Israel that they would become a proverb people would use to tell others what not to do. They would become a byword, which is a name often repeated in a reproachful manner. How sad that a nation that was God’s chosen people would be used as a proverb or a byword.
You should never want to be remembered as a proverb or a byword. Certainly your life should be an example to which people point, but not for a proverb or a byword. I could start writing names of people that you would know who became a proverb or a byword. These were people who once were used by God in a mighty way who allowed sin to make them a proverb or a byword. When their name is mentioned, you don’t think of something good, but your mind thinks of what their life has become. Sin is what caused them to become a proverb and a byword. When a life becomes a proverb or a byword, it is only showing how much that life is wasted.
Friend, let me remind you that you are not above becoming a proverb and a byword. When you think that it will never happen to you is when your life is about ready to become a proverb and a byword. Sin will destroy any life, and you are not above sin’s reach. Many a person has become a proverb and a byword because they thought they would never go that far. Sin always takes you farther than you would ever want to go, and if you don’t deal with sin promptly, then you will become a proverb and a byword.
Moreover, to avoid become a proverb and a byword, you must listen to those authorities God has placed in your life. When they tell you something is not right in your life, listen to them. When you know sin is being harbored in your heart, get it right. Set up guards in your life to keep you from allowing sin to make you into a proverb and a byword.
Furthermore, if your life has become a proverb and a byword, don’t let that be the last statement of your life. You may never be able to change what people say about you, but you can certainly still be used by God. Let God have the final say in your life. Don’t sit down and let sin make you a proverb and a byword, but get right with God and turn your life around.
Finally, don’t be guilty of not allowing people to change their life from a proverb and a byword to a life reclaimed by God. Christian, don’t be so pharisaical that you look down on those who have fallen. God is willing to use them again, and you should be too. If they have gotten right with God, then they deserve a chance to rewrite the proverb and byword their life became. Always remember that we don’t need Christians to live their life out as a proverb and a byword, but we need every Christian on board serving the LORD.