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Mockery &

             Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 17:5)

I seem to have a theme about enemies, and today’s passage may be a case of “Xth verse, same as the first.” But this is a verse I think a lot of popular commentators and the rest of us need to consider. To mock is to “tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner.” This is the stock-in-trade of many people in our society. Some people even think it’s an appropriate measure of discipline for someone who had “strayed” as long as they are the people doing the shaming.

Specifically, today’s Scripture says that mocking the poor shows contempt for their Maker. There are many ways to be poor: finances, education, social graces, health, intelligence, strength, wisdom, courage, physical appearance, physical condition, sanity, common sense, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, sobriety, hope, punctuality, honesty, honor … The list may not be endless, but it’s long. Effectively, anything we mock someone about is likely to connect to some poverty we find in the person and today’s verse makes it clear that God isn’t likely to chuckle and agree with us if we mock others.

Going beyond mocking, the verse also tells us that gloating over someone’s disaster is sin. Celebrating the misfortune of a person or group we don’t like or agree with is wrong. Celebrating the demise of a person is wrong. In short, trashing another person is neither or prerogative nor our calling. God may forgive, but He won’t shrug it off as nothing.

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