Confessions of a Former Scoff-aholic

I fight authority, Authority always wins
Well, I fight authority, Authority always wins
Well, I've been doing it since I was a young kid
I come out grinnin'
Well, I fight authority, Authority always wins
-- John Mellencamp, The Authority Song

There's just something in us that likes to buck authority, isn't there? Maybe it's the American way. We are a country born out of rebellion to authority. Don't believe it? Ask the British. Maybe it's our fallen human nature. King David wrote that he was "was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) One pastor I heard said that whenever we are called to submit to authority, we all have a little attorney inside us named Adam who rises up and says, "I object!" Little Adam, attorney-at-law, always has a legal loophole why the rules don't apply to us.

Whatever it is, we don't like to be told what to do. We don't want to be held accountable to anyone. We don't like to be corrected when we're wrong. We want to go our own way, do our own thing, because we know better than anyone else. It's pride, is what it is. Nothing more.

Proverbs has a lot to say about pride, none of it good:

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Prov. 11:2)
The LORD destroys the house of the proud, but he protects the property of widows. (Prov. 15:25)
The LORD despises pride; be assured that the proud will be punished. (Prov. 16:5

Of all the fools in Proverbs there is one that is singled out as the bucker of authority, the prideful know-it-all who cannot be taught or corrected because he is the center of the known universe and there is no room in it for dissenting opinions:

“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. (Prov. 21:24)

What is a "scoffer" exactly (your translation may say "scorner" or "mocker")? To scoff at or scorn something is to hold something in disdain or contempt. It's a sarcastic arrogance that looks down it's nose in superiority. It's an attitude of open disrespect and derision. The Hebrew word from the original manuscript literally means "to make mouths at," from the effort to pronounce a foreign language. (Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, H3887) It's like wisdom is a foreign language to the scoffer, and he can't handle it so he makes fun of it and looks down on it.

Probably the best way to get a picture of The Scoffer is to look at what the scriptures say about him:


He is unteachable. You can't tell him anything. He won't listen. There is always some reason it doesn't apply to him. He neatly sidesteps all attempts at wise counsel with a smug look and a snide remark.

• "A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke." (Prov. 13:1)
• "A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain [for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it], but knowledge is easy to him who [being teachable] understands." (Prov. 14:6, Amplified Bible)
• "Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, but reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge." (Prov. 19:25, see also 21:11)
  

Notice that if you discipline the Scoffer, he doesn't learn from it himself but only those who observe it. The wise man himself learns from his discipline.


Has a reputation for being an insufferable know-it-all.

• "The proud and haughty man--Scoffer is his name--deals and acts with overbearing pride." (Prov. 21:24, Amplified Bible)

This is a shame because a bad reputation is as hard to get rid of as a good one is to earn. Prov. 22:1 says, "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth." "Scoffer" is not a good name!


He cannot stand to be corrected.

• "Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise." (Prov. 15:12, NLT)
  

Notice how he will eventually withdraw and isolate himself from anyone who might speak some wisdom into his life. This is a major red flag that a Scoffer is on the rise.


He is rude and abusive to those in authority.

• "He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you..." (Prov. 9:7-8a)
  

The scary thing about this verse is that it implies that since the Scoffer has placed himself out of reach of discipline from a wiser person, God Himself will handle his correction. That is a frightening thought!


He loves to stir up trouble. We all know this guy. He's the one who gets on Facebook and says something outrageously offensive and then wants to argue with everyone about it. This is the blogger so in love with his own opinion he cannot see the harmful effects of spewing his cynical, critical bile all over the internet.

• "People who make fun of wisdom cause trouble in a city, but wise people calm anger down." (Prov. 29:8)
  
• "Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease." (Prov. 22:10)

Nobody likes him or wants to be around him.

• "... the scoffer is an abomination to men." (Prov. 24:9)

Sounds harsh, I know, but scripture don't lie. The word "abomination" in the original text means "detestable, an object of loathing." This verse is saying that an arrogant cynic who thinks he knows everything doesn't get invited to many parties. But he gets talked about at all of them.


So there it is straight from the pages of scripture. The portrait of The Scoffer. Do you know one? Did somebody's name just leap to your mind as you read this and you immediately thought, "Oh yeah, I know that guy! That's ________!" (You fill in the blank with whoever)

But here is the million dollar question that I believe God would have us ask: Did anyone think of you when they read this description? Was it your name and your face that popped into their minds? Gulp. Yeah, hard to swallow. I know, because I am a recovering scoffer myself.

I plowed my way through most of mu college and young adult years as a raging scoffer. So full of myself. So in love with my own opinion on everything from music to movies to religion to politics. I was God's gift to everyone around me. A legend in my own mind. If I could time travel I would go back in time and slap myself silly. But as we read in Proverbs, smiting a scoffer won't work. We're unteachable. God has to smack us down. And smack me down He has. Time and again. What happened?

Well for one thing, marriage. God brought an amazing, beautiful, intelligent and endlessly patient woman into my life who has loved me in spite of my scoffish ways for nearly 24 years now. She has opened my eyes to how smug and prideful and arrogant I was and has drawn me deeper into a humble, loving relationship.

Kids were another thing that reformed me. Nothing like being responsible for the life of other human beings to pull your head out of your fanny and snap you into mature adulthood. Through raising three awesome and brilliant kids, God has purged much of the scoffer from me and replaced it with a kinder, gentler, imminently more teachable soul.

But lastly it has been the relentless love of Jesus that has transformed me. He simply will not leave me alone. And I love Him for that! It really is true that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."(Prov. 9:10) Not fear as in terror or dread, but as in awe and respect for who He is and what He has done for me. And what He continues to do in me with every passing day.

There is such a thing as a healthy fear, a good fear. I am not afraid of electricity but I have a healthy respect for what it could do if I approach it too carelessly or regard it too lightly. In a similar way, I think we have lost a fear of God that is healthy and good. We approach Him lightly and glibly, altogether too familiar in the worst way. Yes, He is our Friend, and Savior, and He loves us tenderly and desires intimacy with us. But He is also holy. And awesome. And He is the Lord of Hosts, the God of Angel Armies that would make Chuck Norris pee his pants.

It's that fear, that perspective of who God really is that gives me the right perspective on who I really am in light of Him. And that just blows the Scoffer in me away like so much dust. I pray that God continues to transform me from a Scoffer to a humble, wise husband, father, and pastor. But in order for that to happen, I have to submit to His authority. And that includes the wise and mature spiritual leaders he has placed in my life.

Are you a Scoffer? Let me encourage you to do this: Ask those who know you best. And listen, really listen, to what they have to say. Then ask God to take away the prideful heart and replace it with a heart that is open and teachable. Humble yourself, the scriptures say. Because if you refuse, then God will do it for you. And that is nothing to ... well... scoff at.