The Path of Truth Forum

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Rachel asked me:

Subject: what does this mean please?

1534. One who will not step on an ant or hurt a fly is neither human nor divine.

My reply:

Hi Rachel, good question, and I do hope you don’t mind my sharing this with others.

A good question for more than one reason: It shows you want to understand, aren’t assuming to understand it by yourself and are willing to humble yourself to ask. Some proverbs seem perfectly obvious, and they can be, but are they?

In this case, there is the false notion that certain human beings, in Christ or otherwise, can be so virtuous in such a way as to not hurt a fly. First, there is no such human being; second, God isn’t that way – look around you and see how there’s hurt everywhere, and God does it. Read Ecclesiastes 3; He sends judgments of sword, famine, pestilence and wild beast upon mankind. He destroyed man in the flood along with the rest of those His creatures. He scattered His own people and hurt His Own Son. He has created both good and evil and employs both. This is the reality.

True goodness isn’t manifest and doesn’t come by apparent harmlessness. The righteousness in the minds of some, like vegans for one example of many, is a false one; it doesn’t exist, it isn’t called for. And if you witness a guy walking around in white, wearing white gloves and carrying a white Bible, know it is a devil presuming and pretending righteousness.

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Paul added:

Flies need to be killed, and ants sometimes, too. The one who is too holy to kill a fly is the spreader of disease and enemy of mankind. So what if he comes with kisses? They are deceitful.

And you have all heard stories such as the one about the Nazi who oversaw the gas chambers and cried when his dog died. Don’t be deceived by appearances. Those brought into honesty with God about themselves will be kept.

Paul
Jo Mathis added:

I worked on a newspaper for many years, and we always knew that when we ran a story about a dog being harmed or a horse neglected, the public would be outraged. Much more so than stories about man's inhumanity to man.

Jeff Wilschut added:

Thank You Rachel, for that question. It was a good one, I learned a lot from such a simple act. One, never to place myself in a state of thinking I know, when I know very little or nothing at all, and need to humble myself to ask questions so that I might learn and grow. Secondly that world peace was never in His plan, if we are His then we must be willing to stamp out what is evil, often with those whom we are closest to. It was not easy to witness how Eric S was called out in his sins, then when confronted and there was no repentance it was clear what had to take place. I pray for Jehu's Zeal, it is too easy for me to take a sympathetic or diplomatic approach. I am thankful to Him for showing me, and helping me see what is wrong with this approach, I ask for forgiveness and to receive strength in overcoming my weaknesses.

2 Kings 10:15-17 15 Now when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?" And Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand." And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 He said, "Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD." So he made him ride in his chariot. 17 When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

Thanks, everyone, for all the replies - I have read every one of them. I understand this proverb now. It sends shivers down my spine to think of what people can do to one another yet at the same time go home to a fluffy dog and treat it like royalty. The unregenerate man's form of love and care is an abomination - the same heart that coos over a baby, cries over an animal being abused or feels disgust toward a paedophile, is also capable of turning a blind eye to justifying abortion and committing atrocities towards fellow humans in situations such as war. I watched a documentary on how the Red Army exacted revenge on the Germans after WW2 - their actions were just as horrific as the Nazi's, if not more so as what they did was so bloody-thirsty and crazed. All people are the same - it is only their circumstances that spare them from committing certain acts. As if God's Word on this is not enough (Romans 3:10 "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one."), psychological experiments have proven it such as the Stamford Prison Experiment:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_ ... experiment

I have also been thinking about this recently: how people are more willing to extend love and forgiveness to that which they perceive as "innocent" or "defenseless" - animals, children, old people, homeless people, mentally ill people etc. Yet not to unborn babies in the womb strangely enough. The same people are so quick to spit on paedophiles, child killers and rapists with a particularly twisted form of anger that slams the door shut on any kind of forgiveness EVER for people who commit these particular acts of evil, all the while blindly assuming that if they themselves had been exposed to the same conditioning and experiences as the perpetrators, they possess something in their fleshly selves that would prevent them from ever doing the same.

Oh how we need God. If He gave us up fully to our vile affections the world would probably destroy itself in a day. How merciful and long-suffering He is and how arrogant we are.

Amen to all.

Thankful for the understanding you've been given, Rachel.

"Everyone is a murderer at heart, restrained or reformed only by the grace of God." - Paul Cohen