“… don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?” (Proverbs 25:8, NLT)
“A California woman became extremely irritated by the hacking cough of her pet macaw. When the distressing symptom persisted, she took the bird to a veterinarian who checked his feathered patient and found it to be in perfect health. Furthermore, the doctor discovered that instead of having some exotic disease, the bird had merely learned to imitate the raspy “barking” of its cigarette-smoking owner. When the woman was informed of this, she was greatly surprised. The insight she gained into her problem helped her kick the habit.” (from Our Daily Bread)
When trying to understand her macaw, this woman jumped to conclusions. She assumed the problem with her pet was an illness. She sought a veterinarian for help. However, the problem was not an illness in her pet. The woman, being a smoker, coughed so often that her macaw sought to emulate her problem. The issue was caused by her own smoking in the household.
When you jump to conclusions, it can often cause you to misdiagnose an issue, fail to recognize all the symptoms, or subvert a lasting remedy. Those who jump to conclusions often learn to “trust their gut”, rely on their intuition, or “feel out” the problem. These popular euphemisms cover up the fact that the person who jumps to conclusions often hasn’t spent the time or effort to research the facts, find the real issues, or figure out the real problem.
In the scripture for today from Proverbs 25:8, it says nothing about jumping or conclusions. However, jumping to conclusions is precisely its point. This verse warns the faithful not to “be in a hurry to go to court”. There is a tendency in one who feels wronged to find someone or something to blame. For the insecure, it is hard to face reality or personal responsibility. In this verse from Proverbs, the person was quick to ascribe blame; thus in a hurry to go to court. In jumping to conclusions about who is at fault, the person who hurriedly sues another person in court without adequate understanding of the situation is making a mistake. In some cases, their jump to conclusions will result in losing face in a court of law. That’s why the end of the verse for today asks the question, “what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?” The scripture alludes to the fact that when you jump to conclusions and desire a hasty trial, you might find yourself humiliated. That is often the result of jumping to conclusions. Your overzealous response is foolhardy.
A famous trial during the early 1990’s dealt with a young girl had been murdered. Her parents were interviewed by the local news outlet. They were hurt beyond belief. Their tears and hurt boiled over in the interview. Pressured by the pain of the parents and enraged public sentiment, the police centered their case on a man who had a previous conviction for sexual assault. The parents went on the news again and praised the quick work of the police department to catch the guilty party. The man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Five years later, a new method of DNA testing proved that the man who was convicted of killing the daughter could not have done the crime. It was perpetrated by someone else. The DNA evidence was conclusive. They had convicted the wrong man. Because the case had been closed for five years, nobody had bothered to secure more evidence or search for the real guilty party. The police thought they nabbed the man who did it. The parents and the public had been so quick to put blame that the leads all went cold. To this day, the killer has not been caught.
In this murder investigation, jumping to conclusions led to the real murderer remaining free. Oftentimes, jumping to conclusions will result in wrongs, baseless accusations, ill-will, and injustice. I’ve seen situations in churches where jumping to conclusions led to disastrous consequences like the loss of a pastor or suicide or social shunning or divorce. The warning of our scripture against quick judgments should make the faithful pause before jumping to conclusions. However, many have failed to heed the warning. Jesus even had to tell his hearers not to judge others (Luke 6:37) nor be hasty to run to a court of law (Matthew 5:25). Though Proverbs 25:8 had been around for centuries before Jesus’ time, people in the New Testament times had not yet learned this lesson.
Are you quick to make judgments or hasty in your decisions? Do you jump to conclusions when you get hurt or emotional? Are you impatient to assign guilt when you haven’t taken the time to find out the truth of a matter? Take the time to work through the issues. Set aside your emotions to look at situations with careful scrutiny. Quick judgments are dangerous. Jumping to conclusions often leads to shame.
When trying to understand her macaw, this woman jumped to conclusions. She assumed the problem with her pet was an illness. She sought a veterinarian for help. However, the problem was not an illness in her pet. The woman, being a smoker, coughed so often that her macaw sought to emulate her problem. The issue was caused by her own smoking in the household.
When you jump to conclusions, it can often cause you to misdiagnose an issue, fail to recognize all the symptoms, or subvert a lasting remedy. Those who jump to conclusions often learn to “trust their gut”, rely on their intuition, or “feel out” the problem. These popular euphemisms cover up the fact that the person who jumps to conclusions often hasn’t spent the time or effort to research the facts, find the real issues, or figure out the real problem.
In the scripture for today from Proverbs 25:8, it says nothing about jumping or conclusions. However, jumping to conclusions is precisely its point. This verse warns the faithful not to “be in a hurry to go to court”. There is a tendency in one who feels wronged to find someone or something to blame. For the insecure, it is hard to face reality or personal responsibility. In this verse from Proverbs, the person was quick to ascribe blame; thus in a hurry to go to court. In jumping to conclusions about who is at fault, the person who hurriedly sues another person in court without adequate understanding of the situation is making a mistake. In some cases, their jump to conclusions will result in losing face in a court of law. That’s why the end of the verse for today asks the question, “what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?” The scripture alludes to the fact that when you jump to conclusions and desire a hasty trial, you might find yourself humiliated. That is often the result of jumping to conclusions. Your overzealous response is foolhardy.
A famous trial during the early 1990’s dealt with a young girl had been murdered. Her parents were interviewed by the local news outlet. They were hurt beyond belief. Their tears and hurt boiled over in the interview. Pressured by the pain of the parents and enraged public sentiment, the police centered their case on a man who had a previous conviction for sexual assault. The parents went on the news again and praised the quick work of the police department to catch the guilty party. The man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Five years later, a new method of DNA testing proved that the man who was convicted of killing the daughter could not have done the crime. It was perpetrated by someone else. The DNA evidence was conclusive. They had convicted the wrong man. Because the case had been closed for five years, nobody had bothered to secure more evidence or search for the real guilty party. The police thought they nabbed the man who did it. The parents and the public had been so quick to put blame that the leads all went cold. To this day, the killer has not been caught.
In this murder investigation, jumping to conclusions led to the real murderer remaining free. Oftentimes, jumping to conclusions will result in wrongs, baseless accusations, ill-will, and injustice. I’ve seen situations in churches where jumping to conclusions led to disastrous consequences like the loss of a pastor or suicide or social shunning or divorce. The warning of our scripture against quick judgments should make the faithful pause before jumping to conclusions. However, many have failed to heed the warning. Jesus even had to tell his hearers not to judge others (Luke 6:37) nor be hasty to run to a court of law (Matthew 5:25). Though Proverbs 25:8 had been around for centuries before Jesus’ time, people in the New Testament times had not yet learned this lesson.
Are you quick to make judgments or hasty in your decisions? Do you jump to conclusions when you get hurt or emotional? Are you impatient to assign guilt when you haven’t taken the time to find out the truth of a matter? Take the time to work through the issues. Set aside your emotions to look at situations with careful scrutiny. Quick judgments are dangerous. Jumping to conclusions often leads to shame.