Appetite for Evil!

 

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11

There are some Bible verses that don’t appear on anyone’s list of favorites. I think this one might well qualify as one of those. It is bad enough when a dog vomits, but when he goes back and starts to eat it the “YUK” button is pushed in most folks. There are few things more disgusting!

Almost fifty years ago a good friend gave me a memorable Christmas present. That was the year that I gave him a Bible and he gave me some very realistic looking rubber dog vomit. I saw him again a few years ago and he remembered it and apologized again. But frankly, that dog vomit was a great gift. I remember my Uncle Joe jumping up from his chair to get a rag to wipe up the mess he thought was left by his dog Rusty.

There is nothing enticing about vomit. In fact, for me vomiting is the most offensive bodily function I can imagine. When I am sick I work hard at not vomiting. It is truly disgusting. I hope you are not eating right now, but I must say that a man repeating “his folly” is as offensive as eating vomit!

If you step in a mud puddle on your morning walk, that makes a mess. But if you step in the same puddle the next morning you are foolish. If you step in the puddle again and again, you are like a dog eating vomit.

How do I apply this truth to my life? You may like to think of your foolishness as “the sin that so easily besets you” when in truth you are just eating vomit when you do it!

Here is an appropriate pun. I hope that this truth is not hard to swallow!

The next time you are tempted to sin, think of a dog eating vomit, and see if that curtails your appetite for evil!