Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
Proverbs 29:8 ESV
This verse reminds me of the experience of Paul in Thessalonica and Berea in Acts 17. Paul and Silas entered the synagogue in Thessalonica and reasoned with them for 3 sabbaths (17:2). Their teaching resulted in a number of people (Jews and Greeks) believing. “But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd” (17:5). In other words, the city was aflame because of the scoffers.
Paul and Barnabas slipped out of Thessalonica by night (17:10) and headed to Berea. Eventually, word got back to the Jews in Thessalonica that Paul and Silas were teaching in Berea, “they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds” (17:13).
On a smaller or more localized scale, scoffing can set a home or family aflame. Thus, the warning is equally valid. Derision, mocking, and sarcasm are typical signs of scoffing. So it makes sense that a home or city could be set aflame when scoffers have a sense of freedom to scoff. If this is you, beware.
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