- Proverbs 24:17-18 (NASB) Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.
There is in business an interesting metaphor about competition. One of the prevailing views vibrates with military images - the competition is somehow the enemy. Jim Collins discovered that Nike's values at one time included "crushing" the enemy - the competition. Sure does not line up with Biblical principles. Some have even asked if a committed Believer can be a good marketing person. There is this paradigm that all business people are about winning no matter what or who is crushed in the process. Might be true for some but it certainly is not true for all.
Marketing is not about crushing the competition: it is about differentiation: about distinguishing your offering and its compelling benefits to the user. No crushing needed. Targeted messages produce positive results. Good business is what's called for.
This verse has it genesis in Exodus 22:21 "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him." I don't know about you, but for me that is rather jarring and hard to fathom. Solomon also directed in Pr 25: 21 and the Apostle Paul reiterated: "If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals on their heads, and the LORD will reward you."
Now the Apostle had enemies. The early Christians misunderstood him after his conversion (after all, he was about the killing of followers of Christ!). The Jewish leadership lied about him; he shook up the ruling classes.
Unlike me, and probably you, enemies surrounded him and he spent much of his ministry in prison, leading his jailors to the Lord, writing praise letters (Philippians) and generally being content in his captivity. How could he do this? He practiced Jesus' teaching in the Beatitudes (Matt 5:44) "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Paul got it. We are called to be different.
It was Paul who told us when to rejoice: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" This attitude about rejoicing did not begin with Paul. Hab 3:17-18 (MSG) Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheep-less and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to GOD. I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God". That verse sets a standard. It's not about rejoicing in circumstances: it is always about God - he alone is worthy of our trust.
It was Job that observed that the "mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment." (Job 20:5) Our joy comes not from what happens, but our relationship with the Lord. Our joy comes from doing business to build the Kingdom and to please God - especially in how we treat the competition. The ethical issues, which grow from hearts that treat competitors as war-like enemies, would dissolve. This is the story of Thanksgiving.
A Christian business leader handles ill-gotten competitive information differently. We are not to rejoice in the receipt of information we should not possess (see Ex 22), but rejoice in the Lord who rewards the faithful and return what is not ours.
Are you solely rejoicing in Him? No matter the circumstances? Be thankful for Him.
Copyright (c) 2005 by P. Griffith Lindell
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