King Solomon’s mines

by | Mar 9, 2023 | 2014 | 0 comments

An elderly widow walked into her local supermarket. There was nothing unusual about that – she shopped there often.  
However, this day would be a day like no other.   

As she slowly pushed her trolley down the aisle a well dressed man stepped out in front of her with a beaming smile and an outstretched hand. “Congratulations!  You are our winner!  You are our 1000th shopper and because of that you have won R1000!” The little old lady was overjoyed. Yes, he said and if she would like to increase her winnings all she had to do was give him R14000 for admin fees and her prize would be raised to R100,000!   

What a blessing! The 70 year old grandmother didn’t want to miss out on such an amazing opportunity and blurted out, “I don’t have that much money on me but I can quickly go to my flat and get it for you.”

“But that’s a lot of money – do you mind if I accompany you to your flat just to make sure nothing happens to you?”

She hesitated momentarily but then agreed – after all she was a Christian and God wouldn’t let anything happen to her. And anyway the man was very respectful and well-mannered. She liked that in a man.  

They returned to her flat only to find that she didn’t have enough money. “Why don’t we go to your bank and withdraw the money?” her new found friend offered. “I’ve got my car outside – it won’t take long.” She agreed. At the bank she drew out the money and handed it over to him. “Congratulations!  Just give me a minute – let me go downstairs and fetch your cheque from my car.”  

I don’t have to tell you the rest of the story.

But it’s a true story. The lady was my mother.

We shake our heads in astonishment. How could she have been so gullible?  Yet, whenever I  share this story with others there is always someone who has a similar tale to tell.  

All shapes and sizes

Most of us have received e-mails, SMS’s or phone calls informing us that we have won a competition and all that is required is our credit card information to validate our prize. But scams, swindles, tall tales and lies come in all shapes and sizes. As I write, a TV commercial offers a wonder diet that promises a flat stomach in a few days, a church pastor encourages his followers to eat grass to bring them closer to God and a group of Christians are getting ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ – again. Then there are the chain mails : “If you forward this e-mail to five people within five minutes your life will immediately be blessed with five rewards” or conversely: “If you don’t pass this e-mail on to ten people today you will suffer ten years of bad luck.”

Why do people fall prey to so many of these shams and scams? How can we be more discerning? Solomon answers these questions in Proverbs 14:15 when he says,

“The gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word” (Message).

Being gullible usually has to do with the way we approach specific situations and life in general. We can be too trusting. We can take people at face value and be easily impressed.  We can be so honest and therefore think everyone else is as honest as us. One translation puts Solomon’s words this way: “Don’t be stupid and believe all you hear; be smart and know where you are headed” (CEV). And then there are the Christians who believe that if they just have enough faith in God then everything will work out. Faith is wonderful but faith in the wrong person or thing can be disastrous. I recently saw a poster displayed outside a church: “Jesus came to take away our sins, not our minds.” Wise people are thinkers. Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength” (Mark 12:30).  

Take time to look into a matter   

There are other factors: overconfidence in our ability to understand and discern and of course greed often plays a role. Sometimes gullible people also tend to rush into making decisions – “Next week will be too late and someone else will have what I could have had”-  and don’t consider the consequences. “The plans of hard-working people earn a profit, but those who act too quickly become poor” (Proverbs 21:5 NCV). How many bad marriages begin with one of the individuals pressuring the other to get married more quickly than he or she wanted?

Solomon’s solution to avoid being gullible is simple: Take the time to look into a matter thoroughly before making a decision. Specifically this can be done by:

  • Thinking things through before we act. Too many people trust sound bites rather than sound reasoning.
  • Asking questions. And it’s not just about asking questions – dig deep until we understand.
  • Asking for advice. “There is safety in having many advisers” (Proverbs 11:14 NLT).

Important decisions are never easy. There are always serious aspects hidden beneath the surface that must be searched out and considered.  We need others to provide us with insight, expertise or practical help. (When you study and apply the book of Proverbs you are asking God to be your counsellor – and remember Jesus is your wisdom (1Corinthians 1:24)1.

The bible has much to say about the importance of discernment. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil” (1Thessalonians 5:21 Message). Acts 17:11 tells us about a group of people who “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”  Solomon’s solution to naivety in Proverbs 14:15 is one of the most simplistic but life transforming instructions in his writings.

Memorize it.
Internalise it.
Live it.
It will save you from a lot of heartache – and embarrassment.   

1 See Face to Face page 22, Volume 3 Number 5, 2011.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *