Proverbs 1:32: Where? Behind the rabbit?

[Wisdom says:] “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;”
-Proverbs 1:32

I love the rabbit scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

If you haven’t seen it, an enchanter named Tim is leading Arthur and his knights to where the Grail is hidden, but there is a terrible monster blocking the path. Tim takes great pains to warn Arthur of the danger, and he really gets the knights riled up with his description of the peril.

But when they get to the cave, there is nothing there but a white rabbit.

The knights are incensed. They can’t believe that Tim had them so worried. “Look at the bones!” Tim cries out, hoping they will listen. They don’t, and Bors goes to take care of the rabbit.

And the rabbit leaps up and rips Bors’ head off.

The knights cower in fear, and all Tim can say is, “I warned you!”

(It’s very funny; trust me.)

There are three reactions a person can have when hearing the truth about God. They can turn away, saying, “I don’t believe that.” Like Bors rising up to kill the rabbit, they scoff at God. They turn away, in the words of this verse.

Other people just assume they’re okay. “Oh, I’m a good person. I have nothing to worry about,” they might say. They are complacent.

And both of these reactions will earn you death.

The reason is simple. We are imperfect beings, and God is perfect and Holy. We have earned death in our pride, greed, lust, and hatred. God’s mercy is the only way we can have life. But if we turn away from Him actively, or passively assume we’re good enough, then we have foolishly accepted the death sentence we deserve.

But the other way to react is by accepting the call of Jesus and repenting. Only He did not deserve to die, and yet He died anyway. He died in our place.

Turn away, stay, or bow. Those are our only choices. The first two are simple and foolish, and they get us nowhere. But trusting in Jesus will get us eternal life. Ask for His forgiveness and follow Him.