Mocking – Proverbs 22:10

Bill Maher is known for his mockery of religion.  Wikipedia describes his movie: Religulous is a 2008 American documentary film written by and starring comedian Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles. The title of the film is a portmanteau derived from the words religious and ridiculous. The documentary examines and challenges religion and religious belief.  An ad for the movie shows three chimpanzees, one with his eyes covered, one with his eyes shielded, and one with his mouth covered, and the middle one is wearing the pope’s hat.

Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. (Proverbs 22:10, ESV)

In one of the Star Trek movies with the cast from the original television series, Spock enters a chamber filled with deadly radiation to fix the Enterprise.  As he is dying Captain Kirk and he communicate.  Kirk asks him why he sacrificed himself this way.  Spock says, “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

There are some challenges to the logic of this statement.  As someone has written:

Logic requires that some evidence be offered in support of such a claim—but Spock offers no evidence in support of this. He just asserts it. Which “many”? Which “few”? “Outweigh” on whose scale? For what purpose? To whose benefit? Why is his or their benefit the proper benefit? Spock does not address such questions; he simply asserts that logic clearly dictates his conclusion. But it doesn’t. (theObjectivestandard.com)

But there is an assumption in this proverb that at times the behavior of one might be destructive to the functioning of many.  And if this person described here as a “scoffer” cannot be reformed then driving him out will serve to sustain the peace of the group.  In this case it is judged that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.

What is a scoffer?  The dictionary describes him or her as one who speaks derisively, mockingly, and jeers at others or what they believe.  It is likely that Proverbs is using this term of one who is habitually contrary to the principles of wisdom, which means one who rejects the first principle of wisdom, the fear of Yahweh (Proverbs 1:7).  Scoffers will not be subject to anyone and constantly stir up strife and quarreling.  They do not value peace.