"Oh, My Thoroughly EVIL Days… Just What Am I Doing WRONG...?"

(and how to fix it!)

Date: 4/15/22 1:21am

Proverbs 15:15 KJV

ALL the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

  • Let’s not forget that the days are evil for EVERYONE by default, according to Ephesians 5:15-16…
  • “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:15-16 KJV)
  • Therefore the specific highlighting of the AFFLICTED’s evil days is suggestive of their days being at least DOUBLY evil

Let's look at how Merriam-Webster defines "afflict"...

Afflict (transitive verb)

a) to cause pain and suffering to: to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish

b) trouble, injure

Next, let’s zoom in and have a closer look at the spectrum being represented in Proverbs 15:15…

Proverbs 15:15 KJV+

a) ALL the days of the afflicted are evil:

b) but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

affliction = doubly-evil days; a merry heart = a continual feast

Thanks to the Holy Spirit’s consistent writing style where He contrasts given extremes (in other words, through the men who He used to pen the written Word, God reliably presents us with DEFINITIVE opposing extremes to govern our understanding by) we can clearly see that experiencing a lifestyle which passively benefits from the partaking of a continual feast (which is the result of being of a merry heart) is the flip-side of living afflicted. In other words, affliction opposes a heart of merriment, disqualifying the afflicted from the continual feast that the merry-at-heart enjoys; thus thoroughly resulting in doubly evil days— EVERY day.

But wait… there’s more…

Two verses earlier we get this:

Proverbs 15:13 KJVA merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

  1. This makes a merry heart visibly discernible; we now know what a merry heart looks like. The partaker of the continual feast can be identified by his bright countenance
  2. The afflicted —who is sorrowful of heart, as designated by the consistent writing style— is not only broken in whichever way(s) cause his affliction, but also broken in spirit

A “Broken Spirit”

In addition to what we’ve already been made aware of —concerning a) the afflicted’s days being doubly evil, and b) him being disqualified from the merry heart’s continual feast— what can the “broken spirit” label further tell us about him…?

Proverbs 17:22 KJVA merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

  • Wow. What we’re essentially seeing here is that affliction breeds more affliction by eventually feeding into itself; the rich (in heart) become richer, and the poor (of body, of heart, of spirit) become poorer

Wash, Rinse, Repeat…

A) Because you’re afflicted, merriment of heart is less likely to be your go-to emotional state (as opposed to one of sorrow), thus your days are doubly evil;

~

B) Because your days are doubly evil (attributed to your sorrowful heart), you miss out on the continual feast redeemable only through merriment of heart;

~

C) Because you miss out on the quality-of-life-enhancing benefits of the continual feast (by being sorrowful instead of merry), your spirit is in shambles— lending itself invariably to death via even further affliction…

thus restarting the loop.

Proverbs 15:15 said it well… this truly is evil. Especially (or rather, particularly) if you’re not the one to blame for your affliction— the catalyst which sets this vicious cycle into motion. Fortunately, however, the elusive (easily overshadowed) point that is being put forth in the Proverbs 15 verses above —by the specific mention of the state of the heart of the one who experiences the continual feast (thus directing your sights beyond any legitimate bodily or mental affliction)— is that the word “afflicted” is speaking less of a legitimate physical/mental state of affliction and more of an emotional state— one predicated on your personal interpretation of your valid physical state of affliction. Effectively throwing the onus for the ‘heart of merriment’ and the ‘continual feast’ it results in BACK on you— the afflicted.

To be merry in affliction —instead of sorrowful— is a choice; definitely not an easy one, but a choice nonetheless. And through this exercise of choice you avail yourself of the medicinal properties that a merry heart leads to (Prov 17:22). This disrupts the loop of affliction delineated above, repairing your physical (or mental) affliction and then the broken spirit it resulted in. This clearly incentivizes optimism over pessimism as the path toward not only an extended life (span) but also a greater quality thereof.

I am objectively afflicted (from birth– I was born with sickle-cell anemia). And I’ve always wondered to myself if I was more of an optimist, or more of a pessimist… While I always fancied myself more of the former, I can tell you with certainty that my life has been far more characterized by shame, poverty, suffering, and lack than by reward, fulfillment, or satisfaction (not to be an ingrate or anything)— despite believing myself to be the “righteousness of God in Christ”— since learning what that even meant, somewhere between 2013 and 2018.

In other words, therein lies the less-disputable answer to my question. It looks like there’s much more to gratitude than merely counting your blessings and being thankful… If you’re afflicted —and would prefer that all your days not be evil henceforth (Prov 15:15)— you’ll need to make the conscious decision to realign your seemingly-appropriate inclination toward sorrow so that your emotional state instead reflects merriment— with the **shining countenance to match it (Prov 15:13). Which, after all, is the wiser decision to make:

Ecclesiastes 8:1 KJV

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? **a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

In short (to reiterate), God seems to be telling us that, regardless of any actual affliction, a "Woe is me" reality will be the result of a "Woe is me" outlook on life. He's essentially given us the power to fashion our own lives; and that's before even mentioning that "life and death are in the power of the tongue." (Prov 18:21). Now that you and I know better, what we do with this power is up to us. I know it's going to take some serious adjustments to my mindset, and it may not be easy, but I plan to take God's advice spoken to the children of Israel when He set 'LIFE & good' vs 'DEATH & evil' before them (in Deuteronomy 30:15-20) for them to choose from: "...choose life".

Yes & amen

<3,

Kiwi

P.S - See below for the enlightening characteristics of all that a “feast” entails— a continual feast is certainly no small matter! By choosing sorrow over merriment, you forfeit tremendous potential for a heightened quality of life…Fest

  1. A gathering, event, or show having a specified focus

Feast

  1. An elaborate and usually abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment; banquet
  2. Something that gives unusual or abundant enjoyment; “a visual feast”
  3. Abundance, profusion

Festival

  1. Of, relating to, appropriate to, or set apart as a festival
  2. A time of celebration marked by special observances

Festive

  1. Of, relating to, or suitable for a feast or festival
  2. Joyful, gay

Festivity

  1. The quality or state of being festive; gaiety
  2. Festive activity