Divide and Conquer (Proverbs 28:25)

Proverbs 28:25 says, "He that is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he that puts his trust in the Lord shall be made fat."

This is one of three scriptures in Proverbs that talk about what "stirs up strife", (15:18; 28:25; 29:22), but before dealing with the origins of strife, it's important to understand, according to the scriptures, what strife is.

STRIFE - This is an interesting Hebrew word, that has very vivid imagery, that conveys an accurate picture  of  what God calls "strife".

PART 1: TO JUDGE

The root of this word is derived from the word meaning "to judge". This root is not a negative or a positive word, but simply refers to the act of rendering a decision, positive or negative, based on the facts that are presented, in a court of law, or more specifically, before the king. In this case, it could result in the punishment of the wicked, based on the facts, or delivering the poor from oppressive people or circumstances, based on the facts presented.

Strife, from this root meaning, is the rendering of a "judgement", based on what is perceived as factual, to a group or individual, and because of what is perceived as factual, they build a case against other individuals. This "judgement", is a negative verdict, often resulting from a sense of being "short changed" by people or circumstances. They believe that they did not get their "fair share" out of the relationship and therefore take actions, or begin acting out, to obtain the inequity they have not received.

The basis of this "judgement" is not necessarily  in any real facts, but what is perceived as factual. The whole implication of this word, is that it divides individuals or groups of people from one another, because a "decision" [judgment] has been reached by one of the parties, in the relationship, that puts the two parties on opposite sides in this figurative courtroom of judgment.

PART 2: MIDIANITE

The second aspect of this word, is that the pronunciation, in Hebrew,  is  that of the  word rendered, in English, as "Midianite". To better explain this, the word became a slang word, not just to describe a people group, [i.e., the Midianites], but a certain type of person, typified by the actions of the actual Midianite people. This is much the same as, the term "Sodomite", which, in Biblical usage,  came to mean someone who practiced homosexuality, just as the original people of Sodom and Gomorrah did.

The Midianites were the group of people who saw that they could not defeat Israel through their military strength, so they hired Balaam to curse the Israelites.(Numbers 22-24) When this practice failed, Balaam gave Balak advice on what to do to save his people from being destroyed. The plan was quite simple, if you can't defeat them from without, defeat them from within. (Numbers 25).

The Midianite women began to  entice the men, to have sex with them, which also involved the worship of their gods. It was not just the children of Israel, but the leaders of Israel that were targeted. The result of this campaign, was that Israel did become cursed, and divided in their camp, because the sexual unity also created a spiritual commitment to  false  gods.

Therefore, one who sows strife, is one who is a "Midianite" or one who divides people or individuals from one another, for their own personal agenda.

The fact that this word is rooted in "judgment", means that for us, to keep from entering into strife, we need to avoid 'building a case in our minds' against others, because we don't ever have all the facts, and the resulting division that can be created, destroys a lot of healthy relationships. 

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours.