Chris told a joke about Jada, Will slapped Chris. The whole thing is scandalous. Neither of them was on their best behavior that night. Social media erupted with memes and pithy comments, even Universal Studios took a jab through their official Twitter account. This incident happened in public, was even televised, so it makes sense that people would talk about it afterward. However, be careful that another person’s drama does not become yours.
Proverbs 26:17 says, “Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.” Taking a dog by the ears typically angers the dog and results in personal injury. Solomon, in the Proverbs, is telling us not to “meddle” in arguments, fights, and conflicts in which we are not already embroiled. The word “meddle” is an interesting one. It means, “to show oneself angry, become excited, or flare-up.”
Online culture rewards with attention those who flare up quickly and repeatedly at others’ conflicts. Twitter is regularly filled with extreme responses to events that do not involve the one reacting to them. This business between Will Smith and Chris Rock is just the latest in a long line of dog ears the public is grabbing.
This is strife that does not belong to me. Those men and those directly connected to them have some problems to work out, and I have the troubles of my own day to work out in a godly fashion (Matt. 6:34). While you may be rewarded with some attention for shouting your snap judgment more quickly than others, Proverbs says that kind of behavior is unwise and harmful to you. Additionally, Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” If you must speak, speak words that bring healing to those who hear them.