WATCH THE WINKER

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. 10:10

Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil. 16:30

Proverbs 10:10, 16:30

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

NOTE: From Proverbs, Chapter 10 through Chapter 22:16, Solomon writes a series of individual proverbs for us to consider. I will try and group similar proverbs in my devotions as I cover what Solomon wrote over these chapters.

Did you know that winking can be sinful?

I had never even thought of it until I reached the two proverbs in our devotion today but the more I think about it, Solomon is right.

Now before we place Solomon in the “no-fun” league, we should look carefully at what he’s saying. For when it comes to the wink, it’s all about its intent.

Look at the words Solomon uses with winking:

Whoever winks maliciously causes grief. Proverbs 10:10

One who acts with malicious motives seeks to cause harm to someone and any attempt to deceive someone or draw someone into sin fits that category. The one who winks in malice is up to something and the wink is just a tool to manifest the evil that is in the heart of the winker. Sometimes, this wink is seductive in nature, looking to draw another into perversity.

Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity. Proverbs 16:30

Again, it’s not the wink itself that is bad. It’s the underlying reason why the person is winking. A man or woman out at a bar and seeking sex may use the wink to draw someone in. They look to have sex outside of a marital relationship (or even in some cases while they’re already married to someone else) and the wink is an effective means to relay attraction to another.

Consider this famous skit from the English comedy troupe, Monty Python:

Man: Evening, squire!

Squire: (stiffly) Good evening.

Man: Is, uh,...Is your wife a goer, eh? Know whatahmean, know whatahmean, nudge nudge, know whatahmean, say no more?

Squire: I, uh, I beg your pardon?

Man: Your, uh, your wife, does she go, eh, does she go, eh?

Squire: (flustered) Well, she sometimes 'goes', yes.

Man: Aaaaaaaah bet she does, I bet she does, say no more, say no more, know whatahmean, nudge nudge?

Squire: (confused) I'm afraid I don't quite follow you.

Man: Follow me. Follow me. That's good, that's good! A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat!

Squire: Are you, uh,...are you selling something?

Man: SELLING! Very good, very good! Ay? Ay? Ay? (pause) Oooh! Ya wicked Ay! Wicked Ay! Oooh hooh! Say No MORE!

Squire: Well, I, uh....

Man: Is, your uh, is your wife a sport, ay?

Squire: Um, she likes sport, yes!

Man: I bet she does, I bet she does!

Squire: As a matter of fact she's very fond of cricket.

Man: 'Oo isn't? Likes games, eh? Knew she would. Likes games, eh? Is your uh, is your wife interested in....photography, ay? 'Photographs, ay'?  

Squire: Photography?

Man: Snap snap, grin grin, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more?

Squire: Holiday snaps, eh?

Man: They could be, they could be taken on holiday. Candid, you know, CANDID photography?

Note the man’s intent in his conversation with the squire. He’s looking to turn the conversation into a discussion about sex and specifically the squire’s wife. As he’s asking the probing questions grounded in perverse motivation, he throws in the wink to include saying that a “nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat”. In other words, when a person is ready to receive someone’s advances (in the case of the skit, the squire giving into the man’s probing into his sex life), then it doesn’t matter if one uses a wink or a nod because the receiver will accept either one.

So what are we to take from these words of God today?

There are two things, I believe.

First, be conscious of how you use the wink and think before you do it. If your wink has any form of malice or perversity behind it then refrain from it. Better yet, deny the sinfulness that Satan is trying to manifest in your heart and seek the Lord’s guidance instead. He will never lead you into maliciousness.

The second takeaway is this. Watch the winker. In other words, think about why someone is winking at you. If there is malicious or perverse intent, then do not partner with the other. A wink can draw us in to be willing partners in sinful behavior but we have a choice. We can decide to not be in harmony with anyone who behaves in this manner and we should because looking at the scriptures again, we find the winker associated with ruin and evil, two things we should want to flee from.

God’s word here is clear and concise. And as it does so often, it makes us think about the things of life that we might not think about – like the wink.

How are you using it? How are you responding to it?

Amen. 

In Christ,

Mark

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