The Kisses You Do Not Want Series

(A Poem)

Oh, innocent victims of Cupid,

Remember this terse little verse

To let a fool kiss you is stupid

But to let a kiss fool you is worse.

(Readers Digest 2/77 p.103)

As I noted a couple of weeks ago, the Bible is just filled with kissing. They did a whole lot more kissing back then than we do now in our society - and kissing in that day indicated that a person LIKED you.

But back then there are certain kisses that you wouldn’t have wanted.

For example:

There are the kisses of people who would like to take advantage of you.

Back in the book of Genesis we read about the time when Jacob (who later became “Israel”) ran away from home. He’d lied to his brother and his life was in danger. So he traveled to his uncle’s house to find shelter there. His uncle Laban greeted him with a kiss. But it wasn’t a kiss of affection or love for a relative. It was the kiss of a man who knew he’d found a patsy. Laban saw in Jacob someone he could take advantage of… so he did.

And then, in Proverbs, we’re told of the kisses of the adulteress.

Proverbs 7 tells about such a woman catching the attention of a young man, and “She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:

"… I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.” Proverbs 7:13-19

She’s not a very nice person… but she knows how to kiss.

So the young man goes with her.

The writer of Proverbs tells us “Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.” Proverbs 7:25-27

So, there are the kisses of those who’d take advantage of you, and the kisses of adulteresses. But then there are the kisses of people who don’t like you.

In II Samuel 20, we’re told that there was a man who led a rebellion against King David. The general of the rebellious leader was a man named Amasa… who was apparently related to the general of David’s army – a man named Joab. When Joab met Amasa out in an open field, Joab pretended to be a friend of Amasa. “Then he took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.” II Sam. 20:9

AND… he took out his dagger and stabbed him to death.

And, of course, there was the most famous kiss of all… that which Judas used to betray Christ. Matthew 26:48-50 tells us “Now the betrayer (Judas) had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him."

Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.”

Our text this morning says this:

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Proverbs 27:6

This kind of enemy doesn’t just kiss you… he MULTIPLIES his kisses.

Now, in our day, people don’t kiss each other as much as they did back then. Back then an enemy would have kissed you to deceive you into believing that he actually liked you. That he he was your friend. That he wanted to help you.

Of course… he doesn’t. But he’d like you to think that.

One man observed: "Flatterers look like friends in the same way wolves look like dogs” (George Chapman)

It’s like our poem said at the beginning:

To let a fool kiss you is stupid

But to let a KISS fool you is worse

Back in Bible times enemies would kiss you - to fool you.

But nowadays, if an enemy started kissing on me I wouldn’t be fooled.

(Pause) I’d get weirded out, but I wouldn’t be fooled.

In our culture men don’t kiss on each other.

To have an enemy kissing on you today wouldn’t get the job done.

It won’t work today like it did back then.

So, if that’s true… how would an enemy succeed in fooling you and I now?

ILLUS: When I was a young man I took a girl to the county fair and as we were walking along the midway, one of the barkers who ran a game on the strip started complimenting me in front of this girl… and he kind of challenged my manhood.