So far we’ve
seen that love is characterized by its kindness in various ways. It always seeks to act kindly to our
neighbors, family and brethren in all things.
The next points Paul brings up further that thought:
“doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;” (1Co 13:5)
What does it
mean to “behave…unseemly?” The word here
used is the Greek verb ἀσχημονέω (G807), which Thayer defined as “to act unbecomingly.” The same word is used at 1 Corinthians 7:36
by Paul in reference to conduct which might bring a “virgin” into disgrace
(Vine’s). Lexham’s Translation renders
it “it does not behave dishonorably,” Murdock’s translation as “doth
nothing that causeth shame” and the old Bishop’s Bible renders it as “Dealeth
not dishonestlie.”
What we get
out of this is that Paul was talking about conduct which goes well beyond “rude,”
the word used by many modern translations to translate this word. We’re talking about dishonest conduct, more
or less on the level of the Young man who goes around putting notches on his
belt by seducing the young ladies. It
goes without saying that the same goes the other way these days. It also includes being rude, but this is rudeness
beyond simple lack of social graces, it is deliberate. We think a word not heard often these days,
boorish, is another way to describe what this word is getting at.
That
naturally leads to the next thing love is not, selfish, the thought embodied in the archaic “seeketh not its own.” Do we always seek to put our own interests
first? Do we try to shove ourselves to
the head of the line, both figuratively and physically? Do we have to always come out ahead of others
in any exchange or dealings both personal or of a business nature? If so we need to see our motives for what
they are and work to replace them with love, which isn’t that way.
Something
else about love is that love isn’t provoked.”
The Noun form related to this verb is used of the argument Paul had with
Barnabas about taking John Mark with them on his missionary trip to Macedonia
(Acts 15:39). The argument was so sharp
that they parted ways, with Barnabas taking Mark with him to Cyprus, as the
verse states. So we understand the word
to mean a sharp incitement, as it is used in that sense in a healthy way by
Paul at Hebrews 10:24.
So do we get
mad if we don’t get what we want, or if others seem to slight us? Are we easily aroused to anger when others
push our buttons, trying to make us mad?
If we have love we’ll be known as somebody hard to arouse into an
argument, if ever. And then only when
righteous principles are involved much as what happened when Paul confronted
brethren spreading false teachings in Antioch (Acts 15). But as a rule if we have love in large
measure we won’t be easily provoked into arguments.
We finally
reach the last point we plan on covering in this post, “taketh not account of
evil.” Paul, here, is using a business
expression to make his point, which is that love isn’t resentful of the harm
others may do to us. The Greek means to
tally up, or to keep count of harm done to ones self by those around him or
her. Such a person doesn’t forgive
liberally, or not recognize the wrong as worthy of note in the first place.
A person
rich in love will not keep a memory of the sins, or “evil” committed against
them in their hearts and even under certain circumstances may ignore them
altogether. They’ll liberally forgive
the small sins committed against them by family, friends, brethren, and
neighbors which happen on a daily basis because they realize that more often
than not they simply happen because of natural sin. Given the use of the word, “evil,” they’ll
even go the extra mile and not keep dredging up in their hearts some serious
sins committed against them. It will be
as if they never happened. The word used
here goes beyond the garden variety of bad, but stops short at the really gross
and extreme. There is a different Greek
word for that.
So now we’ve
seen some more of the things love isn’t, in the next post we will see the last
thing it isn’t, and some of what those rich in love do.
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