Can I Say Vomit In Church?

A verse like this could make some Christians cringe. Vomit is so improper and dirty to have in the Bible. In our civilized society we like to say “they got sick”. Not vomit. We may be tempted to stick up our spiritual noses to such silly talk. Yet it must be important because it is not only in the Bible but it is also repeated in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:22). So what knowledge is the wise Solomon trying  to bestow upon us?

Anyone that has had a dog knows what this verse is talking about. My aunt had labs for years and they always went back to eat their vomit. We always would yell at them, snap our fingers and call their name to get them away from it. Our doberman, Jett would always go back to her vomit and sniff it. We would be right there yelling, “Ew! Get away!” No one likes getting sick. No one looks forward to it. And anyone that has ever had kids knows it's not pretty when they start upchucking their dinner. By now all this vomit talk is making some of you reading this feel sick themselves! So why in heaven's name would dogs act in such a way? Nothing about it is attractive. Why not a doggie treat or a bone? It seems so...foolish. (Hopefully this is the moment when a light bulb pops over your head.)

But here is a question to ask; does the dog know how foolish they are being? Do they realize how gross it is? Do they comprehend the grotesque nature of their actions? No they probably don’t. Or why else would they do it? And therein lies one of the wonderful lessons of this proverb. You don’t realize the folly you are making when repeating your foolishness. You are blind to your imbecility. Thomas Watson rightly put it when he said, “Satan never sets a dish before men that they do not love.” You are blind and lack perception of your own foolishness. Your heart lulls you into thinking how minor and miniscule it is. You are duped and lead into doing something gross, all the while thinking you are doing something wonderful! Instead of playing in the mud you think you're picking flowers. In fact you probably will read this verse and tell yourself “I would never be that foolish!”. Meanwhile, God and probably others around you are wondering why don’t you wake up and smell the roses instead of your own puke.

Does this make you a little uncomfortable? All this talk is just a little too gross to be talking about? Does all this sick talk appear sickening? Maybe a little too strong for your stomach (pun intended there)? Well good, it should. Because that is what your sin really looks like..vomit. Here is another lesson that God’s word is teaching us. Your foolish sin is like something that churns the stomach and stinks to boot. Your foolishness is a stench to the nostrils of God. It is rotten to the bone and kills your soul. God is trying to wake you up and make you see your foolishness for the disgusting thing that it is.

To illustrate this, look at the world around us. We constantly are making the same mistakes. Our society today is so foolish in repeating the same sins over and over again. We are so blind that we are not only committing tomfoolery but also cheering on those who do it. To put it quite bluntly, our actions are quite sickening.

“Oh but I am not as foolish as the world pastor.” Then you are blind to your own pride! Turn to the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom. Pray for the Lord to open the eyes of your heart to your foolishness. May we see our sin for the sickening thing it is. For many of us, the foolishness we keep repeating is the pride in thinking that we are not repeating any type folly. But praise be to God that our Lord responds with grace when we see our foolishness. Our eyes are opened, we see the filth and feel ashamed. And what does He do? Wash you clean with the blood of Christ. Turn to Christ and do not repeat your folly.