“A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil” (Proverbs 13:19).
A few years ago, the world of psychobabble added Oppositional Defiant Disorder to its lists of behavioral diagnoses. The behavior of an O. D. D. person is characterized by “a persistent pattern of disobedient, hostile, and disruptive behavior toward figures of authority.” Such petulant actions as frequently losing your temper; being easily angered, annoyed, or irritated; constantly arguing with authority figures; refusing to follow rules; deliberately annoying people; blaming others for accidents or bad behavior; and being spiteful, vindictive, or unkind will earn a person the label of being O. D. D.
As the proverb above makes clear, God is far more discerning and plain-spoken. Such an “O. D. D.” individual is a fool. His folly is compounded exponentially if he abominates the divine expectation to repent and depart from his evil behavior.
