CHAPTER 26

(700 B.C.)

THE ARGUMENTS OF A FOOL

¹As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool. (To be blunt, the Lord labels as fools all those who do not know and abide by His Word.)

²As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. (There is a cause, and it is the failure to know and abide by the Word.)

³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fools back. (Because of the repeated breaking of Gods Laws, the fool always finds himself in difficult straits.)

⁴Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like unto him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. (Verse 5 seems, at first sight, to be antagonistic to the purport of the preceding Verse, but it is not really so. In this case, the words, according to his folly, mean as his folly deserves. In other words, he is to be exposed and shamed, which will hopefully bring him to a better mind. This is to be done lest he be wise in his own conceit.)

⁶He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off the feet, and drinks damage. (He who transacts business by the hand of a fool is like the man who cuts off his own feet; he renders himself helpless.)

⁷The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. (This means that a fool affecting Wisdom is as manifestly absurd as a lame man affecting a graceful manner of walking.)

⁸As he who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honour to a fool. (Once again, the fool is the person who does not believe in, nor abide by, the Word of God. Regrettably, the world is full of this kind, and always has been. This is the reason for all the heartache in the world presently, and always has been.)

⁹As a thorn goes up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. (A drunkard, in his inebriation, is insensitive to a thorn that pricks his hand; likewise, a fool has absolutely no idea of the true worth of the knowledge of the Bible.)

¹⁰The great God Who formed all things both rewards the fool, and rewards transgressors. (The word for God in this Verse is rab, and may mean either the great God or a great man. It probably refers to man instead of God, and means this:

A master craftsman makes or forms all things well, but he who hires a fool hires a transgressor who will spoil the work.)

¹¹As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. (Peter referred to this Proverb by using it in reference to backsliders who go back into sin [II Pet. 2:22]. This shows that Peter was a student of the Proverbs.)

¹²Seest you a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. (In these Passages, the only one whom God puts on a lower level than a fool is a conceited fool. This is a lesson on self-conceit, self-importance, and self-exaltation. Such is the opposite of Christlikeness.)

¹³The slothful man says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. (This Proverb is very similar to 22:13. The idea is that a lazy man will use any excuse, no matter how preposterous, to keep from having to work.)

¹⁴As the door turns upon his hinges, so does the slothful upon his bed. (A door always turns in the same place, and a sluggard moves about but never advances; he suggests any excuse for inactivity.)

¹⁵The slothful hides his hand in his bosom; it grieves him to bring it again to his mouth. (The meaning is that the lazy man hides his hand in his bosom and is too lazy to take it out, dip into the dish, and put food into his mouth. Paul addressed this [II Thess. 3:10].)

¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. (Someone has said that lack of knowledge is when you dont know. Ignorance is when you dont know that you dont know.

The slothful are ignorant.)

¹⁷He who passes by, and meddles with strife belonging not to him, is like one who takes a dog by the ears. (Some dogs, when held up by the ears, will become very angry and, when let go, will turn on the one doing so to them.)

¹⁸As a mad man who casts firebrands, arrows, and death,

¹⁹So is the man who deceives his neighbour, and says, Am not I in sport? (This pertains to a hypocritical and affected interest in a neighbors business, and in meddling in his affairs. Such a one is pretending to help, but is, in fact, deceiving the neighbor.)

²⁰Where no wood is, there the fire goes out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases. (A fire cannot be kept going without fuel.)

²¹As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. (A talebearer is a contentious man [or woman]. Such kindles [stirs] strife.)

²²The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (When the tale receiver hears the words of the talebearer, they at first taste like delicious morsels; however, soon he will find that these very words will cause a spiritual sickness in his innermost being.)

²³Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. (This Proverb speaks of hypocrisy. Even though a broken piece of pottery may have a thin silver covering, still, it is worthless, and it will soon reveal itself to be so.)

²⁴He who hates dissembles with his lips, and lays up deceit within him (as well, this also describes a hypocrite; the word dissembles means to hide under a false appearance; such a person is saying things with his mouth that he does not mean within his heart; while his lips proclaim blessing, his heart is devising wickedness [deceit]);

²⁵When he speaks fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. (It doesnt matter how fair [well] that this hypocrite speaks, his heart is wicked. As well, the Lord uses the number seven, which speaks of totality and completeness, i.e., complete wickedness.)

²⁶Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation. (Hatred drives this individual, and is the fuel for his hypocrisy. Why the hatred? Men hate because of alleged wrongdoing carried out against them, because of jealousy, envy, or for any variety of evil reasons. True Believers must forget what others have done to them and turn it over to the Lord.)

²⁷Whoso digs a pit shall fall therein: and he who rolls a stone, it will return upon him. (This Proverb points to Jacob, who deceived with a kid of the goats, and was deceived by a kid of the goats; to David, who slew with the sword, and mourned his son slain by the sword. Every Christian should heed well these words: it will return upon him.)

²⁸A lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth works ruin. (This is a Law of God. Liars hate their victims, as robbers hate their victims. Only in Christ can this Law be broken.

The injured forgive, but the injurer, never.)