Honor Does Not Fit a Fool

Proverbs 26:1-16

1 As snow in summer and rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a fool.

2 Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
So a curse without cause shall not alight.

3 A whip for the horse,
A bridle for the donkey,
And a rod for the fool's back.

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

6 He who sends a message by the hand of a fool
Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

7 Like the legs of the lame that hang limp
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 Like one who binds a stone in a sling
Is he who gives honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard
Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

10 The great God who formed everything
Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.

11 As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly.

12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The lazy man says, "There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the streets!"
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy man on his bed.
15 The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Honor is no more fitting to he foolish than a snowstorm in summer.  The example of a purposeless curse on someone who by like a bird makes us think of undeserved curses not lighting on those not foolish, like the inability of Balaam to curse God’s people in Numbers 23:8.  The foolish think the wise deserve the curse, but God let’s it fly past them.  Just as horses need a whip to get them moving and donkeys need a bridle to guide them, so the fools need harsh correction at times to move and guide them from their foolhardy ways.  When we are told not to answer a fool in the same foolish manner he acts and speaks, then are told to give him an answer so he does not think himself to be wise, the two verses appear contradictory bit are really complementary.  On the one hand, verses 5 and 6 mean “avoid the temptation to stoop to his level”; that is do not use his methods, “Otherwise you . . . will be like him.” On the other hand, they mean to “avoid the temptation to ignore him altogether”; to respond in some way, or else he will become wise in his own eyes and his folly will get worse.  Honoring a fool does him no good, nor is it good for us to become the same in dealing with the foolishness.  Let us honor God in knowledge, understanding, and applied wisdom instead.  We do not send messages in the hands of a fool nor listen to proverbs from their lips which truly are lame, nor do we honor such because it is like tying a stone in a slingshot and have it go nowhere without the wisdom on proper use and truth.  That is like the current reliance on foolishness emanating daily from social media and sensational news headlines in our current day.  We dare not trust those foolish and empty bits of misinformation and misleading arguments against God’s truth of the scriptures.  There are many lessons to learn here!  The supposedly wise utterances of foolishness are no more felt by the speakers than a drunk man feels pain, yet God shines mercy on the fool and the wise just like on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45).  The foolish one is oblivious to the truth and cannot even feel it.  Yes, the fool even continues to repeat the same mistakes as a dog immediately eats the same food he vomits up - this is a proverbial warning to not foolishly call on Christ and then turn back to sin (2 Peter 2:21-22).  Not only that, but if we proudly consider ourselves to be wise as we judge the fool, we have less Hope than the fool who does not do so.  Humility is required in us and forbearance for fools instead of judgment; it is God who judges both.  Along with this pride is the laziness of those proud wise ones in their own estimation who believe they are so much smarter than those with sensible answers according to God’s word.  Beware the lazy man who stirs up fear and yet does little or nothing to help himself.  Listen to sense and not the conspiracies of foolishness.  This sense is found in a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) of those secure in Christ and His word in all its truth and principles for understanding and living.  May we listen to sound teaching and understanding from God’s word to avoid the foolishness.