I have been preaching regularly at Tippecanoe Church in Bourbon, Indiana where I have been presenting the subject of “Behaving Ourselves in the House of God”. Last night, I departed from that subject to examine Proverbs chapter 26. As I have read that chapter in the past, it always appeared to me to be several random statements concerning fools. As I’ve taken a closer look and studied out the chapter, I realized how much each part has to do with the others. It is not nearly as random as I once thought.

The Bible uses the fool in contrast to the wise man in many places. For example, Jesus compared the two in His “sermon on the mount”:

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

In this example, the wise man is one who not only hears the truth but follows it. The fool, on the other hand, hears the truth but fails to follow it. Keep that in mind as we read through Proverbs 26.

Proverbs 26:1
As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.

If the snow was to fall during summer (the time for raising crops) or the rain to fall during harvest, it would be much more than a strange occurrence. It would be devastating! This fate is the same for a people that has given “honour” to a fool. How do we give honour to a fool? Well, we could either put him in a position of power or perhaps we do nothing more than follow him, treating him as a leader. Perhaps we see him building his house on the sand and, in turn, build our houses on the sand, believing he is a wise man.

This is not uncommon in our churches. We often develop factions of people, one group believing one way is right, while the other group believes the contrary.

Proverbs 26:16
The sluggard [is] wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

I do not believe Solomon has changed the subject away from the fool. The fool, if we read the chapter in its entirety, is also known as or becomes the sluggard. Notice the fool here is wise based on his own conceit. It is not that he is actually wiser than the seven other men, but he believes himself to be. Yet, it is the seven other men who can “render a reason” for what they believe. In other words, the seven have studied and come to an understanding of truth based on God-given wisdom. The fool, or sluggard as it is here, does not have a concrete reason.

Imagine the wise man and fool both building houses. The fool says, “I’m going to build my house on the sand so I will have a nice view of the beach when I look out my window.” People listen to his reasoning and agree. That sounds like a good idea. The wise man says, “I’ll build my build my house on the rock because it will be a much firmer foundation and the structure will be able to stand against the elements of weather.” While the fool makes an appealing case for doing his foolish thing, it not practical or based on good truth. Obviously, considering verse 1, it would not be wise to put our trust in the fool for honour is not seemly for a fool.

Proverbs 26:2
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

Continuing to use the example of the house-builders, what will often happen is the fool will begin making accusations and negative statements concerning the wise man and his conduct. Reason is on the wise man’s side so the fool will lower himself to criticism of the wise man. Think of this in the world of politics. If the Republicans stand against the Democrats in Congress as the Democrats are trying to get a bill passed, Democrats will often resort to name-calling and publicly criticize the Republicans for standing in the way of progress. Well, that “curse” is causeless and flies right over the head of the wise man being accused just as the bird wanders or the sparrow flies. God is not going to curse the wise for doing wise things just because the fool believes they should be cursed.

Proverbs 26:6-9
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage. The legs of the lame are not equal: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools. As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so [is] he that giveth honour to a fool. [As] a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.

As I’ve already stated, the fool cannot be given honour. He can also not be trusted even to do the simplest tasks. He is a fool who does foolish things which causes himself and others harm. Even the truth or a “parable” in the mouth of a fool is foolishness. The fool could use even scripture to make his case for building his house on sand, but at the same time he may use that scripture out of context. I have read speeches of Adolph Hitler where he quotes the Bible.

Have you ever noticed that fools never want to be alone? I can remember in my past as I lived a worldly life where I felt more comfortable with those like me rather than those in the church. In fact, I would even try to “convert” some of my friends to be more like me. Fools invented peer-pressure. In the text above, Solomon again warns not to follow the fool or give him honour. He’ll bind a stone in the sling which defeats the purpose of the sling. He’ll hurt himself like a drunk man carrying a sharp object.

Proverbs 26:10
The great [God] that formed all [things] both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

Obviously, it is not our desire in the church to see our sometimes foolish brothers and sisters be foolish and receive the “reward” of a fool. It is not a pleasant reward. The reward is ultimately that thorn piercing the hand.

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly.

What is even worse, the fool, even though he has pierced his hand and hurt himself through his foolishness, will continue to return to it. Perhaps he built his house on sand, it fell over, and he builds it again in the same place. We can understand better why Solomon said what he had said previously:

Proverbs 26:3
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

Fools need correction. They need their errors pointed out to them. Not only should the wise man be careful not to follow the fool, but who else, if not him, will be there to show the fool the right way. But speaking to a fool for the purpose of correction takes tact.

Proverbs 26:4-5
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Here we have the wise man confronting the fool who is in error. He tells him, “Brother, you cannot keep building your house on sand. It is not reasonable and the Bible says you should build it on rock.” The fool responds, “You don’t get it, do you? Have you seen the view I have out my window? The sand is gorgeous. Plus, I don’t think you should take the Bible so literally there.” What is the wise man to say? Well, he not to answer in a foolish way. He must conduct himself without anger, without pride, and with truthful reasoning. He must be careful in his response but he cannot allow the fool to continue to go on without correction.

Proverbs 26:12
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? [there is] more hope of a fool than of him.

After his correction, the fool may choose one of two paths. He could admit that he was being foolish or he could deny it and continue to be foolish. Solomon says plainly here that it is better to just admit you’re a fool and change than to continue in pretending you are wise. Why? Notice the path often taken by the denying fool.

Proverbs 26:13
The slothful [man] saith, [There is] a lion in the way; a lion [is] in the streets.

Remember, the fool has no good reason for what he does. So, after his foolishness has been pointed out and if he refuses to correct the problem, he will ultimately create excuses. He is slothful because there is a good labor or business to tend to but he still refuses to change and do it. He says he can’t because there is a lion in the way. If that sounds like a poor excuse, well, there is no such thing as a good excuse.

Keep in mind that foolishness is not always born out of ill-intentions. Sometimes we do foolish things with sincere motivations. Foolish is simply defined by not doing what the Word of God tells us to do. It may make more sense to us to do it another way, but we must follow the Bible. For instance, it may have been that Peter was showing great humility when he refused to let Christ wash his feet, but Christ rebuked him sharply for it. The Lord wanted his feet to get washed and it was not Peter’s place to question it, regardless of his sincerity. He was being a fool. If only we could like Peter in that story (John 13) or as Proverbs 26:12 says and admit our foolishness and change. Since we do not always do that, Solomon continues…

Proverbs 26:14
[As] the door turneth upon his hinges, so [doth] the slothful upon his bed.

The fool remains slothful and stays in bed. But notice the restlessness. He tosses and turns.

Proverbs 26:15
The slothful hideth his hand in [his] bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

He hides his hand rather than using it for good works as he should and his restlessness proves to be for legitimate reason. He eventually finds himself hungering as the man who earlier in Proverbs refused to put his hand to the plow and found himself without food come harvest time.

Proverbs 26:17
He that passeth by, [and] meddleth with strife [belonging] not to him, [is like] one that taketh a dog by the ears.

The fool, not concerned with fixing his own errors, is more likely to cause problems elsewhere or point out errors in others to keep the attention off of him. Notice how he is passing by an issue not belonging to him and begins to meddle. He hurts himself further than we’ve already read because this is like taking a dog by the ears. How far do you think you’d get before you get bit by the dog?

Proverbs 26:18-19
As a mad [man] who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

What if your neighbor was across the fence shooting flaming arrows at you? As they rain down around you, you shout, “What in the world are you doing?! You could kill me.” The neighbor responds, “I’m just joking. I’m just playing around.” How crazy does that sound?

When we begin to meddle in the affairs of others and involve ourselves in gossip, we are shooting those flaming others at our brothers and sisters in the church. What is even worse though is that we make excuses for why we are doing it. Have you ever gossiped about someone before and said, “I know I’m gossiping but I just had to get that off my chest.” You might as well say, “Am not I in sport?” There’s no excuse for it.

Proverbs 26:20-22
Where no wood is, [there] the fire goeth out: so where [there is] no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. [As] coals [are] to burning coals, and wood to fire; so [is] a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

The honest truth about most of our problems within our churches is that they are the result of gossip. We never talk to those who offend us. We act as cowards and talk to everyone else. Why? Well, if you can get someone else to be offended by them then you’re no longer that lonely fool. You gain for yourself “honour”. It is the gossip that acts as a fuel to the fire and hurts us all deeply.

Proverbs 26:23
Burning lips and a wicked heart [are like] a potsherd covered with silver dross.

Even when our tales and gossip seem to serve a good purpose, they do not. A potsherd, which is made of dirt, can look like valuable silver from a distance, but it is still worthless. Before we ever say a word to anyone about someone else, we should always ask ourselves, “Would I say this if that person were standing here?” If the answer is “no”, then don’t even say it.

Proverbs 26:24-26
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for [there are] seven abominations in his heart. [Whose] hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the [whole] congregation.

Gossip and lies are a form of hate speech whether we’d like to think so or not. We may “speak fair” at times and try to minimize the damage of our gossiping, but the truth has a way of revealing itself anyway. Your gossiping will be found out eventually.

Proverbs 26:27
Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

When the fool gossips, he is trying to hurt someone. Going back to the original example, the fool wants to make everyone else turn against the wise man by being critical of him behind his back. What the fool fails to realize is that his cursing will fly right over the wise man (verse 2). Just as the bird may fly for a time, it eventually returns to the nest from which it came. The fool may try to damage the wise man, but in the process he becomes Wile E. Coyote. Perhaps he rolls a stone up the hill to push it over the cliff in order for it to land on the roadrunner, but instead, it rolls back onto him. He is the one who is damaged by the traps he sets.

Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hateth [those that are] afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

How many of you are now thinking about the people who you think should read this? Keep in mind that everybody plays the fool sometimes. There’s no exception to the rule. Wait, that sounds familiar.

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Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I was thinking about that song this whole time.

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