Day 1,084: Proverbs 26- Foolishness

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    so honor is not fitting for a fool.

2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
    a curse that is causeless does not alight.

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and a rod for the back of fools.

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

5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes.

6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

7 Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is one who gives honor to a fool.

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

10 Like an archer who wounds everyone
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.
 
11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool who repeats his folly.

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

13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”

14 As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.

15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven men who can answer sensibly.

17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
19 is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”

20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.

23 Like the glaze[b] covering an earthen vessel
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.

24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
25 when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
26 though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.
 
Meditation
The gospel frees us from foolish ways by focusing faith on Jesus, the Shepherd of our souls. Faith in Jesus moves us from foolishness to faithfulness, freedom from our worst ways to walking in newness of life.
 
Wisdom walks in God’s ways, weaving faith and fear of the Lord into the fabric of every feature of life. With vivid imagery, fools are associated with a person with lame legs, hanging useless (7). The first step to finding freedom from foolishness is realizing you are not going forward in God’s redemptive ways.
 
Fools like their folly, returning to folly as dogs return to their own vomit (11). There is something comfortable in the chaos a fool creates, destructive patterns that harm themselves and other people. Fools deserve no honor (1, 8), need discipline (3), and are unreasonable when you try to reason with them (4-5). Fools are untrustworthy (6), do not practice what they preach (9), and are not reliable (10). Fools are stuck in folly and will fracture where they engage, in company with sluggards (13-16) and making mischief in every moment of their life (17-28).
 
Peter uses this passage to diagnose the foolishness of false teachers in the early church (2 Peter 2:22), returning to folly and fracturing God’s design. In contrast, sheep bought with the blood of Christ do not return to folly or false teachings. Rather, believers “return to the Shepherd and overseer of our souls” (1 Peter 2:25) allowing His grace to free us from foolishness. The gospel frees us to walk in wisdom.
 
Richly Dwelling
-In a chapter rich with imagery, which description of a fool stands out to you the most?
 
-Do you feel stuck, finding folly being something too familiar in your life? Do you want to move forward to walk in wisdom, in a newness of life?
 
-As Peter encountered the grace and love of Jesus to move from the folly of rejecting Christ to freedom of walking in the gospel, so too believers have this opportunity. Where do you need to authentically engage Jesus to find freedom from your folly and foolishness? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
7 Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.