Proverbs 26 DISQUALIFIED Not every intelligent person is smart. There are those who are mentally qualified, who should be able to live normal and productive lives. But by lacking parental training or having gotten away with things that were wrong or inappropriate so often and never been caught, they grow up thinking they can “work the system.” Such people may have brains to use but they don’t use them; strong bodies but they don’t do anything with them; intellectual capacities but they are dormant. They become a problem to themselves and all who are around them. It is in that context this chapter of Proverbs deals with fools, unlike leaders in the previous chapter.
To give honor where honor is not due is both deceptive and misleading. Some things don’t go together. Those who excel are given places of honor. Fools in the place of honor are an embarrassment to those who put them there, and the fool is misled into something that can bring damage to himself and dishonor to others. A curse on an innocent person doesn’t have any real effect. Some superstitious people pronounce curses on others in order to seek to control them. It is really a form of blackmail, especially when it is laid on simple people. God knows what is undeserved and so those curses are meaningless. Some people are like animals. They will not pay attention when spoken to by words. Like a whip used to make a horse move faster or a bridle to control the movements of a donkey, a fool will need a rod on the back to get his attention. A physical blow will get him out of bed in the morning, get him moving when he is sulky and correct his lazy and arrogant behavior.
Don’t demean yourself by answering a fool when he will not listen to common sense, let alone real wisdom. Remain in control of a situation by calmness and courtesy, but ignore stupidity. When the fool needs to be rebuked and corrected because he thinks he wise, give a pointed and clear reply that will expose, and perhaps, correct his foolishness. Don’t ever have a fool represent you personally or in your business. Don’t let him use your name to identify himself with you. What he is, and does, will be applied to you, and your reputation will suffer. What you had hoped to be a help to you will bring you harm. A fool is not smart enough to get the wisdom needed to apply a saying or proverb right. They will quote something really useless and senseless, and inappropriate. Those who want to gain wisdom will be able to understand what is meant and how to apply it to a given situation.
To give authority, or even responsibility to a fool is not going to accomplish anything and will likely come back and hurt you. You may think if you give him a chance, he will become loyal and productive in some way, but the truth is, that action will not help the fool. It is not right nor fair to give a fool something that he is not able or willing to do. Fools who quote scriptures and proverbs hurt themselves as much as those they are attacking. It is always wise to consider the source when a point is being tried to be made. As a lesson to myself, I must make sure I pay attention to what I say to others and what I ask them to do. To give responsibility to just anyone who is around: strangers, lazy people, those who I am not sure they can handle what I ask, is not wise. Wisdom from God is how we make right decisions as to who to hire, because He knows all there is to know about them.
Fools don’t learn from their mistakes. Wise people do. For some self-centered reason, fools will not change their behavior and their attitude. Some people profess to be Christians, but they go back to doing what they always did. They are self-deceived fools. There really are some people who are so conceited and arrogant, they think they have wisdom and it will die with them. In their mind “no one is as smart as me.” There is more hope for a real fool to change, than for that kind of person. A lazy man is a fool. He makes silly excuses for not taking responsibility for himself and those to whom he is obligated. He rolls from side to side in bed because he is too lazy to get up. He wants to do less than the little he does. He is so lazy that he wants breakfast in bread and then someone to feed it to him because it takes to much effort to lift the fork to his mouth.
A fool thinks he is wise because he can get people to do for him what he won’t do for himself. Even though seven sensible people try to talk sense into him, he thinks he is smarter that they are. Do not interfere with disagreements other people have unless you are asked. To “stick your nose in where you have no business,” is going to come back and bite the one who meddles. Once you have a wild dog by the ears, you are stuck. If you let go, he will bite you. Foolishness and foolish talking and joking, does damage. Once you say something bad, it is out in the open and the consequences are dangerous and harmful. If we can’t trust what a person says, it is hard to trust that person with anything. When some tasty piece of gossip comes to your ears, refuse to accept it or discuss it. Even if it upsets you, stop the innuendo and talebearing by not paying any attention to it or the person telling it.
The man who is a troublemaker wants to create strife and tries to keep it going like a hot fire. Avoid that man like the plague. Both gossip and strife have to be stopped or it will get to the place it will never be forgotten. When it comes to your ears, make it plain to the gossiper that you will not listen to it, nor will you speak of it – and walk away. Words coated like silver on dirt to make it look good, or that sound sticky sweet like honey, are a great danger to one who listens to them. Don’t take flattery seriously. Deception has many attractive coverings, but it is still deception. Flattering words of deception have the hatred of an enemy behind them. Don’t believe a word they say. Charming speech has behind it all kinds of evil intent. Those who speak like that have planned and carefully thought through the plan to defeat or bring down another person. Those who speak like that are not to be trusted and underneath are wicked. Such a person may be able to fool some of the people, some of the time, but not all the people all of the time. He will be exposed for what he really is. God will do what is needed to expose his guilt.
The trouble people try to bring on others will backfire on them. Whatever the intent a person has against another to want to trap them like an animal, that person needs to consider, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” He will reap what he sows, and more than he sowed. The reason people lie about others is because of hatred in their heart that is set on fire from hell. Flattering words have as the intention the ruin of someone. That kind of ruin is what a fool can expect in the end.