September 30, Proverbs 26
Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
- Proverbs 26:7
Chapter 25 began with a statement that said Hezekiah's men collected these sayings of Solomon. Chapter 26 suggests that they organized their collection into categories. There are three big categories of topics here that Solomon addressed in earlier proverbs-- the fool, the sluggard and the tongue.
Remember the "fool" in Proverbs is not someone who is morally deficient, not mentally deficient. He is set in stubborn rebellion against God. It's not that he hasn't heard; it's that he hasn't heeded. "Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools" (verse 7). He has heard the words of wise counsel. He may even be able to quote them. But they are as useless to him as a lame man's legs.
The sluggard or slacker is a lazy person who will not exert himself, even for his own good. Any excuse will do to avoid work (verse 13). The extent of his effort is rolling over in his bed (verse 14). He's so lazy he won't even feed himself (verse 15). He will not listen to encouragement to get up and get busy (verse 16). His life is a waste — wasted time, wasted opportunity, wasted ability. We would do anything we could to help a person who cannot not do for himself. But it's a different matter with someone who will not do what he very well could.
The last section of the chapter is about sins of the tongue. Can we find help here to identify and overcome some speech habits that are all too common? I love the wise guidance of verse 17: "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears." I haven't always followed the advice, and I've been bitten a few times. How about you?
We understand how cruel it is to tease or deceive someone and then claim it was "just a joke" when we're the victim. Do we understand it as well when we are the perpetrator? Bullies who torment vulnerable peers still use the "joking" defense when they are confronted about their cruelty.
Verses 19-22 capture the essence of gossip in two compelling images. Gossip is a destructive fire, fueled by those who spread it and those who will listen to it. Gossip is also like like tasty junk food. The whispered tale and the sugary sweets appeal to our flesh, but both do deep and lasting harm inside us. I think this explains why the gossip-filled tabloids are displayed right beside the candy in the checkout lines at the grocery store.
The last few verses deal with flattering and deceptive speech. Sweet words can be camouflage to hide hateful, evil intentions. Verse 27 warns about the danger of such ruses backfiring: "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling." Remember how many times Wile E. Coyote was blown up or run over by his own traps he’d set for Road Runner? Our deceptive speech will eventually do the same to us.
These verses touch places deep inside our hearts and lives. Perhaps one of them made you uncomfortable as you read and thought about these proverbs. Which of them was most convicting to you? Is it hard-hearted, stubborn rejection of what you know to be God's will about some part of your life? Are we wasting our lives by being lazy? Do I still struggle with taming an unruly tongue? Let's not be fools. Let's think carefully and respond with joyful obedience to God's wise counsel.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—September 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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