Proverbs 26:6-10

 

Prov 26:6 (KJB)

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

 

Damage - Violence or wrong

 

If a person hires a faithful messenger as we saw previously, they refresh the heart of their masters because the job was done correctly. Here we have a person who hires an unfaithful messenger, and that person is a fool. It is like the person who has hired someone to be his messenger but has cut off his feet. The fool or unfaithful messenger will not get the job done, in fact, because they are fools, they will completely ruin the message that needs to be delivered. He may forget the words or he may change them and send a wrong message. It is necessary that we know the character of a person before we trust them with even carrying a message. If we send a fool to deliver a message of importance, it is akin to us drinking damage. Let us bring that up to today. If we hire a fool it is like we are drinking cyanide and Pepsi, it will kill us. We must never trust anyone who has proven to be untrustworthy. It will be detrimental to us and our business or cause.

 

Prov 26:7 (KJB)

The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

 

The legs of a lame person that are not equal in length will cause them to limp when they walk and this would also preclude this person from ever being able to run or do the things that people with normal legs can do. The unequal legs are likened to the fool who attempts to use a parable in explaining something. The problem is that a fool is normally very bad at using proper language skills and if they attempt to use a parable or a proverb in their normal conversation, it will probably be spoken of in a manner that would make no sense or that would have nothing to do with the conversation at hand.

 

Prov 26:8 (KJB)

As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.

 

We all remember when David killed Goliath, he used a stone in a sling and in one shot he brought down the giant. This verse is stating that a person who has a sling and ties the stone in the sling, makes the entire weapon useless simply because the stone would not be able to be released. In fact, it might even come back and hit the person on the head who is trying to use it. In other words, the weapon is useless if a person binds the stone in the sling and in the same manner a person who honors a fool is likewise useless in his ability to choose friends. If a fool is honored, then it must also be considered that the ones who are nominating him for an honor must also be fools since they cannot recognize the caliber of the person they are honoring.

 

Prov 26:9 (KJB)

As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

 

A person who is drunk may not even know that they are holding a thorny branch in their hand since most drunks are immune to pain until the alcohol wears off. So is the parable in the mouth of fool. He may know how to say the words that he has heard from someone else but he may not know the essence of the understanding behind the parable and will use it incorrectly. Just as the thorny bush will hurt the hand of the drunkard, he will not feel it till later on. The one who hears a parable from a fool may use it and feel the ill effects of wrong application at a later time and then he will realize that he was listening to a fool who did not know what he was talking about. This is why it is so important that we know the source of the information that we read and know something about a person that we are listening to, because wrong information can come back at a later time and cause many problems.

 

Prov 26:10 (KJB)

The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

 

Continuing on with the theme of the fool, on Judgment day, God is going to recompense the deeds of the fool and the transgressors of His law. This verse is teaching that while then fool may enjoy a few moments in the public eye, his real spiritual condition is known by God and if he does not come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, then his permanent reward will be in hell forever more. This is why the Bible so strenuously emphasizes that the true born again Christian must never seek to imitate or emulate the fool since they are in Satan’s kingdom. (Rev 20:12 KJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Back