Verses 1-12
v1 Snow should not fall in summer.
Rain should not fall during the harvest.
And a fool should not receive honor.
v2 A bird does not stop as it flies.
And the effects of an insult do not pause.
Instead, the insult continues to cause trouble.
v3 Whip the horse!
Control the animal!
Punish the fool!
v4 Do not answer a fool with foolish words!
You will become like him.
v5 Answer a fool with foolish words!
Otherwise, he will think that he is wise.
v6 Someone might cut off his own feet.
Or he might cause himself an injury.
Another person might send a fool with a message.
v7 If a man cannot walk, his legs hang down.
The man has legs, but they do not help him.
And when a fool speaks a proverb (wise words), these words do not help the fool.
v8 Someone might tie up a stone in cloth.
(Then, he cannot attack when he needs to throw the stone.)
Another person might give an honour to a fool.
v9 A drunk carries a thorn bush.
(A thorn bush is a weed with sharp points, which will cause the drunk to bleed.)
And when a fool speaks a proverb (wise words), these words cause pain.
v10 One man shoots arrows everywhere!
And another man employs someone that he does not know.
This man would even employ a fool.
v11 A dog returns to the place where the dog was sick.
And a fool repeats his foolish behavior.
v12 A man thinks that he is wise.
Even a fool has more hope than that man!
Commentary
We all know the seasons in our own countries. We know when to expect rain or snow. We know what should happen.
And we know the reaction that an evil man deserves. A fool is an evil man who hates wisdom. And he does not deserve any honor.
A flying bird does not pause. It continues to fly. Otherwise, it would fall. An insult is like the bird, because an insult continues to cause trouble. Perhaps the insult was only one word. Perhaps you spoke that word many months ago. But the insult upset your friend. And he is still unhappy.
You ought to go to your friend. Ask him to forgive you. Otherwise, your stupid insult will continue to cause trouble.
These verses all describe a fool. Solomon uses the word ‘fool’ to describe someone who hates wisdom.
When a horse pulls a cart, the driver whips the horse. This is because the driver needs to control the animal.
A fool is an evil man. He refuses to listen to wise advice. If you are a judge, then you must punish this evil man. Unless someone controls an evil person, that person will continue his evil behavior.
The fool is an evil man who hates your wise words. Solomon uses humor here because verse 4 is the opposite of verse 5. But both verses are correct.
The fool hates wisdom. So his words are foolish. You do not want to be foolish. So do not answer him with foolish words!
Do not answer a fool with sensible words! Do not allow him to think that he is wise! He deserves only a stupid answer. So answer him with foolish words!
The truth is that this evil person will not obey good advice. He does not care whether your words are sensible or foolish. He will even use your own words against you. This man is very evil. Perhaps you should say nothing to him (Matthew 27:12-14). Or perhaps God will help you to know the right words (Matthew 13:11).
The person who causes his own injury is stupid. But the person who sends a fool is also stupid. A fool will not do the right things. Perhaps he will not deliver the message. Perhaps he will change the words. Perhaps he will deliver an enemy’s message instead.
If you send a fool with your message, then you will suffer.
A fool might repeat a proverb (wise words). But a fool is stupid, so he does not understand the proverb. He says the right words, but he is still stupid. If he understood the words, the fool would stop his silly behavior. But he refuses to do this. So his proverb cannot help him.
Even the devil can repeat a Bible verse (Matthew 4:6 and Psalm 91:11-12). But the devil did not understand the verse. He tried to use the verse to test Jesus. But Jesus told the devil that the devil was wrong (Matthew 4:7).
Solomon’s father was David. David used a stone from a bag to kill his enemy, Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40). But David did not tie the stone to the bag. This action would be stupid. This action would waste both the stone and the bag.
And only a stupid person gives honor to a fool. A fool is an evil person who hates wise words. A fool does not deserve any honors. The person who gave the honor wasted his time.
This drunk carries a thorn bush. (A thorn bush is a weed with sharp points.) The drunk will hurt himself. And he might hurt other people.
This fool speaks a proverb (wise words). But he is a fool. So he is evil, and he hates wise words. He repeats the proverb as an evil scheme. He wants people to think that he is wise. And he wants people to trust him. The fool will hurt people with his proverb.
The man who shoots arrows everywhere is clearly dangerous. But the employer might not seem to be dangerous. In fact, this employer is also dangerous. He would even employ a fool. The fool is an evil man. He might steal from his employer. And the fool might cause many troubles. The employer will suffer because of the fool’s evil schemes.
You cannot cure a fool. A fool is an evil person. He will repeat his evil behavior. This is terrible. You cannot change this man. Only God can stop the fool’s evil behavior.
A fool is not like a simple person. A simple person is someone who has not learned to be wise. But you can teach a simple person to do the right things.
Solomon thinks that this man is even worse than a fool. (But perhaps Solomon uses humor here.)
This man imagines that he is wise. But he is not wise. He thinks that his advice is good. But his advice is wrong. He tries to help everyone. But really, he causes problems for them.
We must be very careful when we advise. We must study well. We must listen to other people. And then we shall not copy this man’s errors.
Verses 13-16
v13 The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion outside!
The lion is angry. And the lion is on the streets!’
v14 A door opens. It moves, but it never goes anywhere.
The door is like a lazy man on his bed. He might move. But he will not go anywhere.
v15 When a lazy man has a meal, he puts his hand into the bowl.
Then he is too lazy to lift his hand to his mouth.
v16 A lazy man thinks that he is very wise.
He thinks that he is wiser than 7 intelligent men!
Commentary
Solomon uses humor whenever he discusses a lazy man. The lazy man has his excuse. And perhaps there is a lion. But we know that, really, this man is lazy. He only wants an excuse not to work.
This man is very lazy. He is still in his bed. He might turn. He might even move. But he will not get up. He is too lazy.
So Solomon says, this man is like a door. The door moves. But it is still in its doorway. The door never goes anywhere.
Now, the lazy man has a meal. He is lazy. But he knows how to take things. And lazy people often take things from other people. For example, a lazy person might ask for a gift.
But the lazy person does not know how to enjoy these things. And he does not know how to use them. The lazy man takes the food. But he is too lazy to eat it.
This lazy man is like the man in verse 12. Both men think that they are wise. But the lazy man thinks that he is the wisest of all men. The lazy man thinks this because he refuses to work. But he is not clever when he avoids a task. The lazy man may become poor. He may suffer for his attitude. He might even starve.
The lazy man ought to work. He should learn a skill. Then people will respect him. Then he will deserve honor.
Verses 17-23
v17 Do not grasp a dog’s ears!
And do not interrupt when other people argue!
v18 A mad man shoots burning arrows.
v19 Another man lies. Then he says, ‘I was joking!’
v20 Without fuel, there is no fire.
If nobody gossips, there is no argument.
v21 Wood starts a fire.
A man who disagrees starts an argument.
v22 When someone gossips, his words are like a favorite food.
The words, like the food, enter right into a man.
v23 A cheap pot might have a silky surface.
And an evil man might speak well.
Commentary
A dog is angry if you grasp its ears. It will bite you.
Some people are angry if someone interrupts their argument. Perhaps that person wants to help. Perhaps he supposes that he can help them to be calm. But when he interrupts, he will have to deal with their anger too.
Everyone can see that this mad man is dangerous. But the other man is also dangerous. His lie caused trouble. Then he claims that the lie was just a joke. So his humour caused trouble for everyone.
A fire will not burn without fuel. When someone gossips, their words are like fuel. And an argument is like fire. So, if people do not gossip, they avoid arguments. We should learn to be careful with our words. See James 3.
You need wood to start a fire. A man who disagrees is like the wood. He can start a terrible argument.
But we cannot always agree with everyone. And we cannot avoid every argument. But we should think before we speak. If we say nothing, we might avoid the argument.
This verse is the same as Proverbs 18:8.
Solomon uses humor here. When someone gossips, their words are like a special food. People enjoy it when someone gossips.
Food enters the stomach. And when someone gossips, their stories enter the mind. People remember the stories. And they repeat the stories. So they gossip too. Soon many people will hear the stories, even if the stories are not true.
When someone gossips, their words cause many problems. We should learn not to gossip.
You cannot believe everything that you see. Some pots seem silky on the outside. But they are just cheap pots.
You cannot believe everything that you hear. Some evil men speak clever words. But they are still evil men. You must not trust them
Verses 24-28
v24 A cruel man uses his clever words to hide his true thoughts.
But there are evil ideas in his mind.
v25 His words may be beautiful, but do not believe him!
In his mind, he has 7 evil plans.
v26 His evil plans might be secret.
But soon everyone will discover that he is wicked. And the court will punish him.
v27 One man digs a hole (because he wants to hurt someone else).
But that man will fall into his own hole.
Another man rolls a stone. But that stone will roll back over him.
v28 A man who lies hurts other people. He hates them.
Another man pretends that someone else is great. He causes trouble.
Commentary
Here is an evil man who speaks clever words. And some people think that his words are wonderful. They do not realize that his plans are evil. They do not know his evil ideas. And if they trust him, they will suffer.
Soon everyone will know the man’s evil scheme. And a judge will punish that man.
These men wanted to cause trouble for other people. But in fact, these men suffered because of their own cruel actions. Everything that went wrong in their lives was their own fault.
It is never good to hate other people. We should never try to cause trouble. If we do, we shall cause trouble in our own lives.
Both men cause trouble because their words are not sincere.
When the first man lies, the people believe him. Then they do the wrong thing, because of the lie.
The second person pretends that someone else is great. He does this because he wants a gift from that person. These words also cause trouble.
|
|
