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not fit for wisdom
Proverbs 26:1-28 (JDV).
Proverbs 26:1 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor is inappropriate for a fool.
Proverbs 26:2 Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 26:4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness or you’ll be like him yourself.
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:6 The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand cuts off his feet and drinks violence.
Proverbs 26:7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like lame legs that hang limp.
Proverbs 26:8 Giving honor to a fool is like binding a stone in a sling.
Proverbs 26:9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a stick with thorns, brandished by the hand of a drunkard.
Proverbs 26:10 The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by is like an archer who wounds everyone.
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, a fool repeats his foolishness.
Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a wise person in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 26:13 The idler says, “There’s a lion in the road — a lion in the public square!”
Proverbs 26:14 A door turns on its hinges, and an idler, on his bed.
Proverbs 26:15 The idler buries his hand in the bowl; he is too weary to bring it to his mouth!
Proverbs 26:16 In his eyes, an idler is wiser than seven who can answer sensibly.
Proverbs 26:17 A person passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his is like one who grabs a dog by the ears.
Proverbs 26:18 Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows,
Proverbs 26:19, so is the person who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
Proverbs 26:20 Without wood, fire goes out; without gossip, conflict dies down.
Proverbs 26:21 As charcoal for embers and wood for a fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
Proverbs 26:22 A gossip’s words are like choice food that goes down to one’s innermost being.
Proverbs 26:23 Smooth lips with an evil heart are like glaze on an earthen vessel.
Proverbs 26:24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech and harbors deceit.
Proverbs 26:25 When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him, for there are seven detestable things in his heart.
Proverbs 26:26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his evil will be revealed in the assembly.
Proverbs 26:27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone — it will come back on him.
Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
not fit for wisdom
Several of these proverbs explain that wise sayings are useless to an unwise person. It is as if these are warnings and instructions for those who might stumble upon some truth and attempt to utilize it without establishing a relationship with God first. Don’t try it. Go to the LORD and ask him to make you wise. Then, you will be equipped to act wisely.
LORD, transform us so that your instruction may be helpful to us.