When I was a little boy – just 14 years old – a song come out by a group called “The Main Ingredient”. It was their largest hit, called “Everybody Plays The Fool”.
Everybody plays the fool, sometime;
There’s no exception to the rule.
It may be factual, it may be cruel,
I ain’t lyin,
Everybody plays the fool.
The song was all about falling in love with the wrong person, and how it can make you end up looking like a fool. If you fall in love with the Person of Jesus Christ, and follow Him closely, you will never go wrong. In the Bible, the “Fool” properly is someone who rejects a loving and obedient relationship with Jesus in order to follow the other guy, Satan. In the Psalms we are twice told:
Psalm 14:1 (KJV) The FOOL {nāḇāl} hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, [there is] none that doeth good.
Psalm 53:1 (KJV) The FOOL {nāḇāl} hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: [there is] none that doeth good.
Word Study: The Hebrew nāḇāl or “fool” refers to a godless person, a person who has rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who lives their lives totally apart from their Creator. In Proverbs 26:1-12we aren’t necessarily talking about lost people. There are five Hebrew words for “fool”:
nāḇāl – the godless person
baʿar – the person who acts brutish, like an animal
lets – the arrogant, mocking fool
pethi – the simple minded fool in the making
It is the fifth type of “fool” Proverbs 26 addresses: kesil, the morally stubborn person who knows better, but refuses wisdom or Bible truth.
It was this type of “fool” that Jesus spoke of when He said:
Matthew 7:26-27 (NKJV) … everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a FOOLISH {mōros} man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.
Our English word “moron” comes from the ancient Greek mōros. The word was brought into English by Psychologist Dr. Henry H. Goddard in 1910 to describe intellectual disability. As we read through Proverbs 26, the Bible is describing someone who knew building on sand next to a seashore was a bad idea, but who did it anyway. This action – kesil – is seen by those who adhere to common sense and Biblical sense as being mentally off.
Proverbs 26:1 (KJV) As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a FOOL {kᵊsîl}.
Proverbs 26:8 (KJV) As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honor to a FOOL {kᵊsîl}.
Snow in summertime seems out of place. Rain during the time of harvest is not only out of place, but it is detrimental to the harvest. You really ought not to harvest wet produce – it quickly rots. Fools should never be honored. And yet, our society seems to idolize those who pursue foolish things. To idolize and vote for or cast your vote or support to a foolish person is to harm yourself. In verse 8 the foolish person wields useless power.
The stone in the sling only works if it is placed loosely in the sling. If BOUND to the sling, it is of no purpose, for the stone cannot be released against the enemy.
When you vote for a politician who has shown no common sense nor any Biblical sense in their lives, you are putting honor on someone who should not be receiving honor. You also put yourself at danger. Such a person cannot protect you in their office, but will likely abuse your trust while robbing your purse.
Proverbs 26:2 As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
The FOOL {kᵊsîl} will try and curse others without cause. When I read this verse, I thought of that travesty of television called “The View”. These women are often cursing and blaming people they don’t like, based on contrived allegations. What they are doing will – in the end – come to no effect. In Solomon’s world a curse was only effective if the basis of the curse was true. Had the person so cursed been actually guilty of what they were accused of?
There is an interesting story in 2 Samuel 16. As King David moved into that area with his men, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, the grandson of Jonathan, met him with provisions and blessings. David and Saul’s son Jonathan were best friends. Though Jonathan was deceased, David honored Mephibosheth, and he in turn honored King David.
But as David and his men came to Bahurim, near Jerusalem, in the territory of the Tribe of Benjamin. An obnoxious man, a FOOL {kᵊsîl} by the name of Shimei the son of Gera came out and cursed David and his men. The Bible says:
2 Samuel 16:5-8 (NKJV) He came out, CURSING CONTINUOUSLY AS HE CAME. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 Also SHIMEI SAID THUS when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! YOU BLOODTHIRSTY MAN, YOU ROGUE! 8 The LORD HAS BROUGHT UPON YOU ALL THE BLOOD OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL, in whose place you have reigned; and THE LORD HAS DELIVERED THE KINGDOM into the hand of Absalom your son. So now YOU ARE CAUGHT IN YOUR OWN EVIL, because you are a bloodthirsty man!”
One of David’s warriors Abishai the son of Zeruiah begged David, “Please, let me go over and TAKE OFF HIS HEAD”. David refused to allow Shimei to be punished.
2 Samuel 16:11-12 See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? LET HIM ALONE, AND LET HIM CURSE; for so THE LORD HAS ORDERED HIM. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that THE LORD WILL REPAY ME WITH GOOD for {SHIMEI’S} CURSING THIS DAY.
Rather than lower himself down to the level of Shimei, David in essence said “Since God allowed this cursing to happen, let it happen. The cursing is for my good. Let the man live. If God sent him, then I can’t undo the curse by killing him. And if God allowed it and I trust the Lord and honor him regardless, then God will in the end bless me.”
The curse of a fool is like a wandering bird. It flits about, but never lands on you. The causeless curse will not land on you. Just trust God, and do good!
Bruce Waltke wrote, “Since the Creator and Lord of history is the source of blessing and cursing through a fellow human being, the proverb infers that the undeserved/unfitting curse is ineffective because the Sovereign does not back it up.”
Proverbs 26:3 A WHIP for the HORSE, a BRIDLE for the ASS, and a ROD for the FOOL’S {kᵊsîl} BACK.
The HORSE that will not obey nor learn is often persuaded by pain, by the WHIP. Who yields the WHIP? Only the master of the horse! The owner of the horse has the right to inflict pain on that horse, especially if such pain will keep the animal from a worse estate. The ASS or the DONKEY, being more stubborn than the horse, will resist the whip, but will often be persuaded by theBRIDLEwhich pulls at the head and mouth. Again, the bridle is installed and used by the master of the donkey.
The FOOL, however, responds best to the ROD of punishment. Who provides that punishment? The Master of the Fool – God Himself.
It is not our place to punish the fool unless they have committed criminal acts, and we are in the place of law enforcement. Our Lord Jesus told us to let God avenge those who wrong us. The Scripture says:
Deuteronomy 32:35-36 (NKJV) VENGEANCE IS MINE, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’ 36 For THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE And have compassion on His servants
Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV)Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, FEED HIM; If he is thirsty, GIVE HIM A DRINK; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 DO NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL, but OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.
We are not to lay the rod of punishment on the fool. God will deal with the fool. We are to do good even when bad is done to us. Does this mean we should ignore what the foolish do? No. They should be corrected BIBLICALLY, according to the Word of God.
Proverbs 26:4-5 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
These verses seem to contradict one another, but they do not. The intent of verse 4 is “do not lower yourself down to the level of the fool when talking with them”.
Our Lord Jesus was always careful as to speak only when He could refer to the Scripture.
When a woman taken in adultery was brought before Jesus (John 8:3-9), the Pharisees repeatedly asked Jesus should the woman be stoned or not. The Bible says,
John 8:6-7 (NKJV) This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
Jesus did not reply to these fools until He replied with the Word of God (Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 17:6-7, “the hands of the witnesses shall be FIRST against him to put him to death”). Jesus did not lower Himself to debating with these silly foolish Pharisees!
When Jesus was first brought before Pilate to be judged, Pilate sent Him to Herod to be judged. The Bible says:
Luke 23:9-11 (NKJV) {Herod} questioned Him with many words, but HE ANSWERED HIM NOTHING. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. 11 Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.
Brought back before Pilate to be judged for crucifixion, we read:
Matthew 27:12-14 (NKJV) And while {Jesus} was being accused by the chief priests and elders, HE ANSWERED NOTHING. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But HE ANSWERED HIM NOT ONE WORD, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Jesus said nothing because He was fulfilling Scripture:
Isaiah 53:7 (NKJV) He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH.
Proverbs 26:4-5 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Verse 4 refers to using your own opinion to address the fool. When you return an argument to a fool with your opinion, then “YOU ARE LIKE UNTO HIM”. Verse 5 tells us that fools should be corrected – but only with the Master’s truths. Tell the fool “thus saith the Lord” or “it is written”. Do not trust in yourself, but in God and His provision.
Proverbs 26:6-7, 9 He that sendeth a MESSAGE by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. 7 The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a PARABLE in the mouth of fools. … As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a PARABLE in the mouths of fools.
When a fool says something, it doesn’t come from God. Cutting off a messenger’s feet makes it impossible for him to deliver a message. Giving a fool wise sayings to deliver is to waste your time. God sends His Word through committed believers who love Him. Those whom He chooses are not fools, but those who faithfully relay that which He has said.
Proverbs 30:5 (NKJV) EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 18:30 (NKJV) As for God, His way is perfect; the WORD OF THE LORD IS PROVEN.
God would not send His message by a FOOL {kᵊsîl}. If He sent His message by a FOOL, then it would be like cutting off the feet of the message. It would defeat the message. A parable in the mouth of a fool does not travel well – it limps. The message is screeching, like a drunkard with a thorn in his hand. The fool takes the message of God’s Word out of context, and no good comes of it.
Illustrate: A black man from Ghana who called himself Ebo Enoch or the Ebo Noah prophesied that God would send a three year rain on the earth this past Christmas, wiping out all creation. Ebo claimed that God had told him to build a series of Noah style wooden arks told people their only salvation was to get on his arks before the deadline. When no rains came, Ebo said that he prayed and God gave him more time to build more arks. People sold everything they owned to get to Ebo. Without funds, now they are stranded without hope. Oh, by the way, Ebo bought a new Mercedes Benz worth $89,000.
You can’t make this stuff up!
Our Lord Jesus spoke in parables (Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:12). God will not put parables nor messages in the mouths of fools.
Proverbs 26:10 The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the FOOL {kᵊsîl}, and rewardeth TRANSGRESSORS {ʿāḇar}.
Bible teacher David Guzik notes:
“God’s guidance and governing over all things extends to the fool and the transgressor. He will make sure they get what is due, as both their hire and their wages. … “As He made all so He maintains all, even the evil and the unthankful…or He allows them a livelihood, gives them their portion in this life, fills their bellies with his good treasure, but by it sends leanness into their souls, or if He fattens them, it is to fit them for destruction, as fated ware is fitted for the meat market.” (Trapp)
Dr. R.G. Lee wrote in his sermon “Payday Someday”:
“‘According to God’s constitution of the world, the wrongdoer will be abundantly punished’. The fathers sow the wind and the children reap the whirlwind. One generation labors to scatter tares, and the next generation reaps tares and retribution immeasurable. To the individual who goes not the direction God points, a terrible pay-day comes. To the nation which forgets God, payday will come in the awful realization of the truth that the ‘nations which forget God shall be turned into hell.’ When nations trample on the principles of the Almighty, the result is that the world is beaten with many stripes. We have seen nations slide into Gehenna — and the smoke of their torment has gone up before our eyes day and night. To the home that has no room for the Christ, death and grave clothes are certain. ‘Ichabod’ will be written about the church that soft-pedals on unpleasant truth or that stands not unwaveringly for ‘the faith once delivered’ — and it will acknowledge its retribution in that it will become ‘a drifting sepulcher manned by a frozen crew.’ A man can prostitute God’s holy Name to profane lips if he will, but he is forewarned as to the pay-day in the words: ‘The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain (Ex. 20:7).’”
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a FOOL {kᵊsîl} returneth to his folly.
The mark of the fool is that they do not learn from their failures. Sin sickens the soul. The Bible pictures the fool as someone who, doing wrong and suffering for it, returns to the same wrong to drink of it again. What is worse than a fool?
Proverbs 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own CONCEIT {ʿayin}? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Word Study: The word rendered “CONCEIT” is the Hebrew ʿayin, which means “eyes”. Those who cannot be taught – who are wise in their own eyes – can never be reached. The fool, bad as he or she is, have more hope than the self righteous or the self certain. Someone once said,
“The greatest fool is the fool who does not know he is a fool”.
Pride blocks wisdom. Those who would be wise need to first have “fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 1:7). Those who would be wise need to be willing to listen to others, to not believe themselves the center of the universe (Proverbs 12:15). Wisdom requires humility (Proverbs 11:2). As we are told in:
1 Peter 5:5-7 (KJV) Yes, all of you BE SUBMISSIVE TO ONE ANOTHER, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
I’ll be preaching a message from Ephesians 5:21 this Sunday morning called “Submission Is Not A Dirty Word”. Since I’m heading there next, I think I’ll stop for tonight. Hope you’ll be with us this Sunday. May God touch your hearts with His Wisdom.
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