Pardon My Interruption: Craig's Thoughts About This And That
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 26:12 ESV
Self praise is so dangerous. This book of Proverbs is filled with warnings about the danger of being a fool. Yet here, it seems to say there is something worse than being a fool, and that something is being filled with appreciation of self.
Be careful. Be careful. Be careful. As Proverbs 27:2 (ESV) says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”
Take away the dross from the silver,
Proverbs 25:4 ESV
and the smith has material for a vessel;
We can let this verse shape our hearts in a helpful and God-glorifying way: “Lord, please remove the dross from my heart. Sanctify me and make me useful for your purposes.”
Note the contrast between envy/jealousy and fear of the Lord in this proverb. “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day” (Proverbs 23:17 ESV).
This verse is a gut punch in the battle between the seen and unseen. For our envy (or jealousy) is driven by that which we perceive about others, whether it be their status or possessions or whatever. “I sure wish I had their [fill in the blank].” Or “I’m more deserving of [fill in the blank] than they are.” Why do sinners seemingly get all the good stuff? Admittedly, it is hard at times, to see others apparently prosper in whatever way we may define prosper, especially if we are walking in godliness and seemingly not prospering.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. (Hebrews 11:1-2 ESV)
Hebrews 11 addresses this challenge in a helpful way as the writer reviews the stories of some of the great saints of the Old Testament, who walked by faith, yet seemingly didn’t receive their promise. In fact, their heavenly (or eternal) reward is greater; they traded the lesser for the better. And this, is exactly what Proverbs 23:17 encourages us to do, as well.
Lord, help me to cling to you in faith, keeping my heart focused toward the better, which “neither moth nor rust destroys” nor what thieves can break in and steal (Matthew 6:20).
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
Proverbs 26:1 ESV
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
Snow in the summer is odd. Rain during the harvest is destructive. Why would the writer use these two word pictures to say that it is not fitting to offer honor to a fool?
First, it’s odd to bestow honor on a fool. In Proverbs, the fool is the one who is unwise and destructive in action, spirit, or attitude. Why would you heap honor on that person? Honor is rightly reserved for that which is good or excellent. The Super Bowl MVP gets a trophy, not the player with the worst statistics on the losing team. The kid who wins the spelling bee by correctly spelling “scherenschnitte”* receives the scholarship, not the kid who misspelled “dog” in the first round. This is intuitive; it makes sense, naturally.
Second, honoring a fool for his foolishness is not only odd, it’s destructive. Farmers race to get the crops in ahead of the rain during harvest season because of the potential harm to the crop, both in the field and in the barn. Among other things, late rain can stimulate mold growth, which can make its way up the stalk, destroying the corn or grain. A wet harvest can also require extra labor to dry the crop or risk loss of the crop due to mold and mildew while the crops are being stored.
Honoring a fool is destructive because it encourages the fool to continue his foolishness. Why would a man seek wisdom when he is being honored as a fool? Social media may be the most appropriate illustration of this principle. Outrageous behavior or speech is rewarded with likes and shares. And, rather than curb their outrageous behavior, people think … “I can outdo that. Let’s see how many likes I can get.”
Questions:
1. In what ways has my foolishness been honored? Did that honor move me toward godliness or away from godliness?
2. In what ways do I honor fools? Does that move others toward or away from godliness?
3. How has this passage helped me to see a better way?
* 13-year-old Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas, was declared co-champion of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee after correctly spelling “scherenschnitte.” She shared the honor with 14-year-old Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield, Missouri, who correctly spelled “nunatak.”
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When the Bible Meets Life
As I was reading Proverbs 28 this morning, two verses stood out.
When I read these verses my mind could not avoid the connection to this weekend’s news of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “… when the wicked rise, people hide themselves,” is a perfect description of the conditions within the areas overtaken by ISIS. In an effort to survive under the rule of ISIS, thousands of people submitted and did their best to simply keep out of sight. Through the years of ISIS domination of the area reports would leak, describing the underground market for cigarettes, which were forbidden by ISIS. There were also reports of an underground communication network that was used to warn of the location of ISIS monitors moving about looking for those who might not be living according to ISIS standards. The people truly hid themselves to survive.
A roaring lion and charging bear are images of power and force. In verse 15, these images describe what it is like when a wicked person rules over a poor people. The rule of Abu Bakr Al-Badhdadi and ISIS could not be described more clearly than power and force. Whether that be demonstrated by the piles of severed heads of their victims put on display or the punishment of sinners in the public square. This was done as if to say, “this could happen to you.” Don’t forget the infamous execution videos of their victims dressed in orange jumpsuits published by ISIS propaganda forces. Or, the brutal treatment of women, including kidnapping, rape, and murder, by ISIS soldiers from the lowest rank all the way to the top.
The Bible should not be regarded as an old book for a past generation. It’s a living book as relevant as today’s news. More relevant, actually.
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