Sinful and worldly foolishness is the opposite of Godly and divine wisdom.
Sinful and worldly laziness is the opposite of Godly and divine strength.
Sinful and worldly wickedness is the opposite of Godly and divine righteousness.
Proverbs 26 draws our attention to not be a fool who is lazy and wicked, as those are sinful choices that are attached to this world. We are daughters and sons who contain the Holy Spirit, and we call on the Spirit to guide us with wisdom and strength so that we are living righteously in the Name of Jesus Christ.
We have spent 26 days together in the Book of Proverbs asking the Holy Spirit for more Godly and divine wisdom, to provide us with His strength so that we can walk with more righteousness as we grow closer in relationship with Jesus.
Every second of the past 26 days, so for the last 2.2 million seconds, we have either chosen to honor and obey God, or we have chosen to dishonor and disobey God. We must remember, while God wants to move in our spirit to shine His light on the Truth that each of these Proverbs offers our eternal existence; simultaneously, the enemy wants us to feel like these Proverbs are too repetitive, maybe boring, or even not applicable to our lives, which could not be further away from the Truth.
God designed the Book of Proverbs, and the repetition is intentional. This teaching tool makes certain that you and I fully understand the importance of Godly wisdom. This is not an attempt to make things boring, rather the repetition and presentation of wisdom in different ways is meant to help us remember and internalize Godly wisdom so that the Holy Spirit can apply it to our lives and through our lives.
Proverbs 26 (NLT)
1 Honor is no more associated with fools
than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
3 Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle,
and a fool with a rod to his back!
4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or you will become as foolish as they are.
5 Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
or they will become wise in their own estimation.
6 Trusting a fool to convey a message
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
8 Honoring a fool
is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool
is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
10 An employer who hires a fool or a bystander
is like an archer who shoots at random.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his foolishness.
12 There is more hope for fools
than for people who think they are wise.
13 The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
14 As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
so the lazy person turns over in bed.
15 Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
16 Lazy people consider themselves smarter
than seven wise counselors.
17 Interfering in someone else’s argument
is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
18 Just as damaging
as a madman shooting a deadly weapon
19 is someone who lies to a friend
and then says, “I was only joking.”
20 Fire goes out without wood,
and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
21 A quarrelsome person starts fights
as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
22 Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.
23 Smooth words may hide a wicked heart,
just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
but they’re deceiving you.
25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
Their hearts are full of many evils.
26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.
27 If you set a trap for others,
you will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
it will crush you instead.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
and flattering words cause ruin.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for emphasizing wisdom throughout the Book of Proverbs. You have been made wisdom, and we want to continue to grow closer to You which means that we need to grow in Your divine wisdom. Holy Spirit, please continue to strengthen and grow each one of us, fill us with more of Your wisdom, and guide us to live in oneness and righteousness with You. Steer us away from foolishness, keep us from laziness, and guard us from being wicked or entertaining wickedness. We ask all of this in Jesus’s Name. Amen.