Proverbs 26:1-29

We use comparison to help us understand things better.  Metaphors are comparisons that give us a type of illustration to understand truths or concepts.  Today’s chapter of Proverbs is full of metaphors that describe four types of people.  The idea is to help identify who these people are, understand what they are like, warn us about the dangers they represent and tell us how to respond to them.  We should do all we can not to be in any of these categories.  

THE FOOLISH MAN: The foolish man should never receive honor because it is simply unfitting.  Those who try to curse the wise will find their efforts to be futile.  The only way a fool will learn is through the use of physical punishment just like an animal.  We must be very careful in how we treat the foolish man.  There are times that we should just keep quite because we know that they will not listen to instruction but there are other times that we must strive to correct them so they will not think himself wise.  We cannot trust them to give a faithful message and we cannot trust anything that they say.  Honor for a fool is very dangerous and their advice must be avoided and ignored.  Do not employ a fool because he will just make the same mistakes over and over again

THE FAT MAN: The sluggard is lazy and will just lie around and get fat.  He will invent excuses of imagined lions in the street in order to just stay inside and do nothing.  His activity is to just stay in bed all day and turn this way and that on this bed.  He is too lazy to provide his own food or even to eat his own food.  Unfortunately he thinks himself to be wise and looks down on the industrious person that must work to support him.  We must avoid keeping company with the lazy man.

THE FIGHTING MAN: There are people who just go out looking for trouble and pick fights with other people.  We would do well to mind our own business and not get involved in the quarrels of others.  Men who are quarrelsome will say evil things and then they will pretend that they are joking.  Gossip is like fuel for a flame in a fight.  We must learn to control our words so they do not provoke others to evil.  A man who starts fights will bring trouble to all who are around them.  We must stay away from conflict and not allow the violent man to infect our lives.

THE FALSE MAN: Lies and deception are dangerous because they go straight to the soul.  Deceit covers the very heart of man and it cannot help but spew forth from his mouth.  They try to camouflage themselves and may even pretend to be gracious but they cannot be trusted.  His heart will always be evil.  There is true hatred in his heart and it will always be exposed in the end.  The false man’s destination is ruin but he will usually end up ruining others all around him.  We must learn to identify and avoid the evil man.