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Proverbs
Chapter
26
{A
Triad of Monsters - 3 Types of Monster Believers}
{Verses
1-12: 1st Monster - the Fool
(Guilty of Sins of Incorrect Thinking - the Mind)}
{Verse
1: A Parabolic Distich (1st line illustrates the 2nd line)}
1~~As
snow in summer . . . and as rain in harvest . . .
so
honor is not suitable/becoming for a fool.
{Note: This is an agricultural economy and these are two things that are difficult for the economy to survive - snow in summer on the crops and animals. The second was for it to rain when they were trying to bring in the harvest.}
{Note: RBT says the 'fool' is a believer with no maturity - no divine viewpoint in his soul. Here we have a double illustration and the point. Honor here is 'wealth', success, etc - the various status symbols of life - the person without doctrine does not have the capacity to appreciate the nice things of life so they are wasted on him and actually make him miserable. RBT says unbelievers CAN enjoy these things - their portion is only in time.}
2~~As
the sparrow by 'flying while upset' . . .
as
the swallow by 'dispsy doodle flying' . . .
so
the 'gracious curse' shall come unto him.
{Note: When a sparrow is upset he flies. That is when he is easy prey for the birds of prey. He needs to stay near the ground where he feeds on seeds. So this sparrow is a 'cluck sparrow' because of his emotions. This is analogous to the believer who leaves where he feeds and is protected - in bible doctrine - and influenced by his emotions flies out of his element. And the swallow is the fool operating on human viewpoint and lacking the capacity for being happy, flies around trying new things to 'make him happy'.}
{Note: God is gracious and the curse coming from God is divine discipline - a blessing to us - to try to get us back Walking in His Way - which He knows is better for us! So, while humans normally do not immediately "appreciate His 'curse' ", but if they had doctrine in their souls, then they would be 'thankful for ALL things'.}
{Restraint
of the Fool (Believer minus Doctrine)}
3~~A
whip for the horse . . . a spur for the ass . . .
and
a rod for the fool's back.
{Note: The horse is not an intelligent animal. But with a whip and the bridle, the horses can be restrained. But to whip an ass is meaningless to him - but a goad or a spur will get the ass moving. So, in the same fashion, the God must use the rod on the believer without doctrine - to get his attention - and he spends his whole life being disciplined by God.}
{Verses
4-5: Two Means of Handling a Fool and His 'Folly' (two different
types of folly here)}
{Negative
Means of Handling of a Fool}
4~~Answer/react/dispute/
not a fool according to his folly . . .
lest
you also be like unto him.
{Note: This is the principal of flexibility. Folly refers to his mental attitude sins - arrogance, pride, self-pity, implacability - do not retaliate instead separate from him and leave it in the hands of the Lord - He will use the rod on the fool from the previous verse. So, means you do not answer his evil for evil. If he has mental attitude sins toward you, and you REACT to those with anger, etc., then you are exactly like him.}
{Positive
Means of Handling of a Fool}
5~~Answer/respond
to a fool according to his folly . . .
lest
he be wise in his own conceit.
{Note: Folly this time refers to his 'human viewpoint thinking'. You respond with the divine viewpoint (II Corinthians 10:5-6) if they are expressing 'human viewpoint thinking' and are NOT sinning - just thinking incorrectly. Now the MECHANICS - VERY IMPORTANT - you take him to the passages which deal with his incorrect viewpoint! Giving him your viewpoint might just be the 'blind leading the blind'.}
{Instability
of a Fool}
6~~He
who 'transacts business with a fool'
{idiom: literally: 'who sends a message by the hand of a fool'}
'cuts
his own throat'/'loses out' and 'loses profit'.
{idiom: literally: 'cuts off his feet' and 'drinks damage'}
{Note: This proverb says to not do business (employees/bosses/suppliers) with a believer without doctrine. Either do business with a believer with doctrine (spiritually mature) or with a unbeliever who understands and operates under God's laws for establishment. But a believer without doctrine is unstable and unreliable.}
{Verses
7-9: Tragedy of the Preaching of a Fool Who becomes a Preacher (3
Parabolic Distiches)}
7~~The
legs of the crippled are not equal . . .
so
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
{Note: Remember the fool is a believer who has no doctrine - spiritual baby. Yet this one is not a baby who is teaching others. In the ancient world when a limp was present, one leg was shorter than the other and had a difficult time moving forward. His locomotion was nil. And, a believer minus doctrine's progress in his spiritual life is nil, yet here he is 'teaching'/'confusing' others also. He makes his congregation 'always off balance'.}
8~~As
he who 'loads a sling'/'binds a stone in a sling' . . .
so
is he that gives honor to a fool.
{Note: If a person or nation gives honor, wealth, 'high social status' to a fool, then they worked in vain - that shot was wasted. The fool does not know how to use the sling. It does not mean anything. We do that today when we give great honors to politicians, sports athletes, actors . . . who have some human viewpoint celebrity, but no doctrine in their souls. They spew their 'opinions' on the issues of the nation, but the shot is totally wasted.}
9~~As
a thorn goes up into the hand of a drunkard . . .
so
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool {k@ciyl}.
{Note: The thorn is in the drunkard's hand but he does not realize it! So, this is saying it is possible for a person to say a true proverb yet not understand themselves what it means!}
{The
Great Contrast}
10~~Much/'The
greatest thing of all' {rab - refers to doctrine here}
dances/'twists
and turn'/'intensively dances in a circle'
for
all {all believers}. . .
but
He 'pays wages' to the fool
and
'pays wages' to the 'by-passer'/'passing over one'
{the fool bypasses doctrine}.
{Note: The dance here that you enjoyed is something to which you responded positively. The dancer here is DOCTRINE. So here doctrine dances for YOU! If you enjoy doctrine, you are stimulated by it as others enjoy watching a good show - inner happiness. Doctrine is for all believers and God gives graciously to all believers. But the fool 'earns his own wages' - discipline all his life.}
{'Passover'
of the Fool (Parabolic Distich)}
11~~As
a dog returns to his vomit . . .
so
a fool returns repeatedly to his folly.
{Note: Dogs have not changed even today! And, neither have fools - those with no divine viewpoint in their souls. An example of a 'folly' here would be watching TV instead of a scheduled bible class. He is really miserable. So, in utter desperation he tries bible class (going away from his vomit). But he does not like doctrine, so he returns to his vomit.}
{Who
is WORSE Worse Than a Fool?}
12~~See
you a man 'who is proud/arrogant'?
{idiom: literally 'wise in his own conceit?'}
There
is more hope of a fool than of him.
{Note: To have a mind filled with mental attitude sins is worse than having no doctrine in your soul - arrogance, pride, envy, jealousy, vindictiveness, implacability. This person is not only denying God's will (as a fool does) but he also is actively a trouble maker - this person will destroy a congregation.}
{Note: This is a logical progression. The Fool - Believer with no doctrine - now becomes a slothful man.}
{Verses
13-19: 2nd Monster - the Slothful Man (Guilty of Sins of the Body)}
{Procrastination
Based on Rationalization}
13~~The
slothful man {`atsel} says,
"There
is a lion in the way . . . a lion is in the streets."
{Note: A 'slothful man' is a believer who is idle or lazy or lacking in self-discipline - he is NOT tired from over-working (also called a sluggard). In the ancient world, except in the big walled cities lions lived outside the town and would come into the town. The citizens would go indoors until someone drove the lion out or he just left. So a lazy man's excuse for not working is because 'a lion is out there'. So a 'lion' is anything you use to not have to do the important things of life - working, taking in doctrine, going to Church, etc.}
{Parabolic
Distich - (Illustration then doctrine)}
14~~As
the door turns upon his hinges,
so
does the slothful upon his bed.
{Note: The lazy person lacks self-discipline - a door does not move unless with a hinge. The slothful person makes excuses and only moves on his bed - that is his greatest action in life.}
{Character
of the Slothful Believer - the Ludicrous Illustration}
15~~The
slothful hides his hand in a dish . . .
'it
grieves him'/'it is mentally difficult'
to
bring it again to his mouth.
{Note: In this day, they did use a knife to cut things but they ate with their hands. The effort to get that food up to his mouth is just too much work for him though he is really hungry.}
{Verses
16-17: Pattern of the Slothful - Mental Attitude of the 'Spiritually
Slothful Person'}
16~~The
slothful {`atsel} is 'wise in his own eyes/thinking'
{Idiom: literally 'wise in his own conceit'}
than
seven men that can give an excellent answer.
{Note: 'Wise in his own conceit' is a phrase where pride is used as an example of one with mental attitude sins. The 'seven men' is a term used for the 'advisors to the king' and for the 'top students in a class'. The slothful considers himself wiser than anyone else in life. He will be miserable - self induced misery.}
{Logical
Progression - the 'Supposedly Wise Slothful Person' is a
Troublemaker - Doctrine of the 'Long Nose'}
17~~He
. . . seizing a dog by the ears . . .
{the
dog} that is passing by . . .
is
like unto one who meddles with strife/'a problem'
which
does not concern him.
{Note: This is a wild scavenger dog that is passing by. If you grab him by the ears, he will bite you when he can. This is a pun - paramenasia - `abar means to 'pass by' - but `abar in the Hithpael stem means to 'stick your nose in someone else's business' - to meddle. So here we have `abar `abar.}
{Note: So this lazy man has no ability to work or do productive things. So what does he do? He grabs a dog by the ears! He sticks his nose in the business of others - and he will be bitten - and that is self-induced misery. The person meddling in the business of others will be miserable.}
{Verses
18-19: A Parabolic Tetrastich (First 2 lines are illustration - 2nd
2 lines are the Doctrine}
18-19~~As
a 'mad man'/'man whose mind has snapped' {lahahh}
who
shoots 'flaming arrows' . . . {regular} arrows . . .
and
death {is the result}, 19~~
so
is the man who deceives his neighbor,
and
says, "I am only kidding/joking/'in sport'."
{Note: The mad man is an illustration of the slothful person. He is someone who has snapped. He is filled with mental attitude sins and finally one day he cracks up. The mad man is going through the streets killing anyone he meets. So, this slothful man makes life miserable for his neighbors . . . then says 'Oh I was only kidding'. And the Piel stem indicates a lot of 'sincerity' and emotion in his 'being sorry'. Get smart about the person who always hurts and then says 'I was only kidding' - Romans 16:17 says to stay away from them - avoid the sincere emotional believer oozing with mental attitude sins.}
{Note: This is a logical progression once more. The Fool - Believer with no doctrine - became a slothful man. And now the slothful man is seen as a man filled with pride and other mental attitude sins. So now we see the fool/slothful man as the slanderer.}
{Verses
20-28: 3rd Monster - the Slanderer (Sins of the Tongue)}
20~~Where
no wood is . . . there the fire goes out . . .
so
where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases.
{Note: RBT says 'the Slanderer' is a believer who is habitually guilty of the sins of the tongue - the slanderer, maligner, gossiper, judging, etc. The 'wood' here is fuel. It is mental attitude sins. Say someone gossips about you and you retaliate. That is adding fuel to the fire. Leave it in the Lord's hands and keep your own relaxed mental attitude.}
21~~As
coals are . . .to burning coals . . .and wood {is} to fire . . .
so
is a contentious man to kindle strife.
{Note: REACTING to mental attitude sins toward you turns you into a hot coal and the fire rages on. When you try to retaliate, you drop down to their level of misery - don't jump in their fire of misery - you are a sucker if you do.}
{Verses
22-23: The Hypocrisy of the Slanderer}
22~~The
words of a talebearer
is
like "eating 'dainty morsels'/'tasty pastries'"
and
they/'his words' go down
into
the innermost parts of the belly {beten}.
{Note: People listen to slander. They swallow it up like tasty pastries. The gossip spreads - does not matter if it is true or not. People believe what they want to believe and swallow it right down as truth. Mature believers will spit up the food as if it were bile.}
{2
Illustrations of the Previous Verse}
23~~As
a glaze of silver spread over a clay pot . . .
'lips
on fire with love' and a wicked heart/'right lobe'.
{Note: The first one is the slanderer who is sweet and compassionate and oozing sweetness. He is a rat underneath. Mental attitude sins. But he has a nice façade of niceness and sweetness. Look under the façade. The second illustration is the wolf. He has a great line for seducing the woman. But inside he has a wicked 'right lobe' - mental attitude sins. He talks a good case of love, but is rotten on the inside.}
{Verses
24-25: A Mental Attitude Tetrastich}
24~~He
who hates . . . 'covers it'/dissembles with his lips,
and
lays up deceit within him . . .25~~
when
he makes his voice sweet/pleasant . . . believe him not . . .
for
there are seven abominations in his 'right lobe'/heart.
{Note: The seven abominations are 'full compliment of' mental attitude sins.}
{Exposure
of Slanderer}
26~~Whose
hatred . . . is covered with deceit . . .
his
wickedness . . . 'he shall expose himself' {by his own slander}
before
the whole congregation.
{Note: You know his hatred by the way he talks. He talks love, but as he talks he will soon run someone down, slanders others, spread gossip - he will sooner or later expose himself (galah - a Niphal reflexive stem - he exposes himself.}
{Judgement
of Slanderer}
27~~Whosoever
digs a pit shall fall therein . . .
and
he that rolls a stone, it will return upon him.
{Note: He is trying to hurt someone else and he is digging his own pit! And, he is rolling a stone uphill! It will come back and flatten him. Do not seek vengeance! You will hurt yourself more than them!}
{Perceptive
of the Sins of the Tongue}
28~~A
lying tongue hates 'an innocent victim'/'those that are afflicted by
it' . . .
and
a flattering mouth works ruin.
{Note: Two ways to try to destroy a person. Two criticize or to patronize. So, he may come in many ways. A critic or an 'suck up'. But either way, he is filled with bitterness and other mental attitude sins and will want to affect you. Avoid them.}
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