Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 691 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
How Not To Be A Fool - Proverbs 26


Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 691 of our Trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.  Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs.  Today we will explore Proverbs 26 from The Voice Translation which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at ‘The Big House’ in Marietta, OH.   Since I will be heading back to our construction project in Arizona next week, I will be recording some additional episodes ahead of time.  This allows me to focus on the project when I am there.  This time we are preparing the bid, budget, and schedule for Phase II of the townhome project that we are working on.  It is important that we make a concentrated effort and not make any foolish mistakes that could impact the profitability of the project.   This requires that we gain wisdom from the mistakes of the previous phase where we did have time and cost overruns.

Today in Proverbs 26 these lessons are appropriate as we will learn:
How Not To Be A Fool
Chapter 26 contains character portraits of five sketchy individuals:

The Fool (verses 1-12)
The Sluggard (verses 13-16)
The Meddler (verses 17-19)
The Whisperer (verses 20-22)
The Hater (verses 23-28)

This chapter is full of comparisons (the words “like” or “just as” are all over), which usually equates these sketchy people with really bad things (“like a maniac shooting arrows of death,” sheesh!). Notice how many comparisons are drawn from the natural world (sparrows, horses, donkeys, lions, etc.). The overall point is clear: don’t be one of these people!

Don’t be the Fool. He is thoughtless and stupid. He cannot be trusted, nor can he be relied upon. He is a liability to all who send him. Don’t be the Sluggard. He recognizes problems but does nothing about them. He begins jobs that he never knows how to finish. He thinks himself wise but he can’t get out of bed.

Don’t be the Meddler. He goes snooping around and finds nothing but trouble. He causes strife and then calls it a joke. Don’t be the Whisperer. He instigates trouble and keeps the animosity burning. He knows which buttons to push and thinks it's delicious fun. Don’t be the Hater. He harbors a grudge yet comes off like a friend. He flatters and fawns but his deception will be brought out into broad daylight.

As you read this chapter, invest time with each character prayerfully contemplating the prospects of each way of life.Listen intently as I read Proverbs chapter 26:

1 Like snow in the summer and rain in the time of harvest,
so honor is never fitting for a fool.
2 Like a bird that flits and flutters or a swallow in mid-flight,
so a curse that lacks cause will never come to light.
3 A whip is for the horse, a bridle is for the donkey,
and a rod is for the fool’s back.

4 Never answer a fool on his own foolish terms,
or you will become like him;
5 Rather, answer a fool on his own foolish terms,
or he will become wise in his own eyes.

6 Like someone who cuts off his feet or drinks to his ruin,
so is the one who uses a fool to pass on his message.
7 As lame legs are useless, dangling on the crippled,
so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8 Like one who ties a stone in his slingshot,
so is one who honors a fool.
9 Like a thorn in the hand of a drunkard,
so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.