King David, who praised, thanked, and worshiped God continuously, says in Psalm 14:1-5, 1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on the LORD? 5 There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous.
King David, the man close to God’s heart, knew from experience there were innumerable evil, wicked, God-hating “fools” who wanted nothing but to steal, kill, and destroy God’s people, as it is today, but “God is with the generation of the righteous”; thus, the righteous (those right with God through Christ Jesus) have no need to worry about “fools”, trying to “eat up God’s people as they eat bread, and do not call on the LORD”, because they fear the God of Christians.
Proverbs 26:1-28, exposes “fools” for the kind of person they are, what fate awaits them, and with what blessings God is now honoring His people, for which we praise, thank, worship, and trust everything to the only God there is (Isaiah 44:6-8).
Proverbs 26:4-5 tell us there is no right way to answer a “fool”, and verses 18-19 warn us lying and then acting as if it is a joke, is just as destructive as a “fool” with a deadly weapon or a “fool” with authority and power—only God knows what they will do, and He alone can stop it.
Proverbs 26:1-28 (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 Do not 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 is a lion on the road! Yes, I am sure there is 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 do not 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 are deceiving you. 25 They pretend to be kind, but do not 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.
When anyone, for whatever reason, willingly rejects God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, with hatred for humanity created by God, that person or persons, as foolish as they are, can still be forgiven, if they will turn to God, through Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, and ask His forgiveness, and God will do what they ask of Him, for His will is everyone to be with Him in eternity, for He can change “fools” into “God-fearing saints”, when asked to do so.
Jim Nabors
