Wasted Honor

Introduction

Proverbs 26:1 “As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honour is not seemly for a fool.”

Here the writer is giving us a picture of how things don’t make sense. Who has ever heard of snow in the summer? Rain in the harvest, while it does occur, is not a desired thing. As snow is not welcomed in the summer and as rain is not helpful during harvest so also it is not appropriate for us to give honor to a fool. We should not lift them up as examples, listen to their advice, trust them with our money or our families, or take them as business partners.

Various verses throughout the chapter inform us why this is true.

A Fool is often in Trouble

Proverbs 26:3 “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, And a rod for the fool’s back.”

A Fool is not Trustworthy

Proverbs 26:6 “He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.”

A Fool is Under Judgment

Proverbs 26:10 “The great God that formed all things Both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.”

A Fool does not Learn

Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returneth to his vomit, So a fool returneth to his folly.”

A Fool is Lazy and Suffers for it

Proverbs 26:15 “The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; It grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.”

A Fool is a Busybody

Proverbs 26:17 “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.”

Conclusion

Proverbs 26:27 “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: And he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”

In the end a fool finds himself in the pit he dug out of his own folly or he is crushed by the very stone he sought to move. In other words, the folly of a fool catches up with him and his judgment renders his life very difficult. Let me say that life is difficult anyway. As someone once said though, “Choose your hard.” It is difficult to work hard to earn a living. It is more difficult to be lazy and end up without food and shelter and the basic necessities of life. Choose your hard. Life may be difficult for a wise man that follows God, but life is much harder when lived like a fool or lived giving honor to a fool. In the end a wise man that follows God may indeed find himself in difficult times, but he has God to guide him, strengthen him, support him, and give him joy in the midst of it. A fool in difficult times has no one upon whom they can rely because they have pushed away those who have tried to help them and have wasted opportunities given to them by caring people with whom they have now burned bridges.