Proverbs 26:1
“Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.”
This verse uses “snow in the summer” and “rain at harvest” as comparisons to a fool who seeks (or receives) honor. In other words, a fool with honor is impossible. The summers in Palestine are hot and dry. Harvest is a time of no rain. Fools have no honor, or at least no honor that they deserve. For a fool to desire honor, or for someone to give honor to a fool, is to go against the very laws of nature.
Proverbs 26:2
“Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.”
This verse uses “flitting sparrows” and “flying swallows” as illustrations of an unjustified curse or unwarranted criticism. Just like little birds flit and fly around without landing, so it is with critics that have no credibility. Living in the contentious social/political climate of 2020, what immediately comes to mind is the reckless criticism that often flies around media and social media today. There are pundits who comment, criticize, and condemn with little regard for objectivity. There are politicians who excoriate those who disagree with their ideology. There are people who are easily offended and triggered, and impetuously take to social media to express their disapproval of virtually anything or anyone who doesn’t align with their opinion or personal preference.
These contentious pundits, cantankerous politicians, and quarrelsome people are like annoying birds flitting around our society. While they don’t always land, their droppings certainly do, and it’s a mess.
Proverbs 26:3
“A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.”
The only hope for redirecting the attitude and behavior of a foolish person is the “the whip and the bridle.” The analogy used in this verse is a resistant horse and a stubborn donkey. In other words, a fool is like a dumb, obstinate animal. If you want to move and redirect a recalcitrant donkey, you will need a bridle for its head and a whip for its rump.
The analogy is clear: The bridle is directive, it teaches standards. The whip is corrective, it provides the pain of consequences.
Even then, foolish people tend to remain stubborn. They often refuse the bridle (the teaching of God’s standards) and resent the whip (the painful consequences of their own behavior).
Wise people are humble before God, and they submit to his direction and correction.
