Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
Proverbs 26-27
Snow makes no sense in summer; it is surprising and inappropriate. But too much rain in harvest is not only unusual but damaging to the crops. Honoring a fool is similarly inappropriate, and it may be harmful to those who take him as a model. He may even believe the compliments and be encouraged to try to take charge, with disastrous results!
A horse and a donkey do not respond to the logical pleas of wisdom. You can only spur them to action with a whip, and only a bridle can direct their course. In the same way, fools only pay attention to force and consequences.
We are reminded at the end of chapter 26 that hate expresses itself in a variety of ways. Sometimes it makes a direct attack, spreading lies to hurt or oppress a person. In other cases, it resorts to flattery, exaggerating praise beyond the bounds of truth. The velvet words are intended to lull the victim into complacency just before the trap is sprung. Either tactic uses falsehood as a weapon to express hatred.
Flattery seems to be the easy way to win friends and gain more favor, the approval and acceptance that all of us desire. But in the end, the wise person will speak the hard truth. Anyone who rebukes a person takes a chance on losing the friendship, but the person who risks losing is the one who ultimately gains. It is a hint of the principle that Jesus taught in Matthew 10:39. The Old Testament speaks repeatedly of the way deceit boomerangs on the plotter. He who tries to lay a trap for others will fall into it himself. Fools attempt deceit as a way to get what they want, but in the end it never works.
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to be willing to be a true friend to someone who is being a fool.
- Lord, please help me to be discerning with those who would flatter me.
- Lord, please help me to not be stubborn, but rather to submissively obey your word and follow your Spirit.
Political
- Senator Sean McCann – District 20 – Kalamazoo
- Senator Mallory McMorow – District 13 – Troy
- Representative Luke Meerman – District 88 – Allendale