This section begins, this chapter begins another new section in Proverbs, often called the
second Solomonic collection or Hezekiah's collection because it tells us that the court
officials of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied or redacted this section.
So you can see that in verse 1.
And the collection begins in earnest with verses 2 to 3.
It says,
It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unreachable.
This word glory appears again at the end of chapter 25 in verse 27 to bookend this first section.
It begins and ends with the mention of glory.
And it says in verse 27,
It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.
There is a glory that is reserved for God.
There is a glory that is reserved for kings.
And a glory that is reserved for people in general.
First, the glory of God is seen in His inscrutability.
That there are aspects of the nature of God and the works of God that are beyond our fathom,
beyond our finding out.
And this brings Him glory because it sets Him apart from the rest of creation.
God's mind, apart from what He has chosen to reveal to us, are hidden from us.
God's not accountable to any man, and He owes no man anything.
And this is unique to Him.
This is His glory.
The glory of kings, however, is to search things out.
On the one hand, this is a fitting verse after verse 1,
which spoke of how Hezekiah and his men organized and transcribed what God had revealed to Solomon.
In other words, Hezekiah was a king who searched things out.
But theological and academic inquiry does not seem to be what's primarily in view in this verse.
Because the following verses, verses 4 to 8, speak of how the king is responsible for expelling evildoers
and establishing his rule with righteousness,
how he's responsible for promoting qualified officials, individuals, and judging impartially.
So the main thing that's in view here with the king's searching out things,
it seems to pertain to him governing over his nation, over his kingdom.
He has to search out the matters of state in order to govern wisely.
And there is an aspect of the king's purposes and governing priorities
that are also hidden from the general population.
So verse 3 says,
The heart of kings is unsearchable to the citizens,
but the heart of God, however, is unsearchable both to the king and to everyone in the world.
And at the end of this chapter, verse 27 tells us that
it is not glorious to seek one's own glory.
The footnote in the ESV translation, frankly,
tells us that the meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain.
Translated very literally, the verse says,
To eat much honey is not good,
nor to search their glory of glory.
What does it mean?
It's quite difficult to make sense of this verse,
apart from recognizing that verses 2 to 3 and verse 27
intentionally bracket this unit and add context to each other.
So the word seek in verse 27 is the same word that is translated search,
which occurs twice in verses 2 to 3.
And the word glory, which occurs twice in verse 27,
also occurs twice in verse 2.
So what does it mean then that searching out their glory of glory is not good?
The immediate context of verse 27 suggests that it's possible to have too much of a good thing,
like honey.
It is not good even to have too much of something that is as delicious and healthful as honey.
Likewise, searching their glory of glory,
perhaps occupying oneself too much with searching out the concealed things that are the glory of God,
or with searching out the heart of kings,
which is unsearchable,
is not good.
This reminds me of Psalm 131, 1-2,
where David says,
Oh Lord, my heart is not lifted up.
My eyes are not raised too high.
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me,
but I have calmed and quietened my soul like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
A wise person, according to these verses, these proverbs,
in humility accepts his place within God's created order.
That's the main point of this entire passage.
Rather than seeking one's own glory by presuming upon the glory reserved for God and kings,
glory is something that God freely bestows on whomever He pleases.
And so accordingly, it's unbecoming of us.
As Christians to seek glory for ourselves.
Sometimes I stress out more than I should about the state of things in our country and in our world.
And that's because I'm too prideful.
Because I'm too preoccupied with searching out things,
searching out glory that is not my own.
It is not my responsibility to chart, let alone direct, the course of this world.
Instead, we are to humble ourselves and know our place within God's created order.
Verses 4 to 7 then tell us that it is the king's prerogative to expel the wicked and reward the virtuous.
Read with me.
Take away the dross from the silver and the smith has material for a vessel.
Take away the wicked from the presence of the king and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great.
For it is better to be told, come up here, than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
The wicked have no place in a righteous kingdom, so they are to be expelled and we are to know our place
rather than engaging in shameless self-promotion.
It is the king's prerogative to promote deserving officials and reward deserving citizens.
If we put ourselves forward, we risk being spurned and humiliated.
This is very similar to the parable that Jesus tells in Luke 11.
So how does this apply to us?
If you're an intern who is supposed to be a wallflower taking copious notes in a room full of managers and executives,
don't offer your ideas like you have a place at the table.
Know your place.
If you're a student who has thought about this particular topic for a whole two hours during the lecture,
perhaps ask your professor who has devoted years studying the subject some questions
and seek to learn from him before you challenge him or dismiss him.
When you get face-to-face time with your boss's boss, don't use it as an opportunity for a shameless one-upmanship,
promoting yourself at the expense of others, your colleagues and your boss.
Don't talk to him like he's just warming up a seat that you're going to be occupying in a few years.
This is counter-cultural because we live in a culture of self-promotion.
But as Christians, we ought instead to humble ourselves,
know our place,
because we know that God who rules over all sees everything.
Similarly, verses 7-10 enjoin us to know our place and be slow to accuse our neighbors in court.
It says in verses 7-10,
What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Argue your case with your neighbor himself and do not reveal another secret,
lest he who hears you bring shame upon you and your ill repute have no end.
How many times have you seen something that another person is doing and suspected something bad,
only to discover later that it was nothing at all?
This is often the case, especially in our culture of instant outrage.
A few years ago, there was a 15-second video clip of a Cubs baseball game that went viral on social media.
When the Cubs first base coach tossed a foul ball in the direction of a smiling boy in the stands,
he bobbled the ball,
and the man sitting above him promptly scooped it up
and gave the ball to the woman sitting next to him.
And this video was seen on live TV,
and so obviously it caused a social media firestorm.
And the man was clearly a thief who soullessly crushed this little boy's hopes and dreams.
And so came the curses, the threats,
and there was video evidence.
People saw it with their own eyes.
The Cubs public relations team quickly resolved the issue
by getting another ball signed by one of their star players and giving it to the boy.
But as they did that, they learned from the people sitting around the man
that that wasn't the whole story.
They learned that actually this same man had caught already three different balls before this ball,
and that with each ball, he had given it to the children around him,
including the boy that was sitting in front of him.
And this last ball that he caught,
he caught for himself so that he could give it to his wife,
and it was their anniversary.
But of course, people will outrage about it and don't care,
because they've seen it for themselves.
We need to question what we see,
because what we see isn't always the whole story.
Even when we see with our own eyes,
we often see through a keyhole.
It lacks proper context,
and that context is too frequently supplied by our own prejudices and suspicions.
According to the Innocence Project,
an organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals,
342 people have been exonerated as a result of DNA testing
since such testing became available in the 90s.
And over 70% of those wrongful convictions
were based on eyewitness testimony.
Our eyes are not infallible.
We rarely know all the facts and seldom interpret them rightly.
So we should be slow to charge our neighbors of wrongdoing
solely based on what we have seen.
Instead, it says,
you should argue your case with your neighbor himself
and do not reveal another secret.
This is akin to Jesus' admonition in Matthew 18
that before we involve anyone else,
that if your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
When we divulge another person's secret
based on what we have observed,
based on our partial knowledge,
our motives are often not as selfless
or righteous as we think they are.
When we become a tattletale,
an informant,
or a litigant,
we are often arrogating for ourselves
duties that are not ours
and shirking our duty to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Of course, there are situations
when we should report
to appropriate authorities
or to take someone to court,
but this proverb warns us against doing so hastily
on incomplete evidence.
Because then in the end,
we might be put to shame
and our ill repute have no end.
But the fact that we should argue our case
with our neighbors ourselves
does not mean that we should do so
in a harsh or rude way.
So verses 11 to 15 teach us
that the wise who fit snugly
into God's created order
are also characterized by timely fitting words.
He says,
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
in a setting of silver.
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him.
He refreshes the soul of his masters.
Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
With patience, a ruler may be persuaded
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
A brilliant gemstone requires a complimentary setting
in order to accentuate its beauty.
Likewise, even if the content of your words
are right and wise,
the manner in which you share them
as well as the timing of your words matter.
And a person who knows how to bring correction wisely
adorns the hearer like a gold ring
on a listening ear.
Similarly, a faithful messenger
by reliably relaying the words of his sender
brings refreshment to his masters
like the cold of snow in the time of harvest.
This is probably not referring to actual snow
at the time of harvest,
but the way the people in the Inchiniereus
at times would climb high mountains
to collect snow and ice
and store them in caves
so that they can use it
to refresh themselves on hot days.
And unlike this faithful messenger
who without fail delivers his message,
a man who boasts of a gift he does not give
is like clouds and wind without rain,
all bluster, no substance.
So all of these deal with timely speech.
And when it comes to the persuading a ruler,
the wise person also knows
that patience is called for
and that a soft tongue will break a bone.
This is such an important lesson for us
because we speak a lot of words.
We speak over 16,000 words per day
an average person.
If you count all the stuff we write
and publish online,
it's probably a lot more words than that.
Imagine if all of our words were well fitted,
if they were wise,
if they were true,
how transformative that would be
to our own lives and to our society.
And the wise also demonstrate
their well fittedness with self-control.
This is in verses 16 to 27.
Begin and end with the illustration of honey
to tell us about the importance of self-control.
First it says,
if you have found honey,
eat only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
This tells us that there's a critical difference
between a healthy appetite and greed.
And we must never cross that line.
And this limit applies even to something
as delicious and healthful as honey,
which had medicinal properties
that people in the ancient world used.
This limit also varies from person to person.
So it says,
eat only enough for you.
This once again is about knowing our place,
knowing our own limits.
Some people can process a lot of sugar,
but a diabetic can only consume small portions
as an occasional treat.
Some people's bodies can process
a fair amount of alcohol.
Some people can't.
Some people of East Asian descent, like me,
have deficiency in one of the enzymes
that breaks down alcohol.
If you have too much of honey,
you will have your fill of it and vomit it.
Bible scholar Derek Kidner puts it very memorably.
Quote,
Since Eden,
man has wanted the last ounce out of life
as though beyond God's enough
lay ecstasy, not nausea.
Beyond God's enough
lies nausea, not ecstasy.
Remember this every time
your appetite tries to get the better of you.
This proverb applies literally
to all kinds of food and drinks,
but it also applies figuratively
to all situations
that call for self-control and restraint.
We can see its figurative application
in verse 17.
Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house,
lest he have his fill of you.
Same expression as verse 16,
and hate you.
Even something as good as friendliness
and neighborliness
can be overdone.
This too means that we need to know
the limits of our neighbors.
Some people have a much higher capacity
for extended, repeated social interactions
than others.
If you look around,
you know exactly who those people are.
But other people
need more space.
So be considerate of your neighbor
and don't presume upon
your neighbor's hospitality.
Respect their privacy
and allow for some space.
This is what the English proverb,
good fences make good neighbors,
means.
It doesn't mean you should be
a bad neighbor.
You should be a friendly neighbor,
but it means that you should respect
your neighbor's boundaries.
Verse 17 tells us,
let your foot be seldom
in your neighbor's house.
Be seldom literally means
make rare or make precious.
Make it so that your neighbor
cherishes your visits
and delights when you come
through the door
rather than groans
when you come through the door.
Know your place.
Don't let your neighbor
have his fill of you
and hate you.
In contrast to the wise person
who is considerate of his neighbor,
verse 18 says,
a man who bears false witness
against his neighbor
is like a war club
or a sword or a sharp arrow.
He's like a soldier
who uses the full range
of the weapons at his disposal
to beat his enemy
to a pulp.
In short,
perjury,
lying in court
in order to convict
someone else
is an act of violence.
And such a treacherous neighbor
should never be trusted.
It says,
trusting in a treacherous man
in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth
or a foot
that slips.
It's such a fun
and helpful description.
I have a bad tooth
right now
because the filling
didn't work out too well
and I can't bite on it.
And an unreliable person,
a treacherous person
is just like that.
Just in that time of need.
When you need that person
the most,
he lets you down.
is undependable.
And this untimely betrayal
of a treacherous man
prompts the following discussion
about the importance
of timeliness,
of doing what fits the occasion.
Verse 20 says,
whoever sings songs
to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off
a garment on a cold day
and like vinegar on soda.
There is a time and place
for singing merry songs,
but to do so to a heavy heart
or to a sullen heart
is like one who takes
off a garment
going shirtless
on a cold day like now.
And like vinegar on soda,
right?
Soda here refers
to sodium carbonate base.
So when you mix it
with acidic vinegar,
it bubbles up,
it reacts.
Like they don't fit together.
There's a time to weep
and a time to laugh.
And as Romans 12, 15,
Jesus says,
we are to rejoice
with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
We are to know our place
and time
in our dealings with others.
And verses 21 to 22
continue this theme.
If your enemy is hungry,
give him bread to eat.
And if he is thirsty,
give him water to drink.
For you will heap
burning coals on his head
and the Lord will reward you.
The time when our enemy
is hungry might appear
at first to be
the prime time for revenge.
But it says,
instead of taking revenge,
we are to feed our enemy
in his time of need.
By refusing to stoop
to the same tit for tat
that our enemy engages in,
by taking the high road,
we will heap burning coals
on his head.
Because by doing so,
we show our enemy
that we are not like them,
that we occupy
the higher moral ground.
And because of this,
they will sizzle with shame
like they have burning coals
poured onto their heads.
One might object
that such an opportunity
to put one's enemy
back into his place
is too good to be squandered.
But we need not worry
about that.
That's not our place
to worry about.
Because it says,
the Lord will reward us.
The Lord repays.
The vengeance is the Lord's.
As Paul quotes this proverb
in Romans 12, 17 to 21,
Repay no one evil for evil,
but give thought to do
what is honorable
in the sight of all.
If possible,
so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all.
Beloved,
never avenge yourselves,
but leave it
to the wrath of God.
For it is written,
vengeance is mine,
I will repay,
says the Lord.
To the contrary,
if your enemy is hungry,
feed him.
If he is thirsty,
give him something to drink.
For by so doing,
you will keep burning coals
on his head.
Do not be overcome
by evil,
but overcome evil
with good.
Remember this
when you feel tempted
to exact personal vengeance
on anyone in your life.
The vengeance is
the Lord's repay evil
with good.
And entrusting oneself
to God's vengeance
means that the wise person
avoids taking shots
at others in secret.
So verse 23 says,
The north wind
brings forth rain
and a backbiting tongue
angry looks.
This is an odd simile
because in Israel,
the west wind
usually brought rain,
not the north wind.
In fact,
the cold north wind
usually cleared the sky
and brought good visibility
that seafarers relied on.
So then,
a north wind
that brings forth rain
would have been
unexpected
and disastrous at times.
And that's precisely
the point
of this comparison.
The Hebrew word
for north
comes from the root
that means to hide,
referring to the northern region
as the hidden region
of the world.
And the phrase
backbiting tongue
in Hebrew
is literally
a tongue of hiding,
referring to hidden slander.
Like wind
from the hidden north
that brings
unexpected rain,
the cold wind
of hidden slander
brings forth angry looks,
literally cursing faces.
The victim
of the backbiting tongue
is blindsided
because he turns
and sees
only angry looks
where he expected
to see friendly faces.
And similarly,
verse 24 says,
It is better to live
in the corner
of the housetop
than a house shared
with the quarrelsome wife.
One's home
is supposed to be
a place of safety
and peace.
But when one's house
is shared
with the quarrelsome spouse,
even the inhospitable
corner of the housetop
is preferable
to that home.
This is similar
to the unexpected
assaults
of the backbiting friend.
Now, in contrast
to this malicious slanderer,
verse 25 says,
Like cold water
to a thirsty soul,
so is good news
from a far country.
And continuing
this imagery
of a fountain
and source of water
tells us that
the wise person
should aspire
to be such
a refreshing life
giving water
to those around them.
But in order for us
to be a wellspring of life
that the proverb
describes the people
who are wise as,
it says in verse 26,
It's like a muddied spring
or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man
who gives way
before the wicked.
If we are to be
a wellspring of life
to those around us,
we must stand firmly
on our righteous convictions
and avoid compromise,
avoid being polluted.
A muddy spring
or a polluted fountain
is particularly dangerous
because people
have already learned
to rely on that
source of truth
and wisdom.
And they might come again
to drink from that fountain
that has now been poisoned.
This is why
preachers who teach
false doctrine
are so insidious.
This is why
Paul exhorts Timothy
this way in 1 Timothy 4.16.
Keep a close watch
on yourselves
and on the teaching.
Persist in this
for by so doing
you will save
both yourself
and your hearers.
Brothers and sisters,
if we want to be
a wellspring of life
to those around us,
we must not compromise
with the wicked.
We must guard
our doctrine
and watch our lives
lest we become
a muddy spring
and a polluted fountain.
Verse 27,
which I already talked
about earlier,
then brackets this section
leaving us verse 28,
which is a Janus verse,
a transitional verse
that connects
the preceding passage
from the one following it.
And this verse
also speaks
of the importance
of self-control,
about knowing our boundaries,
knowing our place.
And it begins
the next section
which talks
about a catalog
of fools.
It's such a vivid
and insightful problem
so I'm going to dwell
on it for a little bit.
It says,
a man without self-control
is like a city
broken into
and left without walls.
Think about this.
People who lack
self-control
are always pushing
against the limits.
They see boundaries
as constrictive,
oppressive.
They flee discipline.
They seek freedom
from restraint.
But ironically,
he is like a city
broken into
and left without walls,
completely exposed
and vulnerable
to wild animals,
to marauders,
to enemy soldiers.
A wall is too restrictive,
he says.
I want to roam freely,
he says.
But little does he know
that the so-called
freedom he cherishes
is going to be
his perishing.
His lack of self-control,
because of it,
he gets taken advantage
of by others.
He falls easily
to temptations.
He fails to see
that his freedom
to sin
is actually
a slavery to sin.
His unruly desires
dominate him.
He has no true freedom
because true freedom
is only found
in servitude
to God
and his word.
This is why
in Exodus,
in freeing his people
from slavery in Egypt,
God says in Exodus 9,
1,
let my people go
that they may serve me.
Let them stop
being slaves of Pharaoh
so that they might be
my slaves,
my servants.
That's what it means
to be free
as human beings.
To submit
to the lordship of God
is the only way
that man can be free.
Brothers and sisters,
I've seen
too many people
go astray
from God
because they think
his standards
are too restrictive
because they think
God's word
to be too constricting.
That seems so strict,
they say.
That's so legalistic.
That's so traditional.
But brothers and sisters,
I plead with you
when you run into walls
in God's word,
don't think,
I wonder what this wall
is keeping me from.
I wonder what I'm
being deprived of.
Instead,
ask yourself,
I wonder what this wall
is protecting me from.
I wonder what good thing
God is preserving me for.
As soon as you
break down the boundaries
that God has placed
around you
for your flourishing,
you will find
that you are like
a city broken into
and left without walls.
Enslaved to the passions
of the flesh.
Enslaved to the patterns
of this world.
And enslaved to the prince
of the power of the air.
And this introduces
chapter 26,
which gives us
a catalog of fools
who do not know
their place,
unlike the wise
who are humble
and know their place
in God's created order.
The fools do not fit
into God's created order.
And this chapter
is organized
in ascending order
so that the type of fools
described in this chapter
get progressively worse,
going from the simple fool
to the sluggard,
and then to the quarreler
and ultimately
to the hater,
a murderous hater.
So first up
is a simple fool
in verses 1 to 12.
It says in verse 1,
like snow in summer
or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting
for a fool.
This word honor
is the same Hebrew word
that was translated glory
earlier
in the previous chapter.
And so here,
the glory,
there's a glory
that's reserved for God
and a glory
that's reserved for kings
and we should know
our place
and not search out
the glory
that is not ours.
And chapter 26
also begins
with this notion
of glory
by telling us
that there is no place
in God's created order
where the fool
should receive glory.
It doesn't fit
like snow in summer
or rain in harvest,
which would be disastrous
in an agricultural society.
And that's the case
with the fool
that has honor.
Unfortunately,
this inappropriate
elevation of fools
happens all too often
in our culture
because we have
a celebrity culture.
Nowadays,
the heroes of our culture
are not known
for their great virtues.
The heroes of our culture
are known merely
for their popularity.
And too often,
vain and foolish people
are idolizing our culture
of self-promotion.
But such elevation,
such honor given
to fools
harms society.
Verse 2 continues,
Like a sparrow
in its fleeting,
like a swallow
in its flying,
a curse that is causeless
does not alight.
God is the one
who enforces
blessings and curses,
so if an undeserving,
innocent person
is cursed by the wicked,
God will not fulfill it.
A causeless curse
is like a mail
without postage.
It will not be delivered.
And such a curse
is like a bird
that flutters
and flits about
never landing in a spot.
The root of the Hebrew word
curse means
to esteem
or treat someone lightly.
It's the exact opposite
of the word honor
used in verse 1,
which means
to esteem
or treat someone heavily,
meaning to give weight
to someone.
And so there's
an intentional contrast here.
In the same way
that honor,
counting heavy,
is unfitting for a fool,
this honor occurs
counting lightly
is unfitting
for a wise,
righteous person.
What is fitting
for a fool,
it says,
discipline and punishment,
it says in verse 3,
a whip for the horse,
a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod
for the back of fools.
A whip can tame
and teach a horse,
and a bridle
can control a donkey.
Likewise,
a rod has the potential
to restrain
and teach a fool.
And the fool
is here compared
to animals
that respond
more to physical stimuli
than to reasoning.
And this is why
it is foolish
to try to reason
with fools.
It says in verse 4,
answer not a fool
according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
This is a really
fascinating couplet
because verse 4
appears to advise
against answering a fool.
It means
don't engage with fools
in their folly,
don't waste your time
on them,
lest you make a fool
of yourself.
However,
if you look at verse 5,
immediately after this,
this seems to advise
the exact opposite.
Answer a fool
according to his folly,
lest he be wise
in his own eyes.
Now,
this verse appears
to say that we should
answer the fool,
lest he continue
under the delusion
that his folly is wise.
These two verses
are not only
structurally parallel,
they also are connected
by similar sounds,
creating a rhyming effect.
And they're meant
to be interpreted together.
The key to resolving
this apparent contradiction
is to interpret
the same phrase,
the ambiguous phrase,
according to his folly
in light of its
immediate context.
Verse 4 says,
answer not a fool
according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
That's the interpretive key.
When does answering a fool
according to his folly
make you a fool yourself?
Verse 4 is warning us
against answering a fool
in the manner
of a fool.
It's saying,
don't stoop to his level.
Don't answer in kind.
When he says,
well,
you're just stupid,
don't respond by saying,
well,
I have more degrees
than you.
To do so
is to be reduced
to a fool yourself.
Answering a fool
according to his folly.
Verse 5,
on the other hand,
says,
answer a fool
according to his folly,
lest he be wise
in his own eyes.
So that's the interpretive key.
This problem is not telling us
to adopt the fool's way of thinking
because the goal
of answering the fool
is to prevent him
from being wise
in his own eyes.
If we merely confirm
his worldview
or adopt his perspective,
then we are leaving him
in his disastrous delusions,
which is the exact opposite
of what this verse
is telling us to do.
Instead,
verse 5
is telling us
to address the fool's folly
and expose it,
poke holes in it,
to enlighten the fool
with true wisdom
so that he will no longer
be wise
in his own eyes.
Verses 4 and 5
are not contradictory,
advising that you apply
these things
in different situations.
They nuance each other
and are to be understood
together
and both of them
are true simultaneously.
Paul actually gives us
a wonderful example of this
in 2 Corinthians chapter 11.
11 and 12.
The Corinthian believers
are being led astray
in that context
by the false teaching
of these fake apostles
who were styling themselves
as super apostles.
And the Corinthians believed
that these super apostles
were more qualified,
more eloquent,
and more knowledgeable
than Paul
and believed that
that's why they demanded
a premium honorarium
compared to Paul
who labored among them
for free.
But Paul dispels
the Corinthians' folly
by answering them
according to their folly.
He lists all of his
fleshly, worldly qualifications
in order to demonstrate
that he is in no wise
inferior to these
so-called super apostles.
He argues according
to the Corinthians' terms
because his refusal
to do so would have
only confirmed
the foolish Corinthians'
misjudgments.
But now,
if that's all that Paul did,
he would be violating
verse 4
and making a fool
of himself.
But that's not
what Paul does.
Even as he boasts
of his worldly accomplishments
and qualifications,
Paul says repeatedly
that he is speaking
as if he were a fool.
And he does this,
he says,
in order to expose
the Corinthians' folly
not to leave them
in their delusions
of being wise
in their own eyes.
He tells them
that boasting about
such fleshly,
worldly strengths
is useless
and says this
in 2 Corinthians 12, 9,
I will boast
all the more gladly
of my weaknesses
so that the power
of Christ may rest upon me.
Paul contrasts
the sign
and credentials
that the so-called
super apostles
were offering
with the signs
of a true apostle
in chapter 12,
verse 12.
By doing this,
Paul follows
the admonitions
of both verse 4
and verse 5
and we ought
to do the same
and teach fools
to know their place.
But we must be cautious
not to form
unwise associations
with fools
because according
to verses 6 to 10,
they are unreliable
and volatile.
Though we teach them
God's wisdom,
they only grasp
the form of wisdom
and not its substance.
That's what verses
6 to 10 are about.
They're structured
chiastically
with parallel elements
with the central element
being verse 8.
Like one who binds
a stone in a sling
is one who gives
honor to a fool.
These verses speak
of how unreliable
the fool is
and how the proverb
is wasted
on their mouths
because they don't know
actually how to apply it
or to use it.
And it says
in verse 11,
like a dog
that returns
to his vomit
is a fool
who repeats
his folly.
This proverb
is harder
for us to understand
because one of the
kinds of dogs
that we see
in our area
is our cute dogs
and pet dogs
that are well trained.
But don't imagine
that dog.
Dogs back in the day
and still in many parts
of the world
are wild,
disgusting scavengers.
According to details
in scripture,
they eat garbage,
they eat carcasses
and lick the blood
of the dead.
And for this reason,
they are sometimes
used figuratively
to describe evildoers.
A dog would return
to its vomit,
smell it,
lick it,
and eventually eat it.
And that revolting behavior
is used
to turn us
against
being a fool,
a fool
who repeats
his folly.
This proverb
is cited
in 2 Peter 2,
20-22
to describe
those who have
escaped the defilements
of the world
through the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ,
but are again
entangled in them
and overcome
so that the last state
has become worse
for them
than the first.
Whenever you feel
the allure
of the sinful world,
I pray that this
revolting picture
will come to your mind,
to returning
to your vomit,
returning to your
former way of life,
your way of sin,
is like returning
to a vomit.
It cannot satisfy you
or nourish you.
And then verse 12
issues a final warning
about the simple fool.
Do you see a man
who is wise
in his own eyes?
There is more hope
for a fool
than for him.
The fool
who repeats
his own folly
is on the verge
of becoming a man
who is wise
in his own eyes,
which is even worse.
That's worse
than being a fool.
The fool
at least has a chance
of being corrected
with discipline,
but the man
who is wise
in his own eyes
has no hope.
And then verse 13
to 16
speak of the sluggard,
which I won't
go into detail
because I've spoken
on this
in multiple passages
before in Proverbs.
There's these passages,
some of these Proverbs
are repeated
in earlier.
But the sluggard
is described
as someone
who is wiser
in his own eyes
than seven men
who can answer
sensibly.
The sluggard
does not know himself,
does not know
his place.
He does not occupy
his rightful place
in society.
Instead,
he stays in his bed
turning,
tossing and turning
like a door
that turns
on its hinges
and never leaves
its place.
And the type
of fool's catalog
continually gets worse.
And after the fool
and the sluggard,
we encounter
the quarreler
or the instigator
in verses 17
to 22.
Please follow along
with me
as I read it.
Whoever meddles
in a quarrel
not his own
is like one
who takes
a passing dog
by the ears.
Like a madman
who throws firebrands,
arrows,
and death
is the man
who deceives
his neighbor
and says,
I am only joking.
For lack of wood
the fire goes out
and where there
is no whisperer,
quarreling ceases.
As charcoal
to hot embers
and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome
man for kindling strife.
The words of a whisperer
are like delicious morsels.
They go down
into the inner parts
of the body.
The instigator
has an unhealthy
curiosity for quarrels.
So he meddles
in quarrels
that are not his own
and he is like
a person
who grabs a wild dog
by the ear
that's just passing by.
The dog is sure
to turn on you
and to bark at you.
The instigator
does not know
to keep to his place.
And likewise,
his words
are ill-fitted.
They do not fit
the occasion.
He hurls words
like firebrands,
arrows,
and death.
And then afterward
feigns ignorance
saying,
I'm only joking.
And without wood
the fire will certainly
be extinguished.
And likewise,
when there is no whisperer,
a quarreling ceases.
But the instigators
fan the flames
of conflict
with another gossip,
with another slander.
And these whispers
get consumed
by people
like delicious morsels
poisoning them
against others.
And then finally,
we see the portrait
of the hater
in verses 23 to 28.
Like the glaze
covering an earthen vessel,
our fervent lips
with an evil heart.
Whoever hates
disguises himself
with his lips
and harbors deceit
in his heart.
When he speaks graciously,
believe him not,
for there are seven
abominations in his heart.
Though his hatred
be covered with deception,
his wickedness
will be exposed
in the assembly.
Whoever digs a pit
will fall into it
and a stone
will come back
on him
who starts it rolling.
A lying tongue
hates its victims
and a flattering mouth
works ruin.
The key word hate
occurs in every other verse
in these 23 to 28.
And the word heart
is repeated three times
which indicates
where the hatred resides.
And then the words
like lips,
speak,
tongue,
mouth
are repeated
to reveal the primary way
in which hatred
in the heart
is expressed outwardly.
It is through deceit
with evil intention.
It's through flattery,
speaking graciously
in order to hide
the evil intentions
that,
the murderous intentions
that they have
toward us.
These evildoers
have toward the righteous.
Though in reality
they are just trying
to crush you
with this stone
that they are trying
to roll over you.
In implementing
his murderous plan
this hater,
this fool
presumes for himself
the place of God
as the ultimate
arbiter of justice.
And because he does this
he will also be punished
in kind
and God will make
that stone
come back on him
who starts it rolling.
The way these two chapters
of Proverbs
describe humanity's sin
is very insightful
because at the heart
of it
is a failure
to know our place.
We have all rebelled
against God.
We have all sought
to usurp
God's throne
and we have sought
to be the masters
of our own fate,
lords over our own lives.
But true wisdom
it teaches us
lies in humbling ourselves
and taking our rightful place
under God's rule.
And it's precisely
because we have failed
to do this
that God the Father
sends his son
Jesus Christ.
This is why
Jesus has to leave
his place
to occupy
our place
taking on human flesh,
taking,
occupying our place
on the cross
dying a sinner's death
in our place
as our substitute
so that we might
take his place
because we didn't
know our place.
that's why
theologian
John Stott
puts it this way
in his book
The Cross of Christ.
Man asserts himself
against God
and puts himself
where only God
deserves to be.
God sacrifices
himself for man
and puts himself
where only man
deserves to be.
Man claims
prerogatives
that belong
to God alone.
God accepts
penalties
that belong
to man
alone.
That's
the good news
of Jesus Christ.
That's
the saving message
that we all
must heed
that the whole world
needs to hear
because the world
has turned against them
and does not know
its place
before God.
But God,
the Son of God
has taken their place
so that they might
be saved,
so that they might
take the place
that God
intended for them
to have
at the beginning
of creation
in his kingdom.
In his presence.
In eternity.
That's what
we are called
to be ambassadors
of.
That good news
in our world.
Please take a moment
to reflect on that truth.
How is God
calling you
to deeper humility
in your life?
Who are the people
in your life
that God is
calling to share
this good news
of Jesus'
substitution
taking your place
with?
Please think
for a few moments
and then we're
going to respond
together
as a body
by praying.