If You Imitate The Fool, You Equate Him
In this sense, today I want to share one of them and in turn interpret the great message that each of these verses contains.
Proverbs 26
26 As the snow is not suitable in the summer, nor the rain in the harvest,
So honor does not suit a fool.
2 Like the sparrow in its wandering, and like the swallow in its flight,
Thus the curse will never come without cause.
3 The whip for the horse, the bridle for the ass,
And the rod for the fool's back.
4 Never answer a fool according to his foolishness,
So that you are not like him too.
5 Respond to the time as his folly deserves,
So that he does not consider himself wise in his own opinion.
6 Like the one who cuts his feet and drinks his harm,
So is he who sends a message by the hand of a fool.
7 The legs of the lame hang useless;
Such is the proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8 As one who binds the stone in the sling,
So does he who honors a fool.
9 Thorns driven into the hand of the drunkard,
Such is the proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 As an archer who strikes everyone,
He is the one who pays foolish and homeless people...
(King James Version)
These seemingly contradictory proverbs appear complementary if you look at them teaching two different truths. If you imitate the fool, you are equal to him; but if you answer him as if he were wise, he will think he is wise.
In the same way, a list of inconsistencies is presented, things that normally never appear together but are detailed with the foolishness of man, motivating man to practice the value of wisdom.
There are many things that we can look at in our universe that do not agree according to the occasion that they occur, for example, here it is described that snow in the summer or rain in harvesting is convenient since both would cause a collapse as well as the fool does not honor
I believe that no foolishness can be worthy of honor and God is the first to give us the example censuring the action of the fool because really the fool practices all kinds of foolishness coupled with carnal actions without wisdom when making decisions
There are many negative actions that the fool practices since in their lives there is no balance, modesty, decision-making or prudence, since they act lightly according to what they live at that time, so these verses also exhort us to not to respond to the fools when they speak so that we do not become like them and if we are forced for some reason to respond we must do it as their foolishness deserves so that they do not feel wise in their own foolishness.
These proverbs are a wellspring of wisdom for our daily actions and to discern the words of the fool because their words are really like thorns stuck in the hands of drunkards.
Foolish people think they are wise in their own opinion and never acknowledge their mistakes nor do they listen to retain the advice in time because they are stubborn like the mule and Solomon resembles them like dogs that return to their vomit their feet will always be ready to trip over and over a thousand times with the same foolishness.
In such a way that God does not approve of foolishness, much less honors his actions, on the contrary, fools provoke the wrath of God and keeps them away from them and warns us that when they become wise in their own opinion they withdraw their hope from him.
Let's avoid imitating the fool, because if you do, you will be equal to him. God has given us wisdom through his word to guide us in this world.