26 Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a sparrow in its [a]flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
So a curse without cause does not [b]alight.
3 A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a rod for the back of fools.
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes.
6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence
Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.
7 Like the legs which [c]are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Solomon has previously mentioned the folly of trying to share wisdom with foolish people, and here he really digs into the issue. Two things stand out in particular, the first is to recognize whether we are acting the fool. Do we say things without cause (v. 2), especially mean and spiteful things? Do our actions deserve any honor? Not in our own eyes, but does anyone else think so?
And the real test, do we always have to learn the hard way (v. 3)? There’s an “old” song where the author admits that he seems to have this problem. Instead, we need to learn from other people, and from God himself. We need to bow our stiff necks and not rush in every time thinking we know what is best. This can also save us from the folly of v. 4.
In our own wisdom, we may very well “answer a fool according to his folly…” And what does God tell us? “If you do, you’re just as foolish!” Ouch, double and triple ouch! Don’t be wise in your own eyes, but when you feel baited to respond in kind, stop. Maybe it’s better not even to engage the fool. At the very minimum, wait for God to give you the words to say.
If we try to go it alone, we will be the fool uttering proverbs to no avail (v. 7). Instead, seek God’s wisdom, and follow His way. Anything else is vanity and striving after the wind (a repeated theme in Ecclesiastes), and that is not what God has planned for those He loves (Jer. 29:11). He desires you to walk in His way, with the light of His wisdom shining upon the path. Walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8), every step of every day.