Courts and Conflict

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.

2 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

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.