1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools!
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you yourself will be just like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.
6 Sending a message by the hands of a fool
is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
7 Like the useless legs of one who is lame
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.
9 Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
10 Like an archer who wounds at random
is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.
12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
13 A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road,
a fierce lion roaming the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.
15 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
16 A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven people who answer discreetly.
17 Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.
18 Like a maniac shooting
flaming arrows of death
19 is one who deceives their neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
20 Without wood a fire goes out;
without a gossip a quarrel dies down.
21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
are fervent[a] lips with an evil heart.
24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
The fool, the sluggard, the meddler, and the liar. It sounds like a folk band from the 60s. Regardless, none of these guys are men we would seek to emulate. If anything, they are the opposite of the model we should pursue. The teachers of the Proverbs go so far as to not just say, “don’t act,” like a fool, a sluggard, a meddler, or a liar, but don’t even spend time with them.
The fool won’t seek counsel, the sluggard won’t engage in hard work, the meddler gets pleasure from other people’s conflict, and the liar aims to gain from distorting the truth. All of these are what we would think of today as evil men. As Machiavellian as much of that sounds, none of us want to be known for any of these traits.
Who wants to be the guy who doesn’t learn from his mistakes? Or the one who is known for being lazy? No one wants to be seen as consistently getting in other people’s business. And who would like to be known as a liar? These are not desirable traits.
But it’s easy to slip just a little. To be just a little flighty; to rest a little more than maybe we should sometimes; to stir the pot a little bit, just for fun; or to shade the facts when we aren’t ready to own up to the complete truth.
Integrity is about doing the right thing all the time. Not slipping, even a little bit, even when no one is watching.
A windshield is designed and manufactured to withstand rain, snow, and high-velocity wind sheer, but we’ve all experienced what happens if a rock kicks up off the interstate at high speeds and smacks right into the middle of it. It cracks, and that crack compromises the structural integrity of the windshield. Repairing the windshield immediately isn’t too big a deal. The insurance company makes a call, and the repair technician rolls out to fill and seal the crack with a resin that restores the windshield’s integrity. It never looks like new again, but at least the windshield can continue to function.
But… if the chip in the windshield isn’t repaired and continues to be exposed to the elements, it grows, and soon spiderwebs of cracks can stretch all over the windshield. Ultimately, that tiny stone chip can destroy the windshield if not addressed. All of this could have been avoided with a simple repair once the compromise to the integrity was noticed.
Our lives are like that. We are cruising down the highway of life, minding our own business, when something jumps up and cracks the integrity of our lives. Maybe it’s just a little white lie or a juicy bit of gossip that we share. Perhaps it’s a little trouble we decide to stir up between a couple of co-workers to help ourselves get an edge. In any case, the integrity has been breached. Rather than continuing down the road and allowing that breach to spread into other areas of our lives, we need to address the issue quickly and thoroughly. It could be between you and God, or maybe you have a group of men who can come around you and call you to a higher standard. In either case, don’t leave the sin issue alone. Address it. Immediately. Move back to a place of integrity. Be restored. And keep moving forward, leading a life that honors and points others to Jesus.
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God, I confess all the moments where I disobeyed Your commands. Sanctify my heart where the enemy has gained a foothold. At this moment, I ask forgiveness for the times I have sinned against You. The big and the small. Help me turn to You, learn from mistakes, and begin again in new mercies. Thank You that, through Jesus, I can even ask for forgiveness. Amen.
