Let’s take our Bibles together and turn to the Book of Proverbs. We are in chapter 26 today, and  the title for our message is “Stupid is as Stupid does.” Let’s get into it.  

I don’t think that title is a stretch for Proverbs 26. Last week we talked about self-control in  Proverbs 25. That was the theme of that chapter. And although there are inferences to foolish behavior,  there is no use of the Hebrew word for “fool” (יל ִס ְּכ] kesîl]) anywhere in Proverbs 25. 

Proverbs 26 on the other hand has eleven references to the “fool” ( יל ִס ְּכ (in this chapter (26:1, 3, 4,  5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). Additionally there are three references to “folly” (ת ֶּלֶּו ִא) ʾiw·wě·lěṯ)) in this chapter  (26:4, 5, 11). There are four references to our old friend “the sluggard” (26:13, 14, 15, 16). And there are  three references to one who is “wise in his own eyes” (i.e. an obvious yet oblivious foolish person) in this  chapter (26:5, 12, 16).  

So the theme of Proverbs 26 is foolishness. And the goal is not to embrace foolishness as a way of  life, it’s to avoid it. So in many ways, Proverbs 26 functions as an expansive and poetic cautionary tale.  Don’t do like foolish people do.  

What’s should we do instead? Well, we’ll get to that. But first let’s talk about foolishness.  

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Let me give you four statements on foolishness today. Actually, as the passage unfolds, there are  going to be four kinds of foolishness described. There’s the fool, the sluggard, the busybody, and the  deceiver. Let’s start with… 

1) The foolishness of a fool (26:1–12) 

Solomon says in verse 1,  

"1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool."

In Israel, the dry season runs from March to October. Rain in Israel was rare at harvest time, and that’s  good for the harvest. Last week we saw how a drop of snow at harvest time could fantastically refresh a person  burning up underneath the hot summer sun (see 25:13). That was positive. This is negative. If snow really  came in the summer, and if rain came at harvest, that would be destructive to the crops.

So snow in summer and rain in harvest is undesirable, inconvenient, and aggravating. So is, according to  Solomon, honor given to a fool. That is undesirable, inconvenient, and aggravating.  

Without naming names or pointing at any “fool” in particular, I will just say that it is extremely  annoying to me when Hollywood elites, athletes, musicians, and celebrities who are “famous for being  famous” are publicly lauded for their ridiculous opinions on politics, religion, and ethics. When they are  honored and respected and listened to, it is aggravating. It is, to use Solomon’s language here, “not  fitting.”

Look at verse 2,  

"2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight."

In other words, a bulwark against false accusations and curses is your character. Remember, though, this  is a truism. Do good people get falsely accused in our day? Yes. Does that stick sometimes? Unfortunately, yes.  But more often than not and all things being equal, a good man is not brought down by baseless accusations.  

Look at verse 3,  

"3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools. " 

Yikes, that’s harsh. We don’t cane or thrash criminals in our day. But we do incarcerate. We do require  people who break the law to serve their time. And that works as a deterrent for other would-be criminals. The  idea here is that fools, like beasts, only do right by pain or threat of punishment.  

And now we come to two of the most instructive verses in the whole book of Proverbs. I love these two  verses, because they help us know how to interpret the book as a whole. Solomon says in verse 4. "4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself."

“Okay! Got it, Solomon! Don’t answer a fool according to his folly!” But then he says in the very  next verse. 

5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. 

“What? What do I do with that? Which one is it, Solomon? Verse 4 or Verse 5? Make up your  mind already!” What should we do, church? Should we answer a fool according to his folly or not? The  answer is… it depends.

There’s this OT class that I teach at Moody where we address this issue. As one of the assignments  for that class, I have a discussion question for my students to think through this matter. How do we  interpret verse 4 and 5? And this really trips up some of my students. And they try like crazy sometimes  with hermeneutical gymnastics to make sense of these two verses. And they want to harmonize what  Solomon is saying here.  

But there’s a better way to understand what Solomon is saying. And I think there’s intentionality with Hezekiah’s men putting these two statements back to back in this collection. What they are saying is that  sometimes for the sake of wisdom and peace and your own sanity, you’ve got to ignore a fool who is spouting  foolishness. But other times, maybe when innocent bystanders are imbibing the foolishness of a fool, you’ve got  to answer a fool. In other words, somebody’s got to stand up for wisdom!

And it’s not always easy to determine when to speak up. It feels like six in one hand, half a dozen  in the other. The choice between the two isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s choosing between the lesser of two  evils.  

“How do I know when to do one and when to do the other?” Well that requires wisdom. That  requires discernment and prudence. These are all things that Solomon has taught us in this book. And if I  can go NT on you for a moment, it also requires, in our era, the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Ask God  when and where to answer a fool and when to be silent!  

“Have you figured out how to do that yet, Pastor Tony?” No, not perfectly. But I am much more  discerning now than I’ve been in the past about where and when to combat foolishness.  Sometimes I’m pacifistic. Sometimes I’m ready to go to war. It depends on the stakes. It depends  on the situation. It depends on the bystanders. May God give us wisdom to discern when and where and  whether we should answer a fool according to his folly.

Look at verse 6 with me. “Are we done with fools yet?” Nope.  

"6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence."

In other words, if you trust in a fool, don’t be surprised when you get disastrous results. That’s on you. Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

One commentator I read this last week paraphrased this verse by saying, “learning wisdom from a  fool is like learning to dance from a lame man.” There’s an old adage that goes like this: “Never trust a  skinny cook.” Similarly “a proverbs in the mouth of a fool is useless.” 

Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.  

That’s basically verse 1 all over again. We might paraphrase verse 8 like this: “Like giving a loaded  gun to a criminal is one who gives honor to a fool.” It’s dangerous and destructive. Look at verse 9. 

"9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools."

Wow, that’s a vivid image! Imagine a thornbush in the hand of a drunkard who is swinging it about  wildly, hurting himself and others. That’s a proverb in a fool’s mouth.

Why is a proverb in the mouth of a fool such a bad thing? We see Solomon denounce this in both verse  7 and verse 9. I think, for Solomon, a proverb is a costly thing. It’s a truism. It’s a principle to live by. It’s a  precious aphorism that requires consideration and meditation.  

But a fool uses a proverb for sport. A fool doesn’t understand it. Maybe he even absolutizes it for his  own nefarious purposes. If you remember several months ago, I said that a proverb is like a hard piece of  candy. You don’t bite down too hard on it, or else it’ll break your teeth. Instead, you suck on it and  extract its flavor. That’s the idea here. Like a thornbush in the hand of a drunkard… like a man who bites  down on a piece of hard candy breaking his teeth… is a proverb in the mouth of fools.  

Here’s another statement about a fool. Notice the use of simile again. Like… like… like… Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

Again, if you trust in a fool, don’t be surprised when you get disastrous results. That’s on you. Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.  

And all God’s people said, “Yuck! Thank you for that vivid and disgusting image, Solomon!” This  is the ancient equivalent to our adage: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and  expecting different result.” That’s a good adage. But the proverb here is even more—let’s just say— memorable! 

I had a conversation with a friend once, and we were discussing whether dogs or cats are better pets. And she said, “You know why dogs are better than cats? You don’t ever have to clean up a dog’s  vomit.” If I remember correctly, I think I said to her, “touché?”  

By the way, Peter uses this verse to describe false teachers in the church who revert back to sin  and worldliness after having been exposed to the truth of the gospel (2 Pet 2:20–22). He calls them false  teachers! And teachers who do that and Christians who apostatize or deconstruct their faith are like dogs  that return to their vomit. 

Look at verse 12. 

"12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

“Is there anything worse than a fool, Pastor Tony?” Yes! A fool who thinks he is wise. That’s  worse! I’ve heard it said before that the only thing more difficult than a high-maintenance person is a  high-maintenance person who thinks he or she is low-maintenance. What’s worse than a fool? A fool who  thinks they are wise. 

And actually there’s a little glimmer of hope here in verse 12. It’s as if Solomon is saying, “If you are  foolish, there’s hope for you. You can renounce your foolishness. But you have to acknowledge it first.” It’s like step one of Alcoholics Anonymous. What’s the first step towards recovery? You’ve got to admit  you’ve got a problem! You’ve got to admit you need help! 

What’s the first step towards recovery for a foolish person? From Solomon’s perspective, it’s the  fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You acknowledge that there’s a God,  and you’re not him. You acknowledge that God has given you his Word, and this is the source of all  wisdom.

From an NT perspective, you acknowledge that you are a sinful, wicked person, and you reach out  for help from him who was sinless and the perfect embodiment of Wisdom. Paul said of Jesus in the NT  that Christ became to us the wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor  1:30). Everything you need to battle foolishness in your life is available to you in Christ Jesus.  

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Let’s keep going. Write this down as #2 in your notes. There’s another kind of foolishness that is  described in Proverbs 26, and it’s this…

2) The foolishness of a sluggard (26:13–16)  

Verse 13 says,  

"'13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion38 in the streets!”  

Why is the sluggard saying this? Do they actually believe it? Or are they pretending, just so they can get  out of work? I don’t know. And it doesn’t really matter. Even if there is a lion on the road, you still have to go  to work!  

People get in their cars and drive to work every day. You’ve got a much better chance of dying in  a car crash in modern society than an ancient person had of dying from a lion. The worse thing in this  scenario is not dying in a gruesome death on your way to work. The worst thing is this—not working because  you are lazy. That’s the greater of two evils for Solomon.  

Look at verse 14. This is a great form of satire in the book of Proverbs. This is Babylon Bee kind of  stuff right here. 

"14 As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

15The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth."

He’s so lazy… he’s so foolish… that he can’t even feed himself. He’s a big baby. Remember that  word I used several months ago for the “big babies” in Italy who live with their parents into their thirties  and mooch off of them? They’re called “bamboccioni”! Big Babies.  

And here’s the real tragedy of all this. Look at verse 16. These sluggards don’t even know how foolish  and lazy they are! They are self-deceived.  

"16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly."

Again, the only thing worse than a fool is a fool who thinks he is wise. The only thing worse than a  lazy fool is a lazy fool who thinks he is wise. There’s no hope for this person.  

Lazy people have to acknowledge their error, before they can overcome their situation. Paul said in the  NT, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not  busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do  their work quietly and to earn their own living” (2 Thess 3:10–12). 

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Speaking of busybodies, write this down as #3 in your notes. Here’s another kind of foolishness in  Proverbs 26.  

3) The foolishness of a busybody (26:17–22) 

Solomon writes,  

"17 Whoever meddles43 in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears."

I’ve actually quoted this verse several times to people. For whatever reason, people seem to think getting  involved in another person’s quarrel is a good idea. Sometimes people just like drama. Or maybe they think  it’s heroic to insert themselves into a conflict. That’s not heroic. That’s idiotic. 

And when you see the word “dog” here, I don’t want you to think your labradoodle named  “Buster.” This is not a reference to trusty “Buster,” man’s best friend. Instead of “dog” think “mongrel.” In  place of “dog” insert the word “cur.” Instead of dog insert the word “jackal” even. 

Dogs in ancient Israel weren’t domesticated.They were scavengers. They were mongrels. And if you  took a passing mongrel by the ears, that’s like grabbing a tiger by the tail. You better hold on for dear life.  Because the moment you let go, then here come the Rabies.  

What does Solomon compare that vivid image to? A person who meddles in someone else’s quarrel.  That’s not something you want to do.  

Look at verse 18. 

"'18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death  

19 is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!"'

Yes, there’s a place for satire. Yes, there’s a place for irony. Yes, there’s a place for jokes and silliness  and tomfoolery. I told you before that one of the things that I struggle with is trusting people who don’t  have a sense of humor. When people can’t laugh, and especially can’t laugh at themselves, I see that as a  character flaw. 

But when people deceive other people under the guise of joking… when husbands and wives are  sarcastic and biting towards one another and then try to disguise it as a joke… that’s painful. Those words  hurt! That’s like a madman hurling arrows at someone.  

Look at verse 20. 

20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.  

"21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.  

22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body."

Why is a busybody so destructive? Why is gossip so problematic in society? Because they destroy  relationships. They start fires. They kindle strife. They feed the twisted desires of their own heart and the hearts  of others.  

The story is told about a sixteenth-century preacher who was addressing the issue of gossip. After  a woman came up to him and confessed to gossiping and slandering other people in her community, the  pastor asked her, “Do you frequently fall into this fault?” She replied, “Yes, very often.” He said, “Your  fault is great, but the mercy of God is still greater.”  

And then he said this, “Go to the nearest market, and purchase a chicken just killed and still  covered with feathers. You will then walk a certain distance, plucking the feathers of the bird as you go  along. When you finish your work, return to me here.”  

She did as she’d been instructed and returned anxious for an explanation. “Well,” said the man. “You’ve been very faithful to the first part of my instructions. Now what I want you to do is to retrace  your steps and gather all the feathers up one by one.” 

The woman said, “But I cast them carelessly on every side. The wind carried them in every  direction. How can I ever recover them?” “Well,” said the preacher, “So it is with your words of slander.  Like the feathers, they have been scattered. Call them back, if you can.”

Sometimes there’s spitefulness in our gossip. Sometimes there is deceit in our gossip. Sometimes  it’s even true. If it’s true does that mean when need to share it with other people? No, it doesn’t.  I would say too that sometimes gossip is even piously framed. “Oh, did you hear about so and so? When he did such and such? Bless his heart!” “Oh, did you hear what she did? Did you hear about what  that church did? Let me tell you… so you can pray for them!” Are you more interested in relaying a little  bit of juicy tittle-tattle than actually praying or helping bring a solution to a matter? The Apostle Paul spoke about this in the church at Ephesus, where there were gossips, busybodies, and  idlers going about from house to house saying what they should not (1 Tim 5:13). Paul told Timothy to get  involved in that situation and tell them to quit! 

Solomon calls gossips “whisperers” in verses 20 and 22. 

"22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels… "

The Hebrew word for “whisperer” here is a negative term. So it’s not like Robert Redford, the “Horse  Whisperer.” The Hebrew word has the idea of murmuring and complaining, like the Israelites did in the  wilderness.

And these words of the whisperer are like delicious morsels. They may taste good at first. It may  feel good at first. It may feel cathartic to vent a little bit and air your grievances… or to listen to someone  else do that. But that goes down into your inner parts and starts to rot your soul. And it destroys  relationships.  

Proverbs 16:28 says, “a whisperer separates close friends.” Proverbs 20:19 says, “Whoever goes about  slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.” Gossip ruins relationships. It  separates close friends. So if someone comes to you with a tasty morsel… “Hey, did you hear about so and  so? Hey, did you hear about such and such?” You say, “No, and I don’t want to hear it! I don’t have ears  for that!” And if someone comes to you with a grievance against another person, you say, “I think you  should take that up with that person first.”  

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Here’s a final kind of foolishness in Proverbs 26. Write this down as #4. 

4) The foolishness of a deceiver (26:23–28)  

Now this is a sneakier kind of fool. This is a “smart fool” if I can say it that way. This is a fool that  will sneak up on you if you’re not on your guard.53

Solomon writes in verse 23,  

"23 Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart." 

Literally Solomon says, “like silver dross glazed over an earthen vessel.”And the word “fervent” can  be translated “smooth” or “flattering.” The idea here, as I understand it, is flattering speech that covers over an  evil heart. It’s like a cheap dross that makes an earthen vessel seem valuable. But it’s a ruse. It’s like a  whitewashed tomb, to use Jesus’s illustration (Matt 23:27–28).  

Solomon writes in verse 24,

"24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; 

25 when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart;

26 though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly."

Now I know that there is an objection to this that might arise, even now, inside of you when I quote  these verses. Some of you might say, “But Tony, sometimes deceivers do go unpunished. Sometimes wicked  people get away with evil and their wickedness is never exposed in the assembly.” For every Jeffrey  Epstein and P. Diddy in this world, there are countless people who are never unmasked for their  deception and their wickedness. That’s true. I won’t argue against that.  

But let me say two things about that. 1) Keep in mind the nature of a proverb. Proverbs are truisms not  promises. That’s how you interpret them. All things being equal, crooks get caught and go to prison. All things  being equal, false witnesses get punished, and liars fail to prosper. But we live in a fallen world where all things  are not equal and where justice sometimes falls through the cracks. And so we cannot interpret these passages  absolutely. They’re proverbs not promises.  

2) Secondly the Bible always takes the long view on life, morality, and ethics. So maybe a deceitful  person does thrive in this world. Maybe a liar gets away with a plethora of lies. Even if that happens sometimes, Proverbs 12:22 still asserts, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his  delight.” 

You may be able to beat the odds in this fallen world with lies and deceit, but you’re still acting  abominably before the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be in the Lord’s good graces, than have  some momentary success achieved by deceitfulness and dishonesty.  

So here’s my encouragement for you. Remove every ounce of deception from your speech. Remove  every lie, every falsehood, every manipulation, every half-truth, and every white-lie from your lips. The Lord loves the truth. He loves it. And lying lips are an abomination to him. Parents teach your kids to love the  truth and hate lies, just like God loves the truth and hates lies. Show them your affinity for the truth and  your abomination of lies.  

Warren Wiersbe said this once, “One of the marks of liars is that they enjoy listening to lies…It’s a  basic rule of life that the ears hear what the heart loves.” Wiersbe says also, “When words can’t be trusted,  then society starts to fall apart. Contracts are useless, promises are vain, the judicial system becomes a  farce, and all personal relationships are suspect.”  

I realize that there’s a certain inevitability about that in our world as we drift farther and farther  from God. We’re going to have to deal with that increasing challenge in our world. But this shouldn’t be  the characteristic of the church—deceit. We, as Christians, should be offering the world something better.  Solomon writes in verse 27,  

"27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling."

People don’t always get what’s coming to them. But when they do, it’s poetic justice. Think Haman  in the book of Esther, who got hanged on his own gallows. Think Daniel’s adversaries in Daniel 6. They  conspired to get him thrown into the lions’ den. But in the end, they got eaten by lions, not Daniel.  "28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin."

Like I said earlier, this section of Proverbs describes a “sneaky fool.” The deceiver is a smart kind of  fool. But the result is the same. They work ruin. And the twistedness of their heart is revealed here.  They hate their victims. They lie because they hate. They deceive because they care more about  themselves than they do others. But as verse 27 alludes to, they will not go unpunished. Either in this life or  in the life to come, God will settle accounts with them. 

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And this is a good place to transition and close. Because I imagine now in a room like this, there  should be two approaches to Proverbs 26. None of us should come away from this chapter thinking more  highly of ourselves than we ought to think. I assume that conviction this morning is basically universal,  myself included.  

And for those of you who know Christ, follow Christ, and have the indwelling Spirit inside of you,  our response should be something like this: “Go and sin no more.” If the shoe fits, you wear it today. Repent of your sin. Repent of being a deceiver, busybody, sluggard or a fool. Turn from these ways that  displease God. And embrace the joy and the freedom of a life that is disentangled from sin and  foolishness.  

Killing sin and mortifying your flesh is fantastic. It’s liberating. It’s addictive. Let the power of  God’s Word transform you. And let’s be the wise and righteous people of God who reject foolishness.  Now that’s for those of you who are saved. For those of you who aren’t saved, the response is  different. But the same Holy Spirit is at work. And if that describes you right now... if the Holy Spirit is  convicting and prodding and leading you to faith, then here’s what you do. Let me give you the ABCs of  Christianity. You do these three things. You “Admit” your sinfulness before a righteous God. That  should be easy enough after a message like this from Proverbs 26.  

Secondly you “Believe.” Believe in Christ’s death, and believe in Christ’s resurrection from the  dead. And thirdly you “Confess” Jesus as the Lord of your life. Romans 10:9 says, “[I]f you confess with  your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Admit, Believe, and Confess. And then hold on for dear life. Because God is going to do marvelous things  through you. If won’t be easy… but it also won’t be boring.