Daily Devotional
Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in
the Bible.
The Wisdom of God
Verses for the Day:
Proverbs 26:6-9 (KJV):
6 He that sendeth a message
by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.
7 The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
8 As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth
of fools.
Proverbs
26:6-9 (AMP):
6 He who sends a message by
the hand of a fool cuts off the feet (of satisfactory delivery) and drinks the
damage.
7 Like the legs of a lame man which hang loose, so is a parable in the mouth of
a fool.
8 Like he who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a (self-confident) fool.
9 Like a thorn that goes (without being felt) into the hand of a drunken man, so
is a proverb in the mouth of a (self-confident) fool.
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses
from Proverbs tell us the damage a fool can do if
given the opportunity. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary, a "fool" is a
person without reason, one who lacks mental sanity and sobriety, one who has a
reckless and inconsiderate habit of mind, or the lack of commonsense perception
of the reality of things, natural and spiritual.
Verse 6
says that anyone who sends a message by a fool cuts off the feet of satisfactory
delivery. The message will likely not get there, or arrive late. The person that
sends it, then must deal with the damage caused by it not arriving timely. I
have experienced this when I gave this duty to one whom I thought would surely
take care of delivering my bills to the post office for me. They were foolish
and got sidetracked, and so did my mail. I had to deal with the damage and pay
the price, when my creditors began phoning me about my bills being late.
Although I would not call this person a fool, they had done a "foolish" thing.
We all do foolish things at times, which does not make us a fool, but we should
strive not to allow the enemy to cause us to be foolish in our ways.
Verse 7
says that even a parable in the mouth of a fool will not be of any use. This
verse makes the comparison to one who has lame legs and cannot walk. A person
who is lame must be carried about by others; they have to have help, so it is
when a "fool" tries to put forth a parable -- someone else has to explain it or
it cannot be understood. Foolish talk never makes sense. In the mouth of a fool,
a parable becomes as useless as paralyzed legs.
Verse 8
tells us that giving honor or praise to a "fool" is like binding a stone in a
sling. Our modern equivalent of this term would be "giving someone ammunition"
that is faulty. It would fire in the gun or go the wrong direction. Honor given
to a fool is like ammunition firing in the wrong direction. Prideful people
usually put others down, while building themselves up. Honoring a rebel will
backfire like a stone tied to a slingshot.
Verse 9
says that a Proverb or "word of wisdom" in the mouth of a fool will not
accomplish what it is meant to point out, as the fool will misapply the
illustration so that its point will no more be felt than a thorn going in the
hand of a drunkard. Our modern day equivalent would be the fool would put what
we call "a spin" on a thorny issue so that one does not feel the pain of the
point that is trying to be made. Sometimes God's Word will bring us pain when we
hear it, as we have been guilty of certain sins, and His Word will prick our
hearts so that we might repent and be set free. However, in the mouth of a fool,
even God's own Words can be distorted, so that no one feels any pain of
conviction for their sins.
In all of these
verses, we can see how a fool cannot be trusted, nor can he receive godly
wisdom.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your words of wisdom in the Bible. I do want to adhere to them and
avoid doing foolish things. Forgive me for the foolish things I have done in the
past. Give me discernment to recognize the voice of fools, so that I am not
taken in by their deceptive talk. I want to hear the truth, even if it is
painful, because the truth of God's Word is what sets us free. Give me ears to
hear what the Spirit of God is saying, and then give me the grace to obey His
Words. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
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