Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20121111.htm
THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Proverbs: Motivating Teens And Adults To Align With God's Fixed Moral Order
Part V: Proverbs Of Solomon Collected By Hezekiah's Scribes, Proverbs 25:1-29:27
D. Studying Proverbs 26:4-12
- Introduction
- Two hundred and fifty years after Solomon, Hezekiah's scribes copied more of Solomon's proverbs from separate works, and they comprise Proverbs 25:1-29:27. (Bible Know. Com., O. T. , p. 960)
- We view some of these collected proverbs of Solomon in Proverbs 26:4-12 as follows:
- Studying Proverbs 26:4-12.
- Proverbs 26:4-5 teach (4) do not answer a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, Kittel, Biblia Hebr., p. 1187; Ibid., B. K. C., O. T., p. 908) according to his folly (iwelet, Ibid., Kittel; B. D. B., A Hebr.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 17) lest (pen, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 814-815) you resemble, be like (shawah, Ibid., p. 1000-1001; Piel = intens.) him, even (gam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 168-169) you (emph. pron.)! (5) Answer a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4) according to his folly (iwelet, cf. Pr. 26:4) lest (pen, cf. Pr. 26:4) he be wise in his own eyes! We usually should not try to answer a dull, closed-minded person lest we lower ourselves to his level, but there comes a point where it is worth the cost of answering him lest he think he is wise with his words, and that continue to fuel him to damage indiscriminately!
- Proverbs 26:6 asserts [like] cutting off (qasah, Ibid., p. 891-892) [one's] feet or drinking (shatah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1059) violence (hamam, Ibid., p. 329) is sending a message in the hand of a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4). We should send messages only by teachable folk who heed us.
- Proverbs 26:7 claims [like] the legs (shuq, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1003) of a lame (peseha, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 820) man that dangle, hang [limp] (dalal, Ibid., p. 195), so is a proverb (mashal, Ibid., p. 605) in the mouth of a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4). We should not give a good proverb to a dull, closed-minded man lest his bad example make the proverb rejected were he to repeat it!
- Proverbs 26:8 teaches [like] tying up (sarar, Ibid., p. 864) a stone (eben, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 6-7) in a sling (margemah, Ibid., p. 920), thus (ken, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 485-487) is giving honor to a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4). Tying a stone in a sling not only makes the sling useless, but may damage the thrower. Giving honor to a dull, closed-minded person makes both the honor pointless, and can damage the reputation of the party who honors him, Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., O. T.
- Proverbs 26:9 asserts [like] a briar that sprouts up (alah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 748-750) in the hand of a drunkard (shikor, Ibid., p. 1016), so is a proverb (mashal, cf. Pr. 26:7) in the mouth of a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4). A briar bush growing up in the hand of a drunkard does great damage not only to the drunkard, but to everyone else in his path, so a dull, closed-minded person with a proverb of wisdom damages himself and others by how he misuses it!
- Proverbs 26:10 claims [like] an archer (rab, Ibid., p. 914) who pierces (halal, Ibid., p. 319; Po'el = intens.) everyone [friend and foe alike] is he who hires (sakar, Ibid., p. 968-969) a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4) or who hires (sakar again) [any] who [just] pass by (abar , Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 716-719). The party an employer hires eventually represents himself to others, so, to avoid harming other people and thus one's self, the employer needs to avoid hiring a dull, closed-minded man or anyone for that matter without knowing if the party will be a good representative of himself before others.
- Proverbs 26:11 teaches [like] a dog (keleb, Ibid., p. 476-477) returning to its vomit (qe', Ibid., p. 883), [so] a dull, closed-minded man (kesil , cf. Pr. 26:4) repeats (shanah, Ibid., p. 1040) his folly (iwelet, cf. Pr. 26:4). Dull, closed-minded people are not teachable, so they repeat their repulsive, destructive follies, meaning one is best protecting himself by avoiding close company with dull, closed-minded people.
- Proverbs 26:12 asks, "Do you see a nobleman (ish, Ibid., Kittel; Robert B. Girdlestone, Syns. of the O. T., 1973, p. 45-50) who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope (tiqwah, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 876) for a dull, closed-minded man (kesil, cf. Pr. 26:4) than (min, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 577-583) for him." Men of high rank more greatly impact others due to their positions, so high-ranking men can not afford to remain unteachable lest they yield greater disaster in life than do lowly dull, closed-minded men!
Lesson Application: May we align with God's fixed moral order in each of these realms for blessing.