“As snow in summer and rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool…A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the fool’s back. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. Like the legs of the lame that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Like one who binds a stone in a sling is he who gives honor to a fool. Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. The great God who formed everything gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages. As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:1, 3-11).
Fact # 1: A fool is unworthy of honor (vv. 1, 8).
There is nothing inherently honorable in a fool and his character. Professing to be wise, an atheist is a fool (Ps. 14:1). Ultimately an atheist believes as he does because he wants there to be no God to Whom he is accountable. Fundamentally, his faith has nothing to do with empirical evidence, just personal preference.
Such a person has neither an honest nor a good heart. There is nothing honorable about such spiritual wickedness. Honoring such a person is…
- Absurd and unbecoming—like snow in summer.
- Inappropriate and ruinous—like rain in harvest.
- Reckless and dangerous—like binding a stone in a sling or giving a young child a loaded gun.
We are to render to all their due (Rom. 13:7). There is no honor due a fool.
