“A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”
~ Proverbs 26:28
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you acted as a fool? Do you know someone who has acted as a fool? The word fool can be used in different ways. You can use the word fool to describe how you trick someone. Your grandpaa likes to fool people. You can use the word fool for someone who does not use good judgement. Your grandpaa hopes that you do not think that he does not use good judgement. The word fool is not used often anymore to describe a guy, gal or kid who does something inexcusable. Solomon in Proverbs 26 describes who a fool is. By reading what Solomon wrote what fools do, you can learn from Solomon what not do. Ask your dad to help you count the times that Solomon mentions a fool in this chapter. Solomon also mentions other types of fools in this chapter – such as guys who are sluggards and guys who are malicious. A sluggard is a guy who is very lazy. A sluggard is a guy who does not want to get out of bed in the morning. A malicious guy hurts other guys. A malicious guy will say something bad about another guy to make himself look better. Do you remember the meaning of the word proverb? A proverb is a saying which is true. The proverbs in this chapter of Proverbs were compiled by other guys from the proverbs that Solomon said over the years that Solomon lived on planet Earth. Remember that Solomon is one the smartest guys – if not the smartest, to ever live on planet Earth. Solomon was a very respected king who ruled over a great nation of people. Solomon was also a very rich guy. Why do you think that Solomon wrote down spot-on sayings? Do you think that Solomon acted a fool at times? Solomon did do some things which a fool would do. Solomon does not want you to do some of the same things that he did nor some of the same things that other guys did. A really great teacher is a mistake – if you let the mistake that you made teach you. If you do not learn from a mistake that you made, guess who you are? You are a fool. A fool is a guy, gal or kid who repeats making the same mistake over and over again.
When your grandpaa was a kid, your grandpaa would shoot firecrackers off on the 4th of July. Your grandpaa sometimes would put a firecracker under a tin can, light the firecracker’s fuse and see how high the tin can would go. Sometimes a firecracker would not explode. Sometimes a firecracker would take a little longer to explode than other firecrackers. Your grandpaa had one of these firecrackers explode just as your grandpaa leaned over the tin can to lift it up. The tin can shot up and hit your grandpaa’s glasses – shattering one of the glass’ lenses. Your grandpaa did not get any glass in his eye but . . . your grandpaa’s dad and ma had to buy your grandpaa new glasses. Do you think that after this happened that your grandpaa would lean over the tin can again to . . . if another firecracker that your grandpaa had put under a tin can did not explode right away? If your grandpaa did lean over the tin can and the same thing happened again, your grandpaa would be a fool. Your grandpaa learned the lesson to not to lean over a tin can which had a firecracker that had been lit under it that might still explode. Your grandpaa is sure that you have done foolish things. If you realize that what you have done is foolish and you do not do it again, you are not a fool. If you do a foolish thing over again, you are a fool. Can you come up with examples which would make a guy or a gal a fool? What about a guy or a gal who is always running out of gas? A guy or a gal can run out of gas once for one reason or another but if he or she constantly runs out of gas, he or she is a fool. Why is this guy or gal a fool? He or she has not learned to stop at a gas station to put gas in the gas tank before his or her car’s gas tank is empty. A way to know if a guy or gal is a fool is to listen to how the guy or the gal speaks. If a guy or a gal thinks that he or she is really wise – which means that the guy or gal thinks that he or she knows everything, he or she is a fool. Even though he was a super wise guy, Solomon still did foolish things. You will find out that Solomon had a lot of wives. You will also find out that even though he was a very rich guy, Solomon was not a happy guy at the end of his life.
Your grandmaa and grandpaa are trusting that you will grow up having learned not to be fools. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are trusting that you will grow up knowing how to talk with other guys, gals and kids. Verse 28 says “A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” Have you ever lied to your ma or to your dad? This verse says that if you lie to your ma or your dad that you hate them. This verse also says that if you say nice things to your ma and dad but you really do not mean what you say to them that you really are making things worse instead of better. Sometimes you may think that it is okay to tell a lie. It is never okay to tell another guy, gal or kid something which is not true. Why do guys, gals and kids tell lies? Maybe a guy, gal or kid is scared that he or she will be punished if he or she does not tell the truth. Maybe the guy, gal or kid would like to have something and the only way to get it is to lie. Why do guys, gals and kids want to flatter other guys, gals and kids? It is for the same reason that a guy, gal or kid will lie. Lying and flattering is being selfish. Lying and flattering are only done to help the guy, gal or kid doing the lying or the flattering. What does a guy, gal or kid become in the end who lies and who flatters? That guy, gal or kid becomes a fool. Do you want to grow up being a fool? Do you want to grow up having repeated the same mistakes over and over again? The Proverbs Book is full of important lessons for you to always remember. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are praying that as you grow up that you will learn from the Bible and that you will learn from your mistakes. You will make mistakes and do foolish things. You will learn what it feels like to lie. It is when you realize that you have been a fool in what you have said or done that you will know God’s mercy.
Proverbs 26 (31)