“The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!” As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed. The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.
Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases. Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down to the inmost being.
Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart. A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart. When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.”
“The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!” As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed. The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly. Village life in Bible times was very similar to village life throughout the unindustrialized world today. Most families work hard to earn a living, and everybody in the family pitches in. Slackers are a major threat to family survival because they consume resources without producing anything. Even in Bible times, it is highly unlikely that lions were roaming the streets; the lions were smarter than that. These days, lions have retreated to the bush to hide from people. The writer compares a door swinging on its hinges to a lazy person turning back and forth in bed. But that slacker is never going to get up and go to work; he/she will find all sorts of excuses, hence the remark about lions in the streets. Some people are so lazy that they can barely feed themselves; this does not prevent them from vaunting their own wisdom.
“Like one who grabs a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.” You have to be a special kind of stupid to meddle in someone else’s quarrel! You never know what might happen. Seasoned police officers will testify that they fear call-outs for domestic violence more than any other because they never know what might happen. Frequently, the husband and wife stop beating on each other and unite to fight the police. Sometimes the couple have a grudge against the police and are luring police officers simply to kill them. The lesson is clear: meddle and die!
“Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” No matter how small the deception, deception is a betrayal of all involved apart from the deceiver. Accuse someone’s spouse of sexual liaisons and you may break up a family. Accuse someone of dishonesty and you might destroy their reputation, their business, and their family. There is no such thing as a small deception. The Bible is very clear: God is a God of truth and light and in Him is no room for darkness. Deception comes from the darkness. John 1:5 tells us that “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
“Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases. Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down to the inmost being.” Ever hear the term “juicy gossip?” People who spread rumors enjoy being important and get as much pleasure from it as those eating something delicious. Gossip consists of stories that have just enough truth to be believable but that rapidly descend into bizarre fantasies. People who gossip long for attention and don’t care how they get it. Some gossips even revel in the idea that they are starting quarrels because then they can pose as peacemakers, even though they have caused the entire mess! Problem is that discerning gossip as the root cause of the disagreement and then assigning blame can be very difficult. When confronted, many gossips will plead innocence, complaining bitterly that they are misunderstood and that they really have the highest of motives.
“Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart. A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart. When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.” Some glazes on earthen vessels are so well done that the vessel might appear to be silver or gold; meanwhile, toss it on the ground and it will shatter. One of the fundamental laws of the Kingdom of God is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. God does not like people who lay traps and will allow them to be caught in their own deceptions. Pathologic liars can look you straight in the eye and tell totally convincing stories, but all the time they are deceiving you, they are also despising you. Bottom line: if something/someone seems too good to be true, he/she/it probably isn’t true.
APPLICATION: Viewing the current political scene in practically any country today, we realize the truth of Proverbs 26. Most politicians take a very jaundiced view of those who have placed them in power and do everything they can to maintain a certain image, whether or not it bears any relationship to the truth. We can only pray that those acting wrongly will find themselves caught in the traps they have devised for others.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be true-hearted, not gossips and not deceivers. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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