THE JOKER – Proverbs 26 Wisdom Challenge.

THE JOKER

You could easily be forgiven if you thought evil people are only those monsters who kill and rape, and you would be right. But evil also comes dressed up in Armani suits, wearing Prada shoes, and angel wings.

Like yesterday, read the chapter, and I will give some thoughts at the end.

Learn something new each day.
Discover something deeper.

PROVERBS 26

Fools in Life

1 As snow in the summer and rain during harvest, so is honor to a fool not attractive.

2 Like wandering birds and flying swallows, so a curse for nothing will not come.

3 A whip for a horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for a fool’s back.

4 Answer not a fool to his folly, lest you be like him.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

6 To send a message by the hand of a fool is to cut off your feet and drink damage.

7 The legs of the lame are not equal, so are the parables from the mouth of fools.

8 Giving honor to a fool is like binding a stone in a sling.

9 As a thorn pierces the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable from the mouth of a fool.

10 The great wait, for the hire of fools is as the hire of transgressors.

11 Like a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.

12 Do you see someone wise in their own conceit? There is more hope for a fool than for them. 

The Lazy Sloth

13 The slothful make excuses: There is a great lion in the way, and a fierce lion roams the streets.

14 As a door turns on its hinges, so is the slothful on his bed.

15 The slothful hides his hands in his bosom, and it grieves him to return them to his mouth.

16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven who can render a reason.

Don’t Be This Person:

17 A passerby who meddles with strife is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

Gossipers

20 Without wood, a fire goes out, and without talebearers, strife ceases.

21 But as a coal to burning coals, and wood to a fire, so does a contentious person stir up strife.

22 The words of talebearers are wounds that go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

23 The burning lips of wicked hearts are like broken glass, covered with the impurities of silver.

Hateful People

24 Hateful people dissemble with their lips and lay up deceit within them.

25 When they speak nicely, believe them not; for seven abominations are in their heart.

26 Though their hatred is covered with deceit, their wickedness will be shown to the congregation.

27 They dig a pit for others, but they themselves fall into it. And when they roll a stone, it returns on them.

28 Lying tongues hate those it afflicts, and flattering mouths work ruin.

My Thoughts:

When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king; the palace becomes a circus. – Turkish proverb. And when life becomes a constant joke, you have become a fool or a joker.

Long before you were born, kings existed. They carried the weight of a nation, and their decisions were final. But kings also wanted entertainment. So, to make the king laugh, a clown or jester would be on call, waiting for the king to summon him to come and give the king a smile.

After all, a mad king would send people to the gallows on any bad day. With their satire and jokes, the joker and the clown perform to please the crowd. Now, clowns are not necessarily fools, but among comedians there are many to be found.

Laughter is good medicine, because a sad heart makes for a sad countenance. So people have found many ways to make themselves happy. They go shopping, they eat out, or order their favorite Happy Meal. But human beings always look for something ‘out there’ to make them happy. This would also include watching comedy, going to the circus, or attending a comedy show. But have you noticed that I said clowns are not necessarily fools, but among comedians there are many fools.

We all do silly things to make someone else laugh because we want them to be happy. But why are some comedians called fools and not entertainers like the rest? I think the answer lies in what comes out of the mouth. What comes out of the mouth reveals the heart. And entertainment and happiness should not be confused by the unhealthy diet of foolish jest.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A mouth that curses all day long is a foul mouth whose springs are corrupted and poisoned. The same goes for the gossipers and liars. Would you drink murky water that doesn’t look clean? Then why do you listen to foul-mouthed fools who call themselves entertainers?

Don’t you know that bad communication corrupts good morals? This includes the music, movies, and the social media platforms like TikTok, etc. You eventually behave and act like the things you keep watching and reading. And even if you don’t act like that outright because of fear of punishment, your heart is still being corrupted by the foul things you consume daily.

Proverbs clearly warns against things that are seen but not understood by the people who lack discernment. But God wants you to see and understand what you’re looking at or what you are listening to. Discernment is vital in this life, for it prepares you for the life to come.

Look at this chapter and how it ties in with the other chapters. Here we see the actions of hateful people. Or the result of gossipers in a community. We see how lazy people behave who don’t want to work. They have an excuse for everything. The more you read Proverbs, the more you understand wisdom and discernment.

So if you want to be funny and crack a joke, be wise. For often fools are revealed by the content of their mouth, which flows from their heart. And if you want ot be wise, ask God to give you wisdom, and he will give it. Read His Word and study Proverbs; it will give you both knowledge and discernment that you may keep your soul, and not die.

Have You Read:

Tomorrow, we will continue our Proverbs 31 Days Wisdom Challenge for more wisdom.

THE FIRST DAY OF THE 31 DAYS WISDOM CHALLENGE

For the love of Paris France