Today’s Devotion
Topic: Solomon Verses The Fool.
(Self Assessment 133)
Background: Today’s self assessment is both different and interesting. Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, decided one day to wage war with ‘THE FOOL’. Unfortunately, most of his ‘missiles’ are wrapped in proverbs and wise sayings. Our discussion today seeks to unravel these proverbs, and possibly answer why the king says those things about THE FOOL so that we can apply its wisdom in our daily lives. Gather the family together; it’s time to study the Word of God.
Text: Prov 26: 1 – 6, 10 -12
1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honour is not fitting for a fool. 2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. 3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. 6 Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
10 Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by. 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. 12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. Amen
Questions:
i. ‘A fool says in his heart, “there’s no God”‘ (Ps 14: 1). Do you agree that the verse above is the best definition for who a fool is? If yes why, and if no, why?
ii. Proverbs 9: 10 described the fear of the Lord to be the beginning of wisdom. Do you agree with that? Kindly explain your answer.
iii. How do questions one and two corelate with each other?
iv. In verse 1 of our passage, king Solomon explains that like snow in summer, so is honour not fitting for a fool. How do you understand this verse?
v. Verse 2 is a slight digression but totally relevant for modern day Christianity. Meditate carefully and explain why an underserved curse does not come to rest.
vi. Verse 3 states emphatically that as the whip is for the horse, so the rod must be for the backs of fools. Why do you think Solomon said that?
vii. Verses 4 and 5 are not contradictory at all although they sound so. Kindly explain why they do not contradict and also under which circumstances each verse applies.
viii. Why is sending a message by the hand of a fool like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison?
ix. Why is the hiring of a fool or passer-by likened to an archer who wounds at random? (read vrs 10)
x. Verse 12 is the most phenomenal of all the verses. Kindly explain why?
xi. What have you learnt from today’s Bible study, and what advice will you give ‘THE FOOL’ if you could help him out of his folly?
Kindly send your answers via this same social media platform (Whatsapp and Facebook). We learn so much from the answers you share.
