Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor does not befit a fool. Sermons
I. THE INAPTNESS OF HONOURS TO THE FOOLISH MAN. (Ver. 1.) According to Jerome, it is something unheard of or impossible to experience, rain in the harvest time (see 1 Samuel 12:17, sqq.). The advancement of the fool appears to all men unseasonable, even shocking. High place reveals the more clearly the smallness of small souls. Honour is the just reward of virtue and ability. Let men be virtuous and wise, that they may be honoured, and that external distinctions may not rather invite the contempt of observers. II. THE HARMLESSNESS OF UNMERITED CURSES. (Ver. 2.) Aimless as the wayward flight of sparrow or swallow, they fail to strike their object (see that in 2 Samuel 16:5, sqq.; 1 Kings 2:8). "I would not hesitate to say," observes Trench, "that the great glory of proverbs in their highest aspect, and that which makes them so full of blessing to those who cordially accept them, is the conviction, of which they are full, that, despite all appearances to the contrary, this world is God's world, and not the world of the devil or of those wicked men who may be prospering for the hour. A lie has no legs." Truth may be temporarily depressed, but cannot fall to the ground (Psalm 94:15; 2 Corinthians 4:9). But as for the lie; its priests may set it on its feet again after it has once fallen before the presence of the truth, yet this will all be labour in vain; it will only be, like Dagon, again to fall. III. FOLLY INVITES ITS OWN CHASTISEMENT. (Ver. 3.) The instincts of flesh and blood show like untamed and unbroken-in animals, especially in idleness, and demand the like severe treatment. "Our flesh and sense must be subdued," not flattered and fed. If we do not practise self-control, God will administer his chastisements. - J.
As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool The respect which man pays his fellow is often grounded on reasons immoral and absurd. Sometimes man is respected on the ground of his personal appearance, sometimes on the ground of his mental abilities, sometimes on the ground of his worldly possessions, sometimes on the ground of his lineage and social position; but respect for men on any of these grounds alone is very questionable in morality. The true and Divinely authorised ground of respect for man is moral goodness. The man who is morally good, however deficient in other things, has a Divine claim to our honour.I. HONOUR PAID TO THE WICKED IS UNSEEMLY. It is like "snow in summer and rain in harvest." It is unseasonable and incongruous. How unseemly nature would appear in August with snow mantling our cornfields! Souls are morally constituted to reverence the good; to abhor the morally bad, wherever it is seen, whether in connection with lordly possessions, kingly power, or, what is higher still, mental genius. II. HONOUR PAID TO THE WICKED IS PERNICIOUS. "Snow in summer and rain in harvest" are in nature mischievous elements. Their tendency is to rob the agriculturist of the rewards of his labour, and to bring on a famine in the land. Far more mischievous is it when the people of a country sink so morally low as to render honour to men who are destitute of moral goodness. The perniciousness is also expressed by another figure in the text, "As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool." The word translated "sling" means a heap of stones, and the word "stone" a precious stone. Hence the margin reads, "As he that putteth a precious stone in an heap of stones, so is he that giveth honour to a fool." The idea evidently is, as a precious stone amongst rubbish, so is honour given to a fool. (D. Thomas, D. D.) People SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Beseemeth, Comely, Cut, Fitting, Fool, Foolish, Grain, Harvest, Honor, Honour, Natural, Rain, Seemly, Snow, SummerOutline 1. observations about fools13. about sluggards 17. and about contentious busybodies Dictionary of Bible Themes Proverbs 26:1Library One Lion Two Lions no Lion at AllA sermon (No. 1670) delivered on Thursday Evening, June 8th, 1882, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets."--Proverbs 22:13. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets."--Proverbs 26:13. This slothful man seems to cherish that one dread of his about the lions, as if it were his favorite aversion and he felt it to be too much trouble to invent another excuse. … C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs We Shall not be Curious in the Ranking of the Duties in which Christian Love... Proverbs Links Proverbs 26:1 NIVProverbs 26:1 NLT Proverbs 26:1 ESV Proverbs 26:1 NASB Proverbs 26:1 KJV Proverbs 26:1 Bible Apps Proverbs 26:1 Parallel Proverbs 26:1 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 26:1 Chinese Bible Proverbs 26:1 French Bible Proverbs 26:1 German Bible Proverbs 26:1 Commentaries Bible Hub |