December 14
PROVERBS 23
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
– Proverbs 23:6-9
PROVERBS 23 DON’T GIVE WISDOM TO FOOLS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you have acquired truth and wisdom, use it wisely
Do not mishandle it by throwing it on people who are foolish
Why waste your time on instructing fools; they won’t listen
If you attempt to put some sense into them, it is only useless
Fools care only about their own limited understanding
They are so senseless; they don’t know what is good for them.
In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warns his disciples “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” What does this verse mean? According to a commentary, “It is easy to focus on the derogatory imagery of dogs and pigs and miss the real point, which is not meant as an insult. The message is about wasting things of value on those who not only won’t appreciate them, but might even be angered by the offer.” Just like Solomon warns us in verse 4 of this Proverbs that we need not speak good sense in the hearing of a fool or they will just despise us. What is the point of giving valuable wise words to someone who does not want it? One will just be wasting efforts to bring truth to someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Bring truth only to those who would value and appreciate it.
REFLECTION
• Cite an instance when someone foolish just trampled on a sensible word you said.
