Proverbs 26

⁷ Like a lame man's legs that hang limp
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

⁸ Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.

⁹ Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds at random
is he who hires a fool or any passer-by.

¹¹ As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his folly.

¹² Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

I just couldn't separate these verses. I was reading one after another thinking I better handle the wisdom of Proverbs properly. Even the Proverbs in the wrong hands (or mouth) is disastrous. But then verse 12 just popped out at me! A man who is wise in his own eyes has less hope than the fool likened to a dog who returns to his own vomit!

¹⁸ Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows

¹⁹ is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, "I was only joking!"

I've seen (and used) this "I was only joking" phrase so many times. We can't guard our mouths to begin with, so we think this phrase will cover anything we say.

²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down.

I love seeing what the absence of gossip can accomplish. This gives me hope.