26:1 Honor cannot be found in a foolish person. A foolish person neglects to learn the lessons in life that teach them to be honorable people. A person who does do constructive within themselves cannot be depended upon for honor.
26:2 Our protection from God, through our faith, protects us from the evil plots (curses) of others committed against us. Although they may wish and plan and try to harm us, their curses never land. God protects His righteous children and when we are blameless, He ensures that we are not blamed.
26:3 Metaphorically speaking, discipline and rebuke is necessary to learn and grow in character.
26:4-5 It is difficult to reason with a stubbornly foolish person. Sometimes a rebuke is more effective to teach common sense.
24:6 A foolish person cannot be trusted with confidential, important matters. God wants us to surround ourselves with people we can trust and rely on, and if there are none (or few), to recognize that and not entrust the wrong people with personal information.
24:7 A foolish person is unable/unwilling to interpret a proverb, parable or passage with a message. We we become studious, compassionate, self-disciplined students of God, we build on our common sense and wisdom. We can do more with more complex lessons and ideas.
24:8 It is destructive to honor a foolish person, for a foolish person with honor and responsibility will be unable to appropriately care for that which is put in their control. God teaches us not to trust foolish people, but He also teaches us not to be foolish people.
24:9 A foolish person cannot use a proverb for good because they do not understand it. Wisdom disables them, confounds them because they have no base of common sense on which to build upon. It's important to remember that this "foolish" person is someone who rejects wisdom and justice and compassion. They live by their own flawed law rather than by God's logical one.
24:10 But God is good; He provides opportunity for all. Opportunity to grow and learn and thrive.
24:11 Yet a foolish person rejects the opportunity and returns to their folly. Every day people choose to live by their own code of conduct rather than God's and it leads them further astray.
12:12 Arrogance is even worse than foolishness. We need humility (even if it's only a tiny amount) in order to have the opportunity to listen, learn and grow. An arrogance person is too absorbed in themselves to have the humility to listen.
26:13-16 A lazy person will make every excuse before actually doing something productive. Even basic things they seldom do or do slowly. It causes them to be weary and regressive and self-absorbed. It's important to be active and alert and receptive to God's law and new ideas and opportunities. We are not meant to live in stagnant waters but in the living water.
26:17 It is ridiculous to entangle oneself in matters that are someone else's business.
26:18-19 Harmful mocking, teasing and behavior is not a sport. Cruel and deceptive behavior is not absolved by glib behavior.
26:20-22 Some behavior actual stokes a fire and causes more destruction. We are supposed to learn how certain behavior helps or hurts in a situation. Sometimes we need to change our reactions and responses in order to prevent further destruction (even when it is difficult to do so). We should train ourselves to remain calm and objective in arguments with the intention to end it, rather than (intentionally or inadvertently) fuel it.
26:23 It is useless, harmful and deceptive to be a sweet-talker with a cruel heart.
26:24-26 God wants us to learn our God-given ability to discern between people who are honest and people who are not. Some people have deceptive, selfish, cruel intentions. God wants us to be able to weed them out and He provides us with the skill. Scripture helps us to hone that skill, to interpret a person's behavior and discover their true motives.
26:27 We reap what we sow. This passage is an iteration of that; when we live cruelly, we set ourselves up for cruelty to return. We dig holes for others to fall into and we found ourselves in them. We roll stones to block others and then we find ourselves blocked by that stone.
26:28 Lies and flattery are destructive. Be honest and foster authentic relationships.
