Prov. 26:1

"As snow in summer and rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool." Prov. 26:1

Some things are just meant to go together: love and marriage, joy and happiness, grace and peace, mercy and forgiveness. These are but a few of the Siamese twins of rightness.

Other things just don't mix well: oil and water, cats and dogs, frogs and little girls, hate and love, rain and drought, war and peace, grace and hatred, honor and a fool. Hey, that is just what Solomon said in today's verse.

It has been said that opposites attract... and I suppose there is some truth to that statement. Without opposites, magnetism would not be valuable in electric motors. Without opposites, all electricity would be direct current. Without opposites, everyone would be like everyone else. Opposites create a sense of excitement, mystery, and intrigue. Where would every author be if there were no opposites? Authors live and die with conflict. Conflict is a direct result of opposition. The good guy is always opposed by the bad guy. If ultimate truth is subscribed to, the good guy will ultimately win while the bad guy, in due course, gets what is coming to him. There are a few successful authors who make a living by creating a story in which the bad guy wins... but they haven't read the last chapter of Revelation!

Solomon declares that snow is totally foreign to the nature of summer. While we can wish for it on a 33 degrees C August day, it isn't likely to happen. And rain in the harvest time? Any farmer will tell you that rain will ruin a good harvest. Rain will beat down a good stand of wheat making it impossible to reap. Too much rain in the harvest season will cause the corn to rot on the stalk. Excessive rain will prevent the farmer from entering the field for days and maybe weeks until the crop is totally destroyed and not worth gathering at all. No, rain and harvest do not belong together any more than snow and summer.

Neither is honor to be granted to a fool. The fool is not worthy of such recognition. The fool is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. He always opens his mouth and says the wrong thing. His actions destroy and never redeem. No, the fool is unworthy of honor. Should he receive recognition, he is emboldened to try harder... and the results are even greater acts of foolishness.

Jesus said it another way, "Don't cast your pearls before swine." At best a pig will trample a string of pearls into the mud. At worst, he will devour such a prize thinking it dessert after a wonderful meal of slop! The interpretations of Jesus' proverbial saying are many. The most common is that we should not preach the Gospel to those who will obviously reject it. The Gospel is "the pearl of great price." The hardened non-believer is the "swine." The unbeliever will not recognize the value of salvation, thinking he can earn his own way into some version of heaven. Why waste our time? Don't get me wrong. I am not against evangelism. We should all be preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. However, we need to recognize that sometimes our particular calling is to "preach and run".

Remember, one man's fool is another man's mission field. God will not suffer anyone to die without having multiple opportunities to receive the love of God into his life. Amen and Amen.