Posted on 03/25/2022 8:52:10 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools” (Proverbs 26:6-7).
“He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet,” how are you going to get anywhere doing that? See, you can't get anywhere cutting off the feet. If you put the message in the hand of a fool, he won't deliver it.
“You cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage,” here's the case of Ahimaaz, they sent a man that had no message, he was just a fool. He was anxious, he was zealous, but he didn't have any message.
“As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him” (Proverbs 10:26).
“A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health” (Proverbs 13:17).
“As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters” (Proverbs 25:13).
These are verses that say pretty much the same thing as 26:6.
This is a very descriptive thing. Obviously, a fool will not be equal, or fair with a parable interpretation because he doesn't have any understanding. In other words, when a fool tries to interpret a parable it won't be right. It will be lopsided; it'll be out of balance. And not only that, but his interpretation will cause pain. Not only what he said won't be right, but what he does say will do damage.
In Matthew 13:10, Christ stated that the parables were for those that had understanding and they asked him why He spoke to them in parables. In 13:11, He said because it is given on them to know the mystery of the Kingdom; but to those it is not given. So, a fool doesn't understand a parable, so obviously the parable cannot be interpreted properly by the fool.
Again, an example of this is in Ezekiel 20:49. When Ezekiel is talking about hell, they say he speaks in parables, and that's exactly the way the Seven Day Adventist and the Jehovah’s Witness handles the hell story of the rich man in Luke 16. They say that that's a parable and not an actual case. They say he's speaking in parables. That is the fool trying to interpret a passage. Luke 16 is not a parable.
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