At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
The legs of the lame are not equal: So is a parable in the mouth of fools (KJV).
Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools (ESV).
Proverbs 26:7
Legs are not merely decorative. They have a function, and the function is that of being applied to the actual circumstances of life.
The verb that refers to speaking of proverbs is mashal, and it also means to rule. But rule is not simple punditry. Rule is not a spectator sport. A good and godly ruler makes things happen that would not otherwise happen.
However, we must be careful here. Jesus taught with authority, and not like the scribes (Matt. 7:29). But both the scribes and Jesus taught. Although Jesus also did things (like healing the sick or feeding the multitudes), there was a difference between Him and the scribes in how He taught. In other words, in the mouth of a wise man, a proverb is not a lame set of legs. The word is active. The word is potent.
God created the worlds by speaking. In the beginning God said the heavens and earth (Gen. 1:1). In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). God created all things through the Son, and He upholds everything by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3).
In the same way, God wants us to reshape the world through speaking. Christ told us to disciple all the nations of men, and to teach them obedience to Him (Matt. 28:18-20). We believed, and therefore we have spoken (2 Cor. 4:13). How will they hear without a preacher (Rom. 10:14)?
But fools talk to the back wall. Fools talk to the ceiling. Fools talk to the air in the classroom, and that’s about it. Fools write books full of words.
