The Architecture of Incongruity Text: Proverbs 17:7
Introduction: A Universe That Fits
The book of Proverbs is a book about how the world works. Not how we wish it worked, not how we imagine it might work, but how the God who built it actually made it to work. It is a book about the grain of the universe. When you live with the grain, you experience blessing, wisdom, and life. When you live against the grain, you get splinters. You get folly, destruction, and death.
A central part of this wisdom is understanding the concept of fittingness, or propriety. God is an artist, and He has created a world full of glorious harmonies and distinctions. There are things that belong together and things that do not. Snow in summer is unfitting (Prov. 26:1). Honor for a fool is unfitting. A beautiful ring in a pig's snout is unfitting (Prov. 11:22). These things are not just aesthetically displeasing; they are a violation of the created order. They are a kind of lie. They present a picture of reality that is false.
Our text today presents us with two such violations, two jarring incongruities. It shows us two things that simply do not fit, like a tuxedo on a hog or a crown on a clown. The first is bad enough, but the second, we are told, is far worse. By looking at what is unfitting, we learn what is fitting. By studying the architecture of this incongruity, we come to understand the beautiful architecture of God's wisdom.
The Text
Excellent lips are not fitting for a wicked fool,
Even less are lying lips for a noble man.
(Proverbs 17:7 LSB)
The Fool's Finery (v. 7a)
The first half of the proverb sets up the initial problem.
"Excellent lips are not fitting for a wicked fool..." (Proverbs 17:7a)
First, we must understand what the Bible means by a "fool." The biblical fool is not a man with a low IQ. He is not intellectually deficient; he is morally rebellious. The Hebrew word here is nabal, which points to a coarse, godless person. This is the fool who says in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). His problem isn't a lack of brains, but a lack of fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of all knowledge. He is a "wicked fool," meaning his folly is an active, ethical rebellion against his Creator.
Now, what are "excellent lips?" This refers to fine, eloquent, or weighty speech. It is the kind of rhetoric that commands attention, that sounds wise, that has the appearance of authority. So, the picture here is of a morally bankrupt man, a rebel against God, who has somehow acquired the skill of polished speech. He can turn a phrase. He can sound impressive. He can make a fine argument for damnable things.
And the Spirit tells us that this is "not fitting." It's an ugly mismatch. It's like putting a beautiful saddle on a wild ass. The eloquence is wasted, and worse, it's deceptive. The fool uses the gift of language, which was designed for praising God and speaking truth, to adorn his rebellion. He uses the tools of wisdom to build monuments to his folly. His excellent speech is a lie before he even tells one, because his entire persona is a lie. He is a walking contradiction, a hollow man whose fine words echo in the emptiness of his soul. The words may be gold, but the mouth they come from is a sewer.
The Nobleman's Stain (v. 7b)
The proverb then pivots with an "even less," or "how much more," construction. This means the second scenario is a far graver violation of God's order.
"Even less are lying lips for a noble man." (Proverbs 17:7b LSB)
A "noble man" here can also be translated as a prince or a ruler. This is a man in a position of authority and responsibility. In the covenant economy of God, nobility is not ultimately about bloodlines, but about character and calling. A noble man is one who ought to embody justice, truth, and integrity. He is a man whose word should be his bond, because he stands as a representative of the God of truth.
"Lying lips" are lips that speak falsehood. This is not just a slip of the tongue; it is deceit. It is the deliberate use of words to misrepresent reality for one's own gain.
So why is this so much worse? Why is this mismatch more grotesque than the eloquent fool? Because with the noble man, the stakes are infinitely higher. The fool with his fancy words is a ridiculous spectacle, a clanging cymbal. But a liar in a position of authority is a poisoned well. When a leader lies, the lie does not just corrupt him; it corrupts the entire structure he oversees. He undermines the very foundation of justice and trust upon which a society is built.
The eloquent fool is an absurdity. The lying noble is a catastrophe. The fool misuses a gift; the noble man betrays a trust. The fool's words are a costume on his folly. The noble's lies are a dagger in the back of his people. His lies are a betrayal of his office, a betrayal of his calling, and a direct assault on the character of God, who appointed him to rule with truth. When truth dies in the halls of power, everything else will soon follow.
Truth, Lies, and the Two Adams
This proverb, like all of Scripture, ultimately points us to Christ. It shows us the deep structure of the cosmic conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.
Satan is the ultimate wicked fool with excellent lips. He is the nabal at the root of all rebellion. And how did he launch his assault on humanity? With eloquent, questioning speech. "Did God really say...?" (Genesis 3:1). He is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He uses the appearance of wisdom to peddle death, and his children, the wicked fools of this world, follow his example. They use smooth words to make rebellion sound reasonable and sin sound sophisticated.
In stark contrast, Jesus Christ is the ultimate Noble Man, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings. He is the one for whom lying lips are utterly and eternally unfitting. He is the Truth incarnate (John 14:6). His every word is substance, reality, and life. He is the great promise-keeper, the one whose "yes" is "yes."
The first Adam was a noble man, a prince placed in the garden to rule as God's vice-regent. But he listened to the excellent lips of the wicked fool, and then adopted lying lips for himself, hiding from God and blaming his wife. He betrayed his noble calling. His lie poisoned the well for all of us.
But the second Adam, Jesus Christ, the true Noble Man, came to undo this disaster. He faced the same eloquent fool in the wilderness and defeated him, not with rhetoric, but with the unadorned truth of God's Word: "It is written." He stood before rulers who operated with lying lips, and He answered them with the steadfast truth, even when it cost Him His life. His absolute truthfulness is the foundation of our salvation. Because He is the Noble Man who cannot lie, we can trust His promise of forgiveness and eternal life.
Therefore, this proverb is a call to us who are in Christ. By grace, we have been delivered from the kingdom of folly and made nobles, princes, and priests in the kingdom of God's Son (Rev. 1:6). Our calling, then, is to shed the unfitting garments of our old life. We are to put off all falsehood and speak the truth to one another (Eph. 4:25). An eloquent fool is a joke. A lying Christian is a tragedy. Let us ask God to make our character fit our calling, so that our lips, speaking truth in love, would be perfectly fitting for the children of the Noble King.