Poetry often presents itself as a picture. These pictures help us not only to think logically about truth, but to “see”, “feel”, “smell”, or even “taste” it. Some pictures are more pleasant than others, and the one given in Proverbs 26:11 is, well,… disgusting. Proverbs 26:11 says, “Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly” (NASB 95). Let us consider this simile for a moment.
Do you have a dog? I want you to take a moment and think about your pet. If you do not have a dog, just thinking about any dog will do. As much as we like to call them “man’s best friend”, they can be gross sometimes. Growing up, I had a dog named “Pepper.” Pepper was a great dog (most of the time) except when she ate too much or something that did not sit well in her stomach. In those moments, she would puke up her last meal. I am not going to elaborate on how nasty vomit is. I could just mention words like “color” and “odor” and then trust that you get this picture (If you are like me, you might contribute to that pile of vomit if you saw it). It was in those moments that I would (reluctantly) go to get cleaning supplies to clean up the mess. One time, I came back with everything needed to handle such a problem, only to see Pepper slurping up the very food she had just vomited… There are not many images more repulsive or sickening than what I witnessed (Perhaps your dog has done the same).
What does the Proverbs writer compare such a scene to? “A fool who repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). Peter would use the same image to describe false teachers who came to a knowledge of Jesus Christ and then returned to the world (2 Peter 2:20-22). Brethren, just as we are appalled at a dog eating its own vomit, should we not be sickened if we return to our old life patterned by foolishness? Should we not address the putridness of false teaching? Should we not do everything in our power to pull people away from their own vomit? I know that this is a disgusting image, but God wants us to know how foolish and gross it is to turn away from Him. May we never find ourselves comparable to a dog returning to their vomit.
-Bryce Mayfield