Proverbs 26: Are You Really Just Joking?

How many times do we say things that we really mean and then say that we were just kidding? How many times have we been hurt by something someone said even though they said they were just joking? Verses 18-19 says “Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!” If we trick other people in mean ways, and play vicious practical jokes on them but then claim we were just kidding, does that absolve us of our wrong doing? The answer is no. We should not be mean to each other even if we claim it is in jest. I am not saying that practical jokes are wrong, I am merely sayin that we need to be careful and make sure that we do not take it to far.