Proverbs 26:10

Like an archer who wounds everybody
is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

A wise man once said that all of human history can be summarized in two sentences.  The first is, “What could it hurt?” followed sometime later by, “How was I supposed to know?”  Those who work in the world of business have experienced this many times, particularly when they have hired that well-dressed guy who gave the great interview and ignored the more plodding fellow — only to find out Mr. Slickmeister tends to come to work stoned once a week and the plodding guy (who was hired by the competition) turned out to be an organizational whiz.  When this happens, it is the people who did the hiring as much as the guy they hired who get the blame.  For they failed to recognize two things: a) you can’t judge a book by its cover, and; b) those in positions of responsibility are responsible.  Today’s Scripture does not rub our noses in the obvious fact that fools are fools.  Rather, it reminds us that we who are in the position of responsibility are fools if we entrust responsibility to the chronically irresponsible.  Let us ask God for the grace to discharge our own responsibilities wisely and to delegate responsibility to others with equal wisdom.  As God assures us in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.”