The Fool
I like the following
introduction to Proverbs: “In our
society wise men are easily confused with wise guys. If knowledge could save us,
we would have more than we could handle. Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every
five years; libraries groan with the weight of new books. In fact, our generation possesses more data
about the universe and human personality than all previous generations put
together. Yet by everyone’s standards,
even with all our knowledge, the world is a mess. With all our knowledge,
society today is peopled with a bumper crop of brilliant failures. We probably do not have more fools than
other nations, but as Jane Addams once said, ‘In America fools are better
organized’. Men and women educated to
earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself. Alumni from noted universities have mastered
information about a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it out of the first
grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends. Let’s face it. Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom” [1] In this lesson I want to examine the
question, “So just what makes a person a fool in the eyes of God?”
Disproportionate
Anger
Solomon noted that anger resides
in the heart of the foolish person (Ecclesiastes 7:9), and also noted
that unlike the wise man who avoids strife, “Any fool with quarrel”
(Proverbs 20:3; 29:9 “The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no
rest”; 29:11 “A fool always loses his temper”). “The general sense is clear: there is no arguing calmly with a fool” (Kidner p. 174). The inference is that fools could care less
about what is right, true, or logical, rather they will adopt any tactics to
win an argument. This verse might also
refer to what happens when one meets a fool in a court of law. ‘He cannot appreciate or distinguish the
good or the bad, the ugly or the beautiful, the safe from the dangerous. He treats all people, regardless of the
honor they deserve, in the same stupid way.
Elsewhere the proverbs counsel corporeal punishment as the only kind
that makes an impression, and then only very slowly (10:13; 18:6; 19:29;
26:3)” (Alden p. 201). “Almost
anyone can start an argument, but it takes a truly wise man to resolve issues,
avoid strife, and make friends out of enemies” (Alden p. 148). “A fool’s anger at others or himself almost
always seems to be far more severe than appropriate. Disproportionate anger is a fight waiting to happen. In that sense, it is not anger that
stimulates constructive action toward a reasonable goal; it is merely the
desire to find relief for some inner turbulence that is not quieted without a
sacrifice of another person’s blood” (Bold Love, Allender p. 258).
[1] Proverbs: A Commentary On An Ancient Book Of Timeless Advice, Robert L. Alden, p. 7.
Impulsive Anger
“The fool lacks self-control and is reckless (Proverbs
12:23; 14:16; 29:20). Not only is
the fool a thunderous storm, but the storm is also one that can develop
suddenly out of a clear, sunny day.
Impulsivity is a means of acting without bearing responsibility for an
act. We seem to live with the
presumption that if we did not do something with calculating intentionality,
then we cannot be held as responsible” (Bold Love p. 259). “The fool is
the slave of every impulse and is at the mercy of every moment when he chances
to feel irritation” (Gaebelein p. 1114).
Repetitive Anger and Sin
“Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats
his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). “2 Peter 2:22 quotes this to show that by this action such
a person gives himself away. Not his
sampling of better things, but his reversion to the lower, is the test of
him---just as the tastes that a dog does not share with man stamp him as
unmistakably a dog” (Kidner p. 163).
In light of 2 Peter 2:20-22, we are being told that the biggest
fool of all is the unfaithful Christian.
Sin, any sin, is about as attractive as dog vomit! Kidner’s comment needs to be grasped. Changing your life for a short time, doing
some good deeds, making some improvements, putting on a good attitude---isn’t
proof that one has really learned.
Even the most hardened sinners can “appear” to have reformed themselves
for a time. The real test is
time! Did we learn from the past, or
have we returned to our former sinful habits? “A fool is not usually cold and
unfeeling. In fact, he may be very warm
and sympathetic, but not for long. His
feelings are usually like a travelogue instead of a real trip. They are a brief emotional excursion that
hits the highlights, but never ventures into the smells and sounds that make up
a real city. Once real depth of feeling
and relationship is required, the fool is usually bored or distracted to other
factors that are more personally rewarding” (Bold Love pp. 257-258). “But
the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24). “Wisdom is in the presence” in contrast to
the fool in the second part of the verse, the wise man keeps his mind focused
on the goal. In addition, the wise man
sees wisdom right where he is. The
foolish man’s sight is directionless.
“The phrase might also mean the fool dreams a lot instead of making
realistic plans. He might also make
plans which are too idealistic or impractical, but in any case it takes a
disciplined mind to make plans that work.
The discerning man operates within boundaries while the fool does not” (Alden
p. 137). “The fool misses the
opportunities at hand and is always supposing that somewhere else, something
else, is really better” (Hunt p. 225). One of the qualities of a fool is the inability to concentrate
or fix their attention. Learning,
tackling difficult subjects, thinking through a problem—is boring to the fool.
Easily Satisfied
On the one hand, the fool is never satisfied, but on the
other hand he seems easily or too easily pleased (Luke 12:19). In addition, the fool also loves to
listen to himself. “A fool does not
delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind” (Proverbs 18:2);
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (12:15). “I have met recovering alcoholics,
sexaholics, bulimics, Christians of all stripes, preachers, counselors, Indian
chiefs, and CEO’s who were transported by the sound of their own intoxicating
babble. They were no longer as enslaved
by their primary addiction, but they were still addicted to the presumption
that they had the steps of life and the know-how to lead everyone to the new
Promised Land. The fool thinks he’s
right in everything he does, whether it’s interpreting a Bible passage or
operating a sewing machine. The fool is
easily filled, especially with his own grandiosity, but he is blind to the
consequences of his direction in life.
The fool may be brilliant in his chosen field or in academic pursuits,
but he is a jerk in life” (Bold Love p. 262).
Morally Dense
“Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7); “A
fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind”
(18:2). Such a
mentality resents any form of authority over them, “I don’t want people telling
me what I can and can’t do” (2 Peter 2:10). The idea behind the word “despise” is, “contemptuous trampling
under the feet” (P.P. Comm. p. 6). Compare
with Matthew 7:6. Carefully note
the thing that makes a person a “fool” isn’t a lack of education, rather it is
a bad attitude. The fool has a moral
problem. Immediately this book informs
us that many people are going to reject wisdom. In fact, only a few people might be on the road to wisdom (Matthew
7:13-14). This book often talks
about the fool and in the following chapters we will learn that the fool is:
arrogant (12:15), short-tempered (12:16), boastful (14:3), conscience-less
(14:9), disobedient (15:5), argumentative (20:3), cannot imagine that he could
be wrong (17:10), has a flippant outlook on life (14:9), and knows no restraint
(20:3). Kidner notes, “it must always
be remembered that the book has in mind a man’s chosen outlook, rather
than his mental equipment…The root of his trouble is spiritual, not
mental. He likes his folly,
going back to it ‘like a dog that returns to his vomit’ (26:11); he has no
reverence for truth, preferring comfortable illusions (14:8). At bottom, what he is rejecting is the fear
of the Lord (1:29)” (p. 40). Note,
the fool does not despise all “knowledge”.
“The fool may be a follower of the gurus of positive self-talk or a
devotee of the most recent cure for the ills of the soul. The fool believes there is an answer to the
emptiness that only heaven can fill.
The fool seems to be an expert at calculating gain, but is unable to
look deeply at the inevitability of loss” (Bold Love p. 262). The fact is that often the fool may read
quite a bit, but he is rejecting any knowledge associated with God. The fool may read many self-help books, and
attend various seminars, as long as none of the above confronts them with their
sin.
A fool despises the cost of
growth
“A fool rejects his father’s discipline” (Proverbs
15:5). “The fool
refuses to struggle with issues of character.
Rather, he gives himself over to something that provides relief without
enticing him toward heaven. The fool
lives for pleasure in order to hide from the decay of the world and his
body. But death will catch him
mid-sentence, and without warning, his soul will be required to stand before an
unflinching and Holy God” (Luke 12:19) (Bold Love p. 265). The mistake that the rich man made in this
story is that he believed that life was manageable and completely under his
control. “The fool hates anything that
exposes the ugliness of his heart.
Consequently, the fool is repelled by the process of honestly facing his
life and embracing the pain that produces lasting beauty” (Bold Love p.
264). We are yielding to folly when
we refuse to exercise patience, or endure and maintain our faithfulness even
when life is difficult. Folly does not
care for verses such as Romans 5:3-5 or James 1:2-4. “The fool wants to believe he can win the
superficial spoils of war, thus win the war” (p. 266).
Fools are out of control
Not only in the area of speech (Proverbs 18:6-7), but
also in the realm of finances “There is precious treasure and oil in the
dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up” (Proverbs 21:20). The phrase “Swallows it up” means that
the foolish are impatient and insist on having everything today. While the wise man through diligence,
restraint, and patience accumulates physical and spiritual wealth. “Wise people plan ahead and so have plenty
to eat, while foolish people ‘devour all they have’ without thinking at all
about the future. (Alden p. 157). Anything worthwhile, physical wealth, or
spiritual wealth takes time, dedication, and effort. How many people in our society are living for the moment? How many refuse to save and insist on having
everything they want right now? Again, one of the marks of folly is demanding instant relief,
which is living for the moment. “The
primary crucible the fool avoids is integrity in relationships. Relationships require enormous struggle and
passion to cultivate a crop worthy to be called tasty” (Bold Love p. 265).
Loving a fool
There is a definite emotional cost for anyone related to a
fool, especially for his or her parents (Proverbs 15:20). Yet there are
warnings in Proverbs about interacting with a fool. Beware of thinking that hiring him will bring about a change (26:10);
and do not entrust any important task to him (26:6), and do not try to
change him by creating in him some positive self-image (26:8). Be careful when you engage him in
conversation you might become so exasperated that you start acting like him (26:4),
instead give him the answer he deserves from God (26:5). Allender reminds us that loving a fool
is difficult because on one hand he or she seems perilously close to hardness
and on the other frustratingly close to repentance. “The fool may live in this twilight zone for years, and the
tension of dealing with him can be overwhelming” (p. 268). Yet Proverbs
26:5 reminds us that what the fool really needs is for someone to stand up
to him and kindly expose his folly for what it is.
Mark
Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com