YOU CAN’T CHANGE A FOOL

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.

Proverbs 27:22

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In biblical times, the mortar and pestle had a wide variety of uses, none more prevalent than in food preparation. The mortar was the vessel that would house the food to be pounded or ground while the pestle was the instrument used to pound or grind. One example of the use of these tools is found after the Lord answers the cries of His hungered people by sending them manna from heaven. Look at this excerpt from Numbers, Chapter 11:

The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.  Numbers 11:7-8

The intent of using the mortar and pestle were obvious. It was to take something that was originally of little use in its prior form and make it useful after processing. In other words, a person could alter something that was of no use and make something out of it. Manna was crushed with a pestle in a mortar to prepare it for cooking. It would then be made into a loaf for human consumption and the associated nourishment that would bring. The same basic process with a usable end result happened whether the mortar and pestle were used to grind spices or grain or even meat.

It’s obvious these tools continued to be used into Solomon’s time as he makes mention of them to make a point about foolishness and those who practice it. Look at verse 22 of Proverbs 27:

Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them. Proverbs 27:22

The message from the word of God is clear.

You can’t change a fool.

You can’t. I can’t. No human on earth can change a fool, no matter how hard we try. We can grind and grind them like grain being pounded by a pestle but the end product will still be a fool, unseparated from their folly. Unlike the manna or spices or meat or grain, they (fools) will never be processed into something that is useful by way of human hands.

No, we can’t change a fool but that doesn’t mean the conversion is an impossibility. This is because the Lord has promised us that there is nothing that is impossible for Him. Not even processing a useless fool into a useful servant. Read enough of the Bible and you’ll see where He had done it many times over with people like you and me.

So if you’re dealing with someone who is a fool, one who seems to live in the land of idiocy, foolhardiness, and stupidity, pray for them. Petition for the Lord to get their attention in a way that makes them want to turn from their folly toward wisdom, from sin and wickedness toward righteousness. And then stand back and watch what the Lord can do. For when one rejects wisdom, they are in essence rejecting the Lord who creates and distributes it. And we know the Lord will not stand for being blatantly rejected. He will bring whatever correction is needed to get the fools attention and show them that the only way in life is through Him, the Way and Truth and Life (John 14:6). He will toss the fool into His holy mortar and use the power of His divine pestle to pound and grind the foolish ways from them, leaving a new creation that can be used for something productive (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Such is the power of the Lord, a power that can reform and transform anyone, even the fools. None of us can do the same. All we can do is praise the precious name of our Lord who breaks us where we need broken and mends us up anew in holiness and righteousness through His incredibly amazing love and grace and mercy.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com