Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on
their lips.
Fools
mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
A
rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Better
to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
Why
should fools have money in hand
to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?
Fools
find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
Better
the poor whose walk is blameless than a foolwhose lips are perverse.
It is not fitting
for a fool to live in luxury—how much worse for a slave to rule over
princes!
It
is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
The
wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
Proverbs 14:7, 14:9, 17:10, 17:12,
17:16, 18:2, 19:1, 19:10, 20:3, 21:20
This ends this reading from God's holy word.
Thanks be to God.
There was a TV character called Mr. T from some time ago and he had a
trademark line that went something like this:
“I PITY the fool who (and he would conclude with the stupid action the
fool would take).”
As I look at the set of proverbs for today, I find myself wanting to
echo the words of Mr. T and say, “I pity the fool.” I say this because nothing
good awaits the fool and it’s obvious that whoever fits this title is not
operating anywhere near the way the Lord expects for them to live. Look at what
the proverbs have to say about fools and I think you’ll find yourself pitying
them too.
1. Fools have no knowledge.
Stay away from a fool,
for you will not find knowledge on their lips. Proverbs 14:7
Those
who do not seek the wisdom of the Lord are fools and you will find no knowledge
on their lips although they think they speak with it. Minus the influence of
the Lord, fools speak word that are empty and spiritually void. There is
nothing edifying about them and they will never lead you toward the Lord nor
seek to advance His kingdom here on earth. This verse warns us to stay away
from fools for this reason.
2.
Fools refuse to repent.
Fools mock at making amends for sin. Proverbs
14:9a
A
fool thinks they are perfectly fine. Sinful living is part of their daily
routine and so they never see a need to change and turn away from their
transgressions.
3.
Fools simply don’t get that they are fools.
A rebuke impresses a discerning person more
than a hundred lashes a fool. Proverbs
17:10
A
fool can suffer any number of consequences for their foolish actions but they
will never see that all they need is to change and seek the Lord’s wisdom to
avoid falling into hardship. Their response to rebuke and punishment is to try
and figure out how to avoid trouble on their own and it’s that very stubbornness
toward self reliance that makes them a fool in the first place.
4.
Fools exhibit no discretion.
The wise store up choice food and olive
oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
Proverbs 21:20
A fool is on their own program. They do what they want to do and lack
any sense of discernment whether an action is proper or not. They just do their
own thing, no matter the outcome for them or others.
5.
Fools are poor in many things to include wisdom.
Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to
understand it? Proverbs 17:16
The
Lord will not pass wisdom to someone who has no desire to receive it. Fools are
first in the category and wisdom is not the only blessing that will be
withheld. The Lord will not favor fools in any way as they choose spiritual
bankruptcy over the treasures of heaven the Lord offers.
6.
Fools think they know it all.
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but
delight in airing their own opinions. Proverbs 18:2
Don’t
waste your time trying to tell a fool how they should live. Ditto for debating
with them about spiritual matters for they will consistently air their own
opinions. They find no pleasure in understanding because they already think
they understand it all.
7.
Fools speak perversity.
Better the poor whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are
perverse. Proverbs 19:1
Listen
to the words of the fool and you will find words that are wicked, sinful,
depraved, and immoral. This is the vocabulary of the one who walks in the ways
of the world and sin.
8.
Fools like to keep the pot stirred up.
It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but
every fool is quick to quarrel. Proverbs
20:3
Whether
through the wicked words they use or from associated transgressive actions
connected with their words, the fool is always seeking to cause strife and
discord with people they associate with. They have no desire for peace because
they have no desire for the One who is the Prince of Peace.
9.
Fools will find themselves in the midst of the Lord’s wrath.
Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly. Proverbs
17:12
The
Lord does not favor someone who chooses sin over righteousness, foolishness
over wisdom. His judgment will fall on the fool and not in a pleasant way.
Consider the anger and verdict a mother bear would invoke on someone who came
upon her after her cubs were taken and compare that to the level of wrath the
Lord will bring to a fool in the midst of his or her folly.
Perhaps
this is the best verse to close with. For if the threat of the Lord’s wrath and
judgment doesn’t convince the fool to change his or her ways, then they simply
will never change.
And
I pity the fool that makes that decision.
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
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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