Proverbs 22:3 “A prudent man foresees evil (or calamity) and hides himself. but the simple (or foolish) pass on and are punished.”
We received our “Flood Alert” notice today.
This year, because of an exceptionally heavy snow fall, there is fear of a repeat of the 1948 flood in the communities that live in the flood plains of the mighty Fraser River.
There have been advisories issued as to what precautions and preparations are prudent for those whose homes are in danger or for those who would be affected by secondary issues such as being stranded, or being without hydro or drinking water. .
I have watched and listened over the last few weeks and found that people’s reactions fall into four groups.
1> There are the people who take the threat very seriously and do all they can to be prepared.
I got into a conversation with a young lady who stood behind me in the line up waiting for a bank teller. She told me about her friend who has taken every precaution she could, to the extent that she has purchased polyurethane to wrap her house in. She has moved all her belongings to the top floor, including the motorcycle. All emergency supplies have been purchased. She is ready for the worst case scenario!
2> Then there are the people who listen to the warnings and consider the facts and decide to make bare minimum preparations. They buy some bottled water, stock up on a few staples, such as canned food and batteries and hope the flood doesn’t happen.
Their preparations may be enough, they may not.
3> Many people have decided they will just wait and see. If the flood begins to happen, they will go out and quickly get what they need. Waiting until the last minute may be too late, especially if too many other people had the same idea.
4> Lastly, there are the people who scoff at the whole possibility of a flood and refuse to take the threat seriously. They have no intention of taking any precautions, not even planning for emergency necessities.
It struck me how the reactions of people facing the threat of a disaster parallel the reactions of people facing certain death and eternity.
We don’t like to think of death. God has given us a will to live which is normal and good, but we all know that “it is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgement” (Heb. 9:27)
No one lives forever on this earth. It is a fact no one can deny and yet the reactions vary.
1> There are the people who, recognizing the fact that death and eternity are a sure thing, search out what they must do to be ready and make all the necessary preparations. They make sure that they know their salvation is secured and that they are living in such a way that they are ready to face God at any moment. They, like the five wise virgins, have their lamps trimmed and have extra oil with them.
2> Then there are the people who recognize that one day their life here will end but they really don’t want to do more than the bare minimum to be prepared. They go to church fairly regularly and have a short list of things they do to appease their consciences hoping it will be enough.
The five foolish virgins also thought they had enough and by the time they realized their mistake it was too late.
3> There are also those who do not want to ‘cramp their style’ and while they know what they must do to be saved, decide that they will just wait until the last minute and then quickly make things right then.
But it is almost impossible to get ready in a crisis moment.
A friend of mine lost her brother this past month.
He owned businesses in two cities and sold one to use the cash flow to enlarge and upgrade the business in the other city. He was excited to carry out his plans. Four days after the sale was finalized he was killed in a car accident. He was not prepared for death and eternity.
Leaving things for the last minute is taking the ultimate risk ….. with all eternity at stake.
3> Then there are the ones who simply refuse to acknowledge the facts.
They deny the evidence proving that God and eternity are real and that one day they will answer to the Judge of all men. They prefer to believe that they can write their own reality to suit themselves; they will live and die on their own terms.
God has sent out his “Alert Notice!”
“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says;
Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…..
Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God….
exhort one another daily while it is called ‘today’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin..
For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said,
Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
(Heb. 3:7-15)
What is YOUR reaction?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Coals of Fire
“If your enemy is hungry give him bread to eat, And if he is thirsty give him water to drink for so you will heap coals of fire on his head.” (Prov. 25:21,22)
Paul quotes this verse from proverbs in Romans 12:19,20 saying, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves but rather give place to wrath for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine I will repay’, saith the Lord. Therefore if your enemy hungers feed him, if he thirst give him a drink for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
There are differences of opinion as to what ‘heaping coals of fire’ on someone’s head means.
I was taught that treating my enemy with kindness would somehow allow God to pronounce just punishment on the evil doer.
Some tell of an eastern custom that in the morning those who had let their fire go out in the night would run through the streets with a clay pot on their head and neighbours would fill it with burning coals for them to restart their fire.
Others tell of an Egyptian custom of people demonstrating their repentance by putting coals of fire on their head.
Yet others insist that neither of these claimed ancient customs have any validity, and are in fact untrue.
But we do not need to guess at the meaning or search out ancient customs when we can find the true meaning simply by searching the pages of scripture.
The first reference to burning coals of fire is found in Leviticus 16 when God instructed Moses on the rituals concerning the altar. To makes atonement for the people Aaron was to take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar and bring it before the Lord in the holy of holies , then sprinkle the coals with incense causing a cloud to rise up and cover the mercy seat in the holy of holies.
The burning coals of fire had to do with the sacrifice for sin and forgiveness.
This is confirmed in Isaiah 6:5 where Isaiah, when he sees the Lord, recognizes his sinful condition and cries out…“Woe is me for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” In response to his cry an angel flies to him having in his hand a coal of fire from the altar. The angel touches Isaiah’s mouth with it and declares that his “iniquity is taken away and his sin purged”.
Burning coals of fire have the purpose of cleansing from sin.
Therefore, to heap burning coals of fire on someone’s head is to bring them to repentance so that their sin may be forgiven.
When someone sins against us, it is not vengeance we are to seek but rather seek to ‘overcome evil' with good deeds that will make our enemy ashamed and burn his conscience, filling him with ‘godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation’. (II Cor. 7:10)
My parents and forefathers came from one of the Mennonite villages in the Ukraine.
There was a time where they lived in terror, never knowing when their lives would be in danger. They were at the mercy of bandits and marauding gangs who raided and killed at will with no authorities to stop them.
In one of these Mennonite villages, a man and his family were asleep in their beds one night when the father awoke to the sounds of someone on his roof.
Slipping outside in the dark, he found his fears confirmed.
Several young men were tearing his house apart.
He calmly went back inside and called his wife to prepare a meal.
When the table was set and the food prepared he went outside and called to the young men who had torn a good part of his roof off the house.
“You have worked hard. You must be hungry. Please come inside and partake of some refreshments.”
Hesitantly, the men came into the house and sat down at the table.
The man of the house calmly bowed his head and thanked the Lord for the food and asked him to bless those that sat around the table.
After the prayer, he filled the men’s plates and encouraged them to eat.
They picked up their forks and started to eat… but after a few minutes, without a word, got up from the table and went back outside.
The sounds resumed on the roof.
But this time their intent was different. They worked until they had restored all the damage they had done and then quietly left.
The kindness of the gentle godly couple had heaped coals of fire on their heads that burned repentance into their souls.
When someone insults us, or offends us in some way is our first reaction to want to retaliate - to strike back, to wish that they get what they deserve?
Or is our heart concern for their soul, and our desire to react in such a way as to bring them to feel sorrow and regret for their actions?
Do we yearn for them to be forgiven before God?
I remember a time I was put to shame by the example of my granddaughter.
Shortly after she started her kindergarten year, she began to tell me about a girl in her class named Danielle.
This girl was mean tempered, angry and had no friends.
Elise, who wanted everyone to be her friend could not understand why this girl was so difficult. She tried and tried to be her friend, to no avail.
Elise would tell me, "Nanna, we have to pray for Danielle."
And she herself would pray for her every day.
One day Elise was again telling me about Danielle and struggling to define her problem asked me, "What do you call it, when she, when she..." I understood what she meant and gave her the words, "has a broken spirit?"
"Yes, yes, that's it, " Elise said.
Always after that she asked me to pray for Danielle's broken spirit.
Elise would make Danielle cards and think of ways to be nice to her - she even asked to go shopping to buy Danielle a really nice present, which she choose with great care. But all of her efforts went unrewarded and Elise agonized all year over this child that rejected all her kind gestures.
Not once did Elise take her meaness personally, the meaner Danielle was the greater Elise's concern for her and the greater her struggle to understand her.
There were times when Elise was hopeful that finally her efforts were paying off but then they would be dashed once more.
The year ended with Danielle still being mean and angry. The coals of fire did not produce the desired result.
But I still think of her and hope that perhaps one day she will remember the little girl in kindergarten that would not give up being kind to her.
Watching Elise's childlike purity of heart and motives gave meaning to God's words, "A little child shall lead them". (Is. 11:6)
Paul quotes this verse from proverbs in Romans 12:19,20 saying, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves but rather give place to wrath for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine I will repay’, saith the Lord. Therefore if your enemy hungers feed him, if he thirst give him a drink for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
There are differences of opinion as to what ‘heaping coals of fire’ on someone’s head means.
I was taught that treating my enemy with kindness would somehow allow God to pronounce just punishment on the evil doer.
Some tell of an eastern custom that in the morning those who had let their fire go out in the night would run through the streets with a clay pot on their head and neighbours would fill it with burning coals for them to restart their fire.
Others tell of an Egyptian custom of people demonstrating their repentance by putting coals of fire on their head.
Yet others insist that neither of these claimed ancient customs have any validity, and are in fact untrue.
But we do not need to guess at the meaning or search out ancient customs when we can find the true meaning simply by searching the pages of scripture.
The first reference to burning coals of fire is found in Leviticus 16 when God instructed Moses on the rituals concerning the altar. To makes atonement for the people Aaron was to take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar and bring it before the Lord in the holy of holies , then sprinkle the coals with incense causing a cloud to rise up and cover the mercy seat in the holy of holies.
The burning coals of fire had to do with the sacrifice for sin and forgiveness.
This is confirmed in Isaiah 6:5 where Isaiah, when he sees the Lord, recognizes his sinful condition and cries out…“Woe is me for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” In response to his cry an angel flies to him having in his hand a coal of fire from the altar. The angel touches Isaiah’s mouth with it and declares that his “iniquity is taken away and his sin purged”.
Burning coals of fire have the purpose of cleansing from sin.
Therefore, to heap burning coals of fire on someone’s head is to bring them to repentance so that their sin may be forgiven.
When someone sins against us, it is not vengeance we are to seek but rather seek to ‘overcome evil' with good deeds that will make our enemy ashamed and burn his conscience, filling him with ‘godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation’. (II Cor. 7:10)
My parents and forefathers came from one of the Mennonite villages in the Ukraine.
There was a time where they lived in terror, never knowing when their lives would be in danger. They were at the mercy of bandits and marauding gangs who raided and killed at will with no authorities to stop them.
In one of these Mennonite villages, a man and his family were asleep in their beds one night when the father awoke to the sounds of someone on his roof.
Slipping outside in the dark, he found his fears confirmed.
Several young men were tearing his house apart.
He calmly went back inside and called his wife to prepare a meal.
When the table was set and the food prepared he went outside and called to the young men who had torn a good part of his roof off the house.
“You have worked hard. You must be hungry. Please come inside and partake of some refreshments.”
Hesitantly, the men came into the house and sat down at the table.
The man of the house calmly bowed his head and thanked the Lord for the food and asked him to bless those that sat around the table.
After the prayer, he filled the men’s plates and encouraged them to eat.
They picked up their forks and started to eat… but after a few minutes, without a word, got up from the table and went back outside.
The sounds resumed on the roof.
But this time their intent was different. They worked until they had restored all the damage they had done and then quietly left.
The kindness of the gentle godly couple had heaped coals of fire on their heads that burned repentance into their souls.
When someone insults us, or offends us in some way is our first reaction to want to retaliate - to strike back, to wish that they get what they deserve?
Or is our heart concern for their soul, and our desire to react in such a way as to bring them to feel sorrow and regret for their actions?
Do we yearn for them to be forgiven before God?
I remember a time I was put to shame by the example of my granddaughter.
Shortly after she started her kindergarten year, she began to tell me about a girl in her class named Danielle.
This girl was mean tempered, angry and had no friends.
Elise, who wanted everyone to be her friend could not understand why this girl was so difficult. She tried and tried to be her friend, to no avail.
Elise would tell me, "Nanna, we have to pray for Danielle."
And she herself would pray for her every day.
One day Elise was again telling me about Danielle and struggling to define her problem asked me, "What do you call it, when she, when she..." I understood what she meant and gave her the words, "has a broken spirit?"
"Yes, yes, that's it, " Elise said.
Always after that she asked me to pray for Danielle's broken spirit.
Elise would make Danielle cards and think of ways to be nice to her - she even asked to go shopping to buy Danielle a really nice present, which she choose with great care. But all of her efforts went unrewarded and Elise agonized all year over this child that rejected all her kind gestures.
Not once did Elise take her meaness personally, the meaner Danielle was the greater Elise's concern for her and the greater her struggle to understand her.
There were times when Elise was hopeful that finally her efforts were paying off but then they would be dashed once more.
The year ended with Danielle still being mean and angry. The coals of fire did not produce the desired result.
But I still think of her and hope that perhaps one day she will remember the little girl in kindergarten that would not give up being kind to her.
Watching Elise's childlike purity of heart and motives gave meaning to God's words, "A little child shall lead them". (Is. 11:6)
Friday, June 8, 2007
The Gospel according to Proverbs?
I think of the Bible as God’s house of Truth.
The books of the Bible are its windows.
Each book provides another view into God’s Truth, just as walking around your neighbour’s house and looking into the windows allows you to view the inside of the house from different angles.
All views together give you a complete understanding of what the ‘house’ looks like and what it contains.
Proverbs is typically thought of as a collection of wise sayings, practical advice for successful living.
But it is a 'window' into God’s ‘house of Truth’ , and therefore looking into Proverbs we will see the same truths we see looking into the other 'windows'.
If you were looking into the Proverbs window would you expect to be able to present the gospel message to the non-believer standing beside you?
No?
Let’s see.
The first step toward salvation is recognizing that we have a choice to make.
God allows man to choose between good and evil, for Him or against Him.
“The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the habitation of the just!" (Prov. 3:33)
Every man must make a choice. Even if he does not actively CHOOSE evil, it is the default decision. Each choice carries with it life-defining consequences.
“For the upright will dwell in the land… but the wicked will be cut off from the earth.” (Prov.2:21,22)
The first step toward God is ‘to humble ourselves’ (James 4:10), recognizing that we cannot be saved by our own works, salvation is only by God’s grace. “For the grace of God that brings salvation….” (Titus 2:11)
Proverbs agrees.
“Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives GRACE to the humble.” (Prov.3:33,34)
In humbling ourselves we recognize our own unworthiness. We recognize that we have gone our own rebellious way. “There is a way which seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death.“ (Prov. 14:12)
We cry out to God acknowledging our sin before Him. “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?’ “ (Prov. 20:9)
Filled with remorse , we obey God’s call to repentance.
We can confess our sin to a merciful and forgiving God. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” (Prov. 28:13)
In coming to God we must believe that He is who He says He is and that He will hear us and accept us. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” (Prov. 3:5-7)
There is only one way to reconciled to God, by accepting His free gift of salvation.
The sin debt we owe we can never pay off – our only hope is the free gift of God.
“The one who despises the word will be in DEBT to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be REWARDED!” (Prov. 13:13) "The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and LIFE” (Prov. 22:4)
The one who refuses God is responsible to pay his debt, but the one who chooses God is ‘rewarded’ – a free gift.
Do the above Proverbs verses not remind you of Romans 3:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life,” ?
And in Prov. 3:35 we are told that “the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
See the parallel between this Prov. Verse and the verse in Romans 2:7,8, “…those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory… but to those who ,,,…obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.”
When we know that we have freely received the gift of God are encouraged to ‘grow the fruit of the Spirit’ in our life. If we do, our desire will be to share the good news with others. “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matt. 10:8)
Prov. 11:30 also encourages us to do just that. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he who wins souls is wise.”
God’s heart desire is for man to be saved, to be reconciled to Him….and this theme is repeated over and over again throughout scripture.
Is it surprising then, that Proverbs , the ‘how-to’ book for sucessful living, would include the gospel message?
The books of the Bible are its windows.
Each book provides another view into God’s Truth, just as walking around your neighbour’s house and looking into the windows allows you to view the inside of the house from different angles.
All views together give you a complete understanding of what the ‘house’ looks like and what it contains.
Proverbs is typically thought of as a collection of wise sayings, practical advice for successful living.
But it is a 'window' into God’s ‘house of Truth’ , and therefore looking into Proverbs we will see the same truths we see looking into the other 'windows'.
If you were looking into the Proverbs window would you expect to be able to present the gospel message to the non-believer standing beside you?
No?
Let’s see.
The first step toward salvation is recognizing that we have a choice to make.
God allows man to choose between good and evil, for Him or against Him.
“The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the habitation of the just!" (Prov. 3:33)
Every man must make a choice. Even if he does not actively CHOOSE evil, it is the default decision. Each choice carries with it life-defining consequences.
“For the upright will dwell in the land… but the wicked will be cut off from the earth.” (Prov.2:21,22)
The first step toward God is ‘to humble ourselves’ (James 4:10), recognizing that we cannot be saved by our own works, salvation is only by God’s grace. “For the grace of God that brings salvation….” (Titus 2:11)
Proverbs agrees.
“Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives GRACE to the humble.” (Prov.3:33,34)
In humbling ourselves we recognize our own unworthiness. We recognize that we have gone our own rebellious way. “There is a way which seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death.“ (Prov. 14:12)
We cry out to God acknowledging our sin before Him. “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?’ “ (Prov. 20:9)
Filled with remorse , we obey God’s call to repentance.
We can confess our sin to a merciful and forgiving God. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” (Prov. 28:13)
In coming to God we must believe that He is who He says He is and that He will hear us and accept us. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” (Prov. 3:5-7)
There is only one way to reconciled to God, by accepting His free gift of salvation.
The sin debt we owe we can never pay off – our only hope is the free gift of God.
“The one who despises the word will be in DEBT to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be REWARDED!” (Prov. 13:13) "The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and LIFE” (Prov. 22:4)
The one who refuses God is responsible to pay his debt, but the one who chooses God is ‘rewarded’ – a free gift.
Do the above Proverbs verses not remind you of Romans 3:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life,” ?
And in Prov. 3:35 we are told that “the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
See the parallel between this Prov. Verse and the verse in Romans 2:7,8, “…those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory… but to those who ,,,…obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.”
When we know that we have freely received the gift of God are encouraged to ‘grow the fruit of the Spirit’ in our life. If we do, our desire will be to share the good news with others. “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matt. 10:8)
Prov. 11:30 also encourages us to do just that. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he who wins souls is wise.”
God’s heart desire is for man to be saved, to be reconciled to Him….and this theme is repeated over and over again throughout scripture.
Is it surprising then, that Proverbs , the ‘how-to’ book for sucessful living, would include the gospel message?
Thursday, June 7, 2007
"Met a Fool Lately?"
In the seventies it was the era of mini skirts and high heels and wolf whistles.
I was leaving work one summer evening and when I pulled off the mall parking lot onto the street I saw a car pull up beside me with a young man at the wheel. I heard him whistle at me and I determined that I was not going to give him the satisfaction of me acknowledging his attention. We were stopped by a red light and he continued to whistle and tap his horn. I was embarrassed and pulled quickly into the turn as soon as the light turned green, careful to keep my face averted. He stayed abreast with my car and continued whistling.
I paid him no heed!
To my annoyance we were again stopped by a red light.
He rolled down his window and said something. When I still did not even glance in his direction, he stuck his head out and hollered, “HEY STUPID, YOUR LIGHTS!”
Turning beat red, and feeling extremely foolish I turned on my headlights.
A fool is defined in our English dictionary as “one who is deficient in judgment, sense or understanding, one who acts unwisely on a given occasion”.
The Hebrew word is stronger. It gives the meaning of “Stupid, wicked, vile person”.
We rarely hear someone described as a fool anymore. I would like to think the species has gone into extinction but I think the truth is that when we meet one we simply turn the other way.
And yet God has a lot to say about ‘fools’. The book of Proverbs dedicates 39 verses to the subject of a fool.
Do we know one when we see one? Are we careful to avoid the ways of a fool in our own life?
While it is embarrassing to be called a fool by a fellow human being… it would be infinitely worse to be called a fool by God.
According to the book of Proverbs who does God consider a fool?
King David, the father of the author of Proverbs defined the ultimate fool …“The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’.” (Psalm 14:1) and this thought is echoed in Pro. 28:26 which says, “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool”.
A fool is someone who sets himself up as his own standard, blind in his own conceit and does not recognize wisdom when it is presented to him.
Prov.23:9 says, “Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”
A fool is also described as someone who has no discretion as to when to speak or when to keep silent. Prov. 29:11 says “A fool utters all his mind, but a wise man keeps it in till afterwards.” And also in Prov. 18:7 we read, “A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul”.
A fool is also described as one who is unteachable. There is no point in giving good advice or instruction to a fool. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,” (Prov.12:15)
“A fool despises his father’s instruction.” (Prov.15:5)
A fool always thinks his way is the only way and no one can tell him what to do.
My brother is a builder who takes pride in his work and is known for his skill and knowledge. He recently hired a man to work for him. When my brother pointed out that he was not following the chalk line to align his boards in a straight line he responded, “I will not be told what to do, I know what I am doing.” And he quit. A fool?
There is interesting language used to describe fools. One such verse is in Prov. 17:24. It says, “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”
On first reading the intended meaning escapes us. But think about it.
Have you as a parent ever sat a rebellious child down to explain why you are insisting on certain behaviour and his eyes are everywhere except on you? Do you, realizing he is not paying attention, not say “LOOK AT ME!” ?
That is what this verse is saying. That while a wise man focuses and pays attention to wisdom the eyes (and attention) of a fool are everywhere but where they should be.
Solomon also has an interesting turn of words to warn against trusting a fool. In Proverbs 26:6 he says, “He that sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off the feet and drinks damage.” He is saying that to trust a fool with any of your business, even something as small as delivering a message, is to invite disaster upon yourself. A message given to a fool to deliver is so unlikely to be delivered with any compitance that you might as well cut off his feet…. Hiring a fool will cause your business to suffer and you will be judged by your messenger.
Proverbs describes a fool as someone who cannot be serious. Their focus in life is to do whatever it takes to attract attention, act foolishly, get into trouble, be the practical jokester - “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief...” (Prov. 10:23). He seems incapable of doing anything worthwhile. “Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.” (Prov.27:22) The picture here is of grinding grain to separate the wheat from the chaff, but grinding a fool would present no hope of separating the chaff (foolishness) from him.
To give honour to a fool is like “snow in summer, and as rain in harvest “ (Prov. 26:1)
It is like “binding a stone in a sling, so is he that gives honour to a fool.” (Prov. 26:8).
It is dangerous to give honour to a fool, he will use it to his own and others’ hurt - just as a stone flung from a sling will injure someone in its path, or rain will destroy the cut grain.
He will be puffed up with himself, bragging and spouting worthless advice to anyone who will listen. He will be "perverse in his lips” (Prov. 19:1)
A fool is someone who “hides hatred with lying lips and slanders another” (Prov.10:18) and someone who “enters into contention and his mouth calls for strokes” (Prov. 18:6)
A fool stirs up trouble, encourages strife and conflict and attacks anyone in his way.
When we read about what a fool is like the language is so strong that we find it hard to even think of someone who fits the description but if we think about it, letting the words sink into our hearts we realize that maybe we are a little bit guilty ourselves, that perhaps at times we even see the foolish ways of a fool lurking in the shadows of our own mirror.
Perhaps we are not always quick to take advice, at times we think our opinion is more important than someone else’s, we talk before we think, we react with anger when we are criticized.
If we do recognize the shadow of foolishness in our own hearts, we know we are not ‘fools’, for fools cannot see the error of their ways.
“A wise man fears and departs from evil, but the fool rages and is self-confident.” (Prov.14:16)
I was leaving work one summer evening and when I pulled off the mall parking lot onto the street I saw a car pull up beside me with a young man at the wheel. I heard him whistle at me and I determined that I was not going to give him the satisfaction of me acknowledging his attention. We were stopped by a red light and he continued to whistle and tap his horn. I was embarrassed and pulled quickly into the turn as soon as the light turned green, careful to keep my face averted. He stayed abreast with my car and continued whistling.
I paid him no heed!
To my annoyance we were again stopped by a red light.
He rolled down his window and said something. When I still did not even glance in his direction, he stuck his head out and hollered, “HEY STUPID, YOUR LIGHTS!”
Turning beat red, and feeling extremely foolish I turned on my headlights.
A fool is defined in our English dictionary as “one who is deficient in judgment, sense or understanding, one who acts unwisely on a given occasion”.
The Hebrew word is stronger. It gives the meaning of “Stupid, wicked, vile person”.
We rarely hear someone described as a fool anymore. I would like to think the species has gone into extinction but I think the truth is that when we meet one we simply turn the other way.
And yet God has a lot to say about ‘fools’. The book of Proverbs dedicates 39 verses to the subject of a fool.
Do we know one when we see one? Are we careful to avoid the ways of a fool in our own life?
While it is embarrassing to be called a fool by a fellow human being… it would be infinitely worse to be called a fool by God.
According to the book of Proverbs who does God consider a fool?
King David, the father of the author of Proverbs defined the ultimate fool …“The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’.” (Psalm 14:1) and this thought is echoed in Pro. 28:26 which says, “He that trusts in his own heart is a fool”.
A fool is someone who sets himself up as his own standard, blind in his own conceit and does not recognize wisdom when it is presented to him.
Prov.23:9 says, “Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”
A fool is also described as someone who has no discretion as to when to speak or when to keep silent. Prov. 29:11 says “A fool utters all his mind, but a wise man keeps it in till afterwards.” And also in Prov. 18:7 we read, “A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul”.
A fool is also described as one who is unteachable. There is no point in giving good advice or instruction to a fool. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,” (Prov.12:15)
“A fool despises his father’s instruction.” (Prov.15:5)
A fool always thinks his way is the only way and no one can tell him what to do.
My brother is a builder who takes pride in his work and is known for his skill and knowledge. He recently hired a man to work for him. When my brother pointed out that he was not following the chalk line to align his boards in a straight line he responded, “I will not be told what to do, I know what I am doing.” And he quit. A fool?
There is interesting language used to describe fools. One such verse is in Prov. 17:24. It says, “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”
On first reading the intended meaning escapes us. But think about it.
Have you as a parent ever sat a rebellious child down to explain why you are insisting on certain behaviour and his eyes are everywhere except on you? Do you, realizing he is not paying attention, not say “LOOK AT ME!” ?
That is what this verse is saying. That while a wise man focuses and pays attention to wisdom the eyes (and attention) of a fool are everywhere but where they should be.
Solomon also has an interesting turn of words to warn against trusting a fool. In Proverbs 26:6 he says, “He that sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off the feet and drinks damage.” He is saying that to trust a fool with any of your business, even something as small as delivering a message, is to invite disaster upon yourself. A message given to a fool to deliver is so unlikely to be delivered with any compitance that you might as well cut off his feet…. Hiring a fool will cause your business to suffer and you will be judged by your messenger.
Proverbs describes a fool as someone who cannot be serious. Their focus in life is to do whatever it takes to attract attention, act foolishly, get into trouble, be the practical jokester - “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief...” (Prov. 10:23). He seems incapable of doing anything worthwhile. “Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.” (Prov.27:22) The picture here is of grinding grain to separate the wheat from the chaff, but grinding a fool would present no hope of separating the chaff (foolishness) from him.
To give honour to a fool is like “snow in summer, and as rain in harvest “ (Prov. 26:1)
It is like “binding a stone in a sling, so is he that gives honour to a fool.” (Prov. 26:8).
It is dangerous to give honour to a fool, he will use it to his own and others’ hurt - just as a stone flung from a sling will injure someone in its path, or rain will destroy the cut grain.
He will be puffed up with himself, bragging and spouting worthless advice to anyone who will listen. He will be "perverse in his lips” (Prov. 19:1)
A fool is someone who “hides hatred with lying lips and slanders another” (Prov.10:18) and someone who “enters into contention and his mouth calls for strokes” (Prov. 18:6)
A fool stirs up trouble, encourages strife and conflict and attacks anyone in his way.
When we read about what a fool is like the language is so strong that we find it hard to even think of someone who fits the description but if we think about it, letting the words sink into our hearts we realize that maybe we are a little bit guilty ourselves, that perhaps at times we even see the foolish ways of a fool lurking in the shadows of our own mirror.
Perhaps we are not always quick to take advice, at times we think our opinion is more important than someone else’s, we talk before we think, we react with anger when we are criticized.
If we do recognize the shadow of foolishness in our own hearts, we know we are not ‘fools’, for fools cannot see the error of their ways.
“A wise man fears and departs from evil, but the fool rages and is self-confident.” (Prov.14:16)
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