THE FOLLY OF FOOLS

Proverbs 14:1,3,7-9;16-18;24,29,33

Repeatedly, Solomon speaks of the fool as he shares God’s wisdom in Proverbs.  It is important to be reminded that the fool is not necessarily mentally deficient, but morally depraved.  They have rejected the Word of God—and that is folly.  Several times in this chapter, Solomon references the fool.

1.  THERE ARE FOOLISH WOMEN WHO DESTROY THEIR HOME.  “The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.” (v.1).  She is the ultimate “home-wrecker.”

2.  PROUD TALK MARKS THE FOOL.  “In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of the wise will preserve them.” (v.3). Such proud speech characterizes Satan, and brought his downfall.  So, it will his spawn.

3.   FOLLY IS CONTAGIOUS. “Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” (v.7). This is not a disease you want to contract!

4.  THE FOOL IS DECEIVED AND DECEITFUL. “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit.” (v.8). Having rejected the truth of Scripture, he is deceived and spreads his deceit among others.

5.  A FOOL SCORNS THE IDEA OF SIN.  “Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.” (v.9). Failing to see immediate consequences of his or her rebellion against God leads them to scorn the very idea of judgment.  He is confident of escaping, “A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.” (v.16).

6. FOOLS HAVE A QUICK FLASHPOINT.  “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of wicked intentions is hated.” (v.17). They have a quick trigger for anger.  Emotional impulsiveness is a trait, “He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.” (v.29). 

7.  THE NAIVE EMBRACE FOLLY.  “The simple inherit folly, But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.” (v.18). They have rejected the wisdom of an omniscient God.  Fools wear their folly as a badge of honor, “The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is folly.” (v.24). Even if he is celebrated on earth, the fool will be exposed in eternity, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known.” (v.33). 

Don’t be a fool!

WHEN GOD LAUGHS

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh….  (Psalm 2:4a)

We are made in the image of God.  He has created us with a full array of emotions.  His passions are ever pure—unlike ours that are tainted by sin—yet, God is said to be angry, to grieve, to love, and even to laugh.  When God laughs in Psalm 2, however, there is nothing funny about it! 

The Psalm begins with the sad account of MAN’S REBELLION (v.1-3).  Here are those in harmony with Satan’s desire to overthrow God.  This is idolatry.  Idolatry is about man making god in his image (man becomes a god).  The root of this rebellion is man’s unbounded pride (v.1-2).  Why is the world so messed up?  The root of it extends back to the point Lucifer thought in his heart that he should be god.  He took one third the angels into his conspiracy.  Cast to earth, the serpent slithers into paradise presenting the same proposition to Adam and Eve.  They took the forbidden fruit, and the serpent’s venom of rebellion flows into the veins of all.  The nations’ rulers lead the way, but the people readily join the long war against God.  The fruit of this rebellion is man’s unbridled passion (v.3).  The evil heart of man chafes under moral restraint.  They reject Christ because they want none telling them what to do.  Modern man brands the moral teachings of the Bible as outdated and repressive. So we mock God and ask, “What are you going to do about it?” 

In the Psalm’s next stanza we find GOD’S RESPONSE (v.4-6).  Man’s scoffing is met by God’s scorn.  He responds with derision (v.4).  God looks at puny man defying Him and laughs.  The crass comedians of our culture spawn howls of laughter as they mock God and His standards.  God gets the last laugh!  God responds with displeasure (v.5).  It is the LORD—“Yahweh”—I AM THAT I AM.  It means that God is who He is and will do what He wants to do.  He is on the throne and displeased with any fool who thinks to usurp His authority.  God responds with determination (v.6).  Man crucified Jesus on a tree, confined Him in a tomb and laughed, “That’s the end of Him.”  God replies, “Is that so?”  and breaks the bonds of death.  Jesus ascends to the right hand of the Father, awaiting the time of His return to crush His enemies and establish His reign!  The kings “set themselves against Messiah” but God sets His King on the throne. 

The third stanza declares CHRIST’S REIGN (v.7-9).  The second member of the Trinity, Jesus Himself begins to sing.  Before Him every knee shall bow and tongue confess He is Lord.  Jesus is the unique Son (v.7).  He is eternally begotten as the Son of God.  He is the universal Sovereign (v.8-9).  Today is the day of grace and we are to extend the kingdom of Christ to the ends of the earth.  If  grace is spurned there only remains the breaking and dashing of wrath. 

This demands OUR REVERENCE (v.10-12).  The third Person of the Trinity—the Spirit sweetly sings in this last stanza.  There are requirements (v.10-12a). Stop listening to the counsel of the ungodly and hear the Word of God. This requires submission and reverence.  There are reasons (v.12b).  Better to bend than to be broken—to repent and not perish!  There are results (v.12c).  He is our refuge from wrath.  “Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD TO AN UNFAITHFUL PEOPLE

 

“For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,

And for My praise I will restrain it from you,

So that I do not cut you off.”  (Isaiah 48:9)

The great faithfulness of God is extolled throughout Scripture.  It is a dominant theme in Isaiah 48.  It is particularly amazing when contrasted with the grave unfaithfulness of His people.  The prophet is addressing the nation of Israel—a recalcitrant lot.  He records God’s description of them,

Because I knew that you were obstinate,

And your neck was an iron sinew,

 And your brow bronze…. 

For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,

And were called a transgressor from the womb.  (v.4,8b)

That is an apt description of His people far too often.  We are marked by unfaithfulness also.  Our great comfort is to know that the God of Israel is our God; as He has been true to His Word concerning them, He will honor His name by being faithful to us!

God’s faithfulness is seen in His patience with His unfaithful people (v.1-11).  Israel was treacherous in their conduct, but God is true to His covenant.  This is the manifest patience of God.  The Lord is not through with the Jew.  He still has a plan for the hard-headed and hard-hearted people.  These wayward sons have been disciplined, but not disinherited.  The fires of affliction were not a token of God’s abandonment, but a testimony of His involvement.  The glory of God’s name is forever bound to His faithfulness to those who are identified with Him.  Whatever it takes to turn the rebellious into a faithful people shall be done.  You can count on that!

God’s faithfulness is observed in His preservation of His unfaithful people (v.12-15, 20-22)  The Creator has hung this globe in space and set its course through the stars.  All that He has made provides an environment where His people can prosper.  Before there were lungs to breathe, there was oxygen ordained.  The water was flowing crystal clear to quench thirst before there was a tongue desiring it.  When a stomach was fashioned to hunger, grain, fruit, and vegetables were already flourishing in the garden.  Even when Israel found itself in a desolate wilderness—and that due to their unfaithfulness—God provided for them.  Enemies would hate them and hurt them, instruments of God to break them of their stubborn sinfulness.  God preserved them nonetheless.  How grateful we should be for His faithfulness to preserve us—that none can pluck us from His hand!

God’s faithfulness is bound to His purpose for His unfaithful people (v.16-19).  The waywardness of our steps does not change the path He has set.  We can kick against the goads, like a stubborn ox, but the Almighty is faithful to turn us to His will.  Resistance is futile!  God is the Redeemer.  He purchases those who are enslaved by fetters of sin—shackles of their own making.  He is Holy, and will make us holy as a Potter shaping the clay.  Israel’s unfaithfulness meant they were besieged with war when God would have given them peace.  The nation could have prospered through submission, but suffered loss from their rebellion.  Still, God’s purpose is unalterable.  We dare not think our unfaithfulness is of no consequence.  Defiance brings discipline.  What we can rejoice in is that God is faithful even to afflict us—that His correction is for our ultimate good.

THE BRINK OF BLESSING

If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’  (Numbers 14:8)

Are we standing on the brink of blessing?  Ancient Israel did. God brought them out of bondage in order to bring them into blessing.  Standing on the banks of the Jordan, they stood on the brink of blessing.

There was a problem, however--in fact, a big one!  There were large, fortified cities and giant, fierce enemies there.  This presented DIFFICULTY.  "So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night."  (Num.14:1)  This was the reaction to the report of the reconnaissance team of twelve that had been sent into Canaan.  Ten of the twelve--Caleb and Joshua being the notable exceptions--brought back an evil report.  The people responded in fear rather than faith.  They focused on problems and not possibilities.  Where Caleb and Joshua saw the huge fruit, the ten saw the heavy fortifications.  Ten saw the giants, while two looked to God.  What difficulty is too great for Deity?  Any church that purposes to be all God wants them to be in their community--glorifying God, reaching sinners, growing saints, and impacting the culture will face difficulty.  Satan will see to it.  God permits it as a test.  Will we respond to the challenges with faith or fear?

There comes the moment of DECISION.  "So they said to one another, 'Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.' ” (Num.14:4)  God brings us to the point of decision.  You can't straddle the fence.  We can choose to wander by going backward in fear.  You can't stand still spiritually.  If you aren't moving forward, you are slipping backward.  We speak of churches on a plateau--what that means is they are out of gas, and coasting on the momentum they had, but there is no power, and soon they will head downhill, faster and faster, until they crash.  Has God brought us to the brink of blessing?  We can choose the wonder by going forward in faith.  We will never see the miracle until we must have one.  We can never attain the blessing until we step out in faith.

Sadly, Israel choose to reject the promises and rebel against God.  This brought DISCIPLINE.  "I the LORD have spoken this.  I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me.  In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.” (Num.14:35)  We witness God's patience.  This was not the first time they had rebelled.  It became a pattern.  God displayed His patience over and over.  Yet, there comes a point of no return--a moment when God draws a line in the sand that we dare not cross.  Israel presumed upon God's long-suffering once too often.  Then follows the punishment.  The door of opportunity slams shut.  The offer of blessing is withdrawn.  Churches die in the wilderness!  They could have known blessing, but refused to trust and obey God!  Then God writes, "Ichabod," over the door--the glory is departed!  What could have been a movement, became a monument, and eventually a mausoleum.

Backward in fear; forward in faith--what is your choice today?

WATER FROM THE ROCK

“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”  (Exodus 17:6a)

When some folks get to heaven, they will probably want their mansion a different color.  They always seem to find something about which to gripe.  That was a persistent flaw among the Israelis in the Exodus.  God’s provision in the past ought to have instilled confidence, but instead they respond to their problem with complaining.  How much like them we can be!

In Exodus 17, there is an example of one such DIFFICULTY (v.1).  They had no water.  This did not surprise God for He had led them to that very place by the pillar of cloud and fire.  The child of God must know that God brings us to barren places.  We arrive in seasons of dryness sent to test us and meant to teach us.  They come to drive us in desperation to God, not to make us despair of God.  Difficulties will make us better or bitter.  It depends on whether we respond with faith or fretfulness.

In their case, the Hebrews responded with DISCONTENT (v.2-3).  The root problem was their unbelief.  They failed to recall God’s unlimited power or rest in His unfailing promises.  Their stubborn heart of unbelief was an affront to God.  They set limits on Him by failing to recognize the boundless ability and absolute integrity of Almighty God.  “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!  Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.”  (Ps.78:40-41)  God is warning us lest we have the same sinful spirit (see 1 Cor.10:1-13).

That is what brings DELIVERANCE (v.4-7).  Moses responded properly.  Rather than complain about the lack, he cried out to the Lord.  That is what difficulties are meant to cause.  If you are a leader in the church, you will find members who attack you because they are angry with God.  They can’t get to Him, so they gripe to you as His representative.  Moses, like all God’s men, become targets for the arrows of murmuring meant for God.  They fall short of heaven and hit our heart.  The example of Moses helps us.  He didn’t yell back at them in frustration, but called out to God in faith.  Like Jesus, Moses was meek (Num.12:3)—an essential quality for spiritual leaders.  Instead of clubbing the complainers, he strikes the rock.  That rock symbolized the Rock of Ages—Jesus Christ.  Paul said, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”  (1 Cor.10:4b)  As Moses struck that rock, so Christ was smitten on Calvary, and from His side flowed the water and the blood.  In that stream alone can we find eternal satisfaction.  Jesus told the Samaritan woman that drinking of this world’s wells would only lead to thirst again—she had tried that!  He offered her Living Water—that which will fill the thirst of our soul.  That is Jesus and Him alone.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.  (Joseph Scriven)