What
Kind of Fool Am I. Proverbs 1:20-22
Proverbs 1:20-22 is probably one of the
most clear and significant passages of Scripture on the importance of getting
the Word of God into your soul now—not tomorrow, not next week, not
something you will sort of pull off once you have stabilized your life. You had
better get it now because when tomorrow comes, when calamity or crisis occurs,
it is too late. One of the banes of the pastoral ministry in the modern church
context is the idea of pastoral counseling. There is a place for sitting down
with a pastor over a particular situation in life to gain insight and
direction, but this idea of something that takes place over a long period of
time is what takes place now—counseling from the pulpit three times a week: Sunday
morning, Tuesday night and Thursday night. It is teaching us and training us
how to think, how to have discernment and wisdom and skilled living so that
when tough times come and the crisis hits and the calamity occurs we have
already prepared ourselves.
We saw in the verses from 8 to 19 where
the focal point was on preparation for disaster, that to be forewarned is to be
forearmed. In that case the father is forewarning his son to watch out for
these sinners, his peer group that has rejected the Word of God, who will come
along and entice him and distract him from the truth—wisdom, the truth of
GodÕs Word—and by warning his son of what will take place. Hopefully when
this occurs the son will reject the enticements of his sinful, arrogant peer
group.
That peer group is characterized by a
number of different words as we go through the psalms. They are characterized
as those who are simple. It is applied to the fool because he is open to enticement,
open to temptation, open to sin, and because of that he is one category of
fool. There are other categories of fool described in Proverbs.
We have noted that in this section of
Proverbs, the first nine chapters, there are basically ten lessons that the
father is giving to the son. He is attempting to prepare his son to face the
realities of life as a mature adult. That is the role of the parent. Today the
influence of peers, of video and media, of television and film bring more
influence to bear on children than we can possibly imagine. It is the job of
the parent to counter than, and that canÕt be countered just by bringing them
to Sunday school or Prep-school one day a week. We canÕt cut it in our own soul
if we think we can just listen to the Word one day a week. We are all
constantly under bombardment from the world system that seeks to distract us,
entice us, tempt us away from the absolutes of GodÕs Word, and to confirm to us
that what we know to be true in our hearts that the Word doesnÕt really do it,
I have to do it myself. But remember the heart is deceitful and wicked above
all things, as Jeremiah said (Jeremiah 17:9). So our wicked little dark hearts
are constantly being attracted to the systems and rationales to justify our own
way of handling life. And when we yield to that we become a fool. The Scripture
is very clear on that and not very complimentary.
The first lesson, 1:8-19, is a
challenge to listen to the fatherÕs guidance and to reject the influence of the
peers: donÕt be influenced by the herd, focus on the Word instead. Then there
is a parenthetical section in verses 20-33 which is a comment on wisdom. Wisdom
is personified as an individual, as a woman who is crying out to the public
offering herself to any and to all freely and loudly, continuously inviting
people to partake of her. And yet there are fools who reject the offer. But
then the crisis comes. And when the crisis comes, because the fool and the
scoffer has rejected wisdom, wisdom scoffs at the fool. Too late now! You need
to get this into your soul before the crisis hits because once the crisis hits
it is too late to build the fortifications necessary to handle the assault.
Wisdom is the mature applied understanding of the Word, and just like any other
field of knowledge, to have mature applied knowledge for any particular subject
it takes time, it takes practice. We learn things, we apply them day after day
and year after year and over time and experience it becomes the normative
pattern of our thinking. That is what builds strength in us. We canÕt run out
and get wisdom and maturity and experience over night just because some crisis
has come.
The next lesson is in chapter two: that
we are to protect ourselves from the wicked. The third section is in 3:1-12,
the promise of the Lord and the sonÕs responsibility. There is a heavy emphasis
in Proverbs on individual responsibility. It is not the churchÕs
responsibility, the schoolÕs responsibility, the grandparentÕs responsibility,
etc., it is our responsibility, each individual. When you get lazy people who
have rejected wisdom they get into a habit pattern of shifting responsibility
on to someone else. Once that happens, as well all know, it is easier to do it
the next time and let everybody else take care of all our responsibilities for
us. That is the road to personal collapse. Fourth, there is the importance of
following the path of wisdom and knowledge and understanding, emphasized in
4:1-9. The fifth lesson is instruction on how to run well and seize life and to
stay off the human viewpoint road, 4:10-19. There is a warning against swerving
from the right road in 4:20-27. The next lesson is on the emptiness of free sex
and the wisdom of marriage. Then there is an insight on three patterns or three
types of people you donÕt want to become. The next lesson is on the high cost
of a promiscuous wife, the next is on the promiscuous wifeÕs seductive tactics,
chapter seven. Then there are two closing appendices dealing with wisdomÕs
appeal dealing to the open-minded, i.e. the na•ve or the simple or the fool.
Then the conflict between the wise and the fool, 9:1-18.
Going back to the end of the last
lesson there is an image brought in to drive home the point. The point in
1:10-19 is to forewarn the son of what he is going to face: the temptations,
the enticements, the baiting of the traps that will be offered by his peers who
have rejected wisdom. This depicted in the imagery of a hunter who goes out and
spreads the net down in order to catch the bird, and doing it in full view of
the bird. This is a notoriously difficult verse to both translate from the
Hebrew and then interpret, but the idea here is that the reason it is vanity or
emptiness when the next is spread in the sight of any bird is that the bird
doesnÕt connect the net to the trap. That is what happens with the fool. They
are not connecting their behavior to the negative consequences that come into
their life. The imagery here is that the bird can be up in the tree and see the
net spread out but then doesnÕt connect that later on when they see the food
and are trapped. In the same way the fool doesnÕt understand the connection
between his behavior and the consequences that are laid out in verse 19: ÒSo
are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its
possessors.Ó They donÕt connect their greed and desire for easy money with the
fact that their life ends up in turmoil and collapse, because the consequences
of bad decisions are often seen for many years. Negative habit patterns develop
and people donÕt connect because of the hardness of their heart.
As we get into the next section we see
the same kind of thing being displayed in this personification of wisdom.
Wisdom is offering herself ahead of time, before the crisis. People donÕt think
there is a connection between the collapse after a crisis and the failure of
not taking in the Word of God and developing wisdom for years and years to
prepare for the crisis. They donÕt connect the dots, they just see two
different things and so the fool never prepares, and when the crisis hits they
run around saying, ÒWhat do I need to learn? Teach me some doctrine.Ó We see
this all the time when people have a crisis and they come back to church and
are trying to cram for their exam. It is too late, they have already failed it,
and then as soon as things stabilize a bit in life you donÕt see them anymore.
In verses 20-33 there are basically
three divisions. The first: wisdom gives a loud ever-present or ubiquitous
invitation to all (vv. 20-21). Wisdom calls aloud outside. It is not private,
it is available to all. Proverbs 1:20 NASB ÒWisdom shouts
in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; [21] At the head of the noisy
{streets} she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters
her sayings.Ó Wisdom is offered to all and is available to all at all times.
But there is a sermon from wisdom and a rebuke to those who are the three
categories of fool: the simple, the scoffer and the fool. [22] ÒHow long, O
naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves
in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?Ó
The cry is to turn at her rebuke, and
if they turn—which simply means to change your mind, to reverse course, to
shift from focusing on self-absorption and arrogance to humility, to the Word,
then wisdom will be poured out upon them. God makes the truth available to all
at no cost. The Word of God is free to all at no cost. In the picture of heaven
in Revelation 21 with the river of life, it is available to all at no cost.
But there is this negative response, v.
24 NASB ÒBecause I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand
and no one paid attention; [25] And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof.Ó
We have two verses there that describe this negative reaction and we need to
understand why people have this negative response to this offer of wisdom. It
is for the same reason that they have a negative response to the offer of
salvation. They have a predetermined (and they determine it, not God) belief
that they can do it on their own and donÕt need God. They donÕt want God. It is
not an intellectual problem, it is not an educational problem, it is not a
social problem;, it is not a financial problem; it is a moral problem. It is a
spiritual problem because people think they donÕt need God and they make a
choice to reject God, and it is because they have already made this decision to
reject God and to do it themselves that they are committed to this course of
action.
Wisdom rebukes the unresponsive fool in
vv. 22, 23, and then denounces them in vv. 24-27 with the statements: ÒI will
also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, When your dread
comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and
anguish come upon you.Ó Wisdom will reject them at the time of their judgment,
the time of crisis in their life. ÒThen they will call on me, but I will not
answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, Because they
hated knowledge And did not choose [volition is the issue] the fear of the LORD.
They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit
of their own way And be satiated with their own devices.Ó They will suffer the
consequences of their own bad decisions.
Wisdom is depicted as a person, a woman
who is out in the street walking up and down crying out with a loud voice,
calling upon people in a fervent and emotional way. That is the connotation in
the Hebrew. These are words used in other passages indicating deep distress,
profound emotions, and so this isnÕt some sort of academic invitation. This
shows the extreme ways in which wisdom is offered. People say they donÕt really
know if God exists. Why doesnÕt He make Himself known? Well He couldnÕt make
Himself known more clearly, according to the Word of God. The same is true for
wisdom. Wisdom is available to all. It is in the Word of God and more than any
other time in history we have the truth of GodÕs Word available to us.
Scripture makes it clear that God
always makes Himself known and that the knowledge of Him is available to man.
The two great passages on that are Psalm 19 and in Romans 1:18ff. Psalm 19:1 NASB
ÒThe heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring
the work of His hands.Ó In other words, this is a non-verbal declaration of the
existence of God that we see in the heavens. This is something related to the
intelligent design argument that has been popular in recent years from
Christians who are creationists. And it goes beyond that because the
intelligent design argument just leaves you with an intelligent designer; this
passage says the heavens declare the glory of God. They donÕt speak of an
intelligent designer; that is just a classification. The heavens declare the
glory of the one and only God in a non-verbal way, and it does this through
seeing and witnessing and understanding His handiwork. That is how everything
within the universe has been made—the intricacies, the beauty. When we
think about at these concepts of beauty we are reminded of the idea of wisdom
in the Scriptures, that God made the universe Òby wisdom,Ó Proverbs says. And
that shows skill and beauty. Wisdom isnÕt just knowledge applied, it is
knowledge applied in a skilful and beautiful way. So this is seeing the results
of GodÕs creativity and this tells us many things about the one who has created
them.
This is not something that has happened
once but it goes on continuously, just as wisdoms cries every day in the
streets. Psalm 19:2 NASB ÒDay to day pours forth speech, And night
to night reveals knowledge. [3] There is no speech, nor are there words; Their
voice is not heard.Ó The revelation of God and who He is through His creation
is ubiquitous; it is with us all the time. No one can escape it. But they put
their ear muffs on and their ear plugs is and say they just donÕt want to hear
it. It is a volitional issue, it is not intellectual, educational or social;
they have rejected it. This is the point of Romans 1:18ff. Romans 1:18 talks
about the judgment of God in history and says that the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness. What that verse is saying is that in the process as
individuals see and witness the heavensÕ declaration of GodÕs glory they say,
ÒI donÕt want to know it.Ó They suppress that truth. It is not that they donÕt
understand it, they understand it all too well. They just donÕt want to admit
it is true because they have prior commitment to their own self-sufficiency and
their own ability to make life work apart from God.
Romans 1:19 goes on to explain this. NASB
Òbecause that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it
evident to them.Ó It is witness to them, it is confirmed in them. It is a
rejection of God. Those atheists know in the core of their soul that God
exists. Why? Because God has revealed it to them.
Romans 1:20 tells us how. NASB
ÒFor since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal
power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what
has been made, so that they are without excuse.Ó There the word ÒseenÓ is a
metaphor for mental perception, understanding. We can extrapolate backward from
the creation to the creator to understand certain things about His person. We
can see that He must be personal because there are personÕs created. We know
that He must be infinite and omniscient because of the vast extent of the
knowledge that must be required in order to create everything in the universe.
So there are things that can be clearly stated about this creator. He is
eternal; He is transcendent; He is personal.
Romans 1:21 NASB ÒFor even
though they knew God ÉÓ Unbelievers know God and they know He exists. That is
the undeniable testimony of Scripture. When we witness to people it is not
really our job to convince them that God exists. When we talk about the
existence of God we are just helping them understand something they already
know and we are trying to, as it were, strategically expose or rip open the
camouflage they put around their knowledge of God they donÕt want to see
anymore. ÒÉ they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became
futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.Ó That is
the fool. And just because we are a believer it doesnÕt mean we donÕt function
like a fool at times. Every time we sin we function like a fool, we live like a
fool.
Romans 1:22 NASB ÒProfessing
to be wise, they became foolsÓ—in the eyes of God they have become fools,
because as the psalmist says, The fool as said in his heart there is no God.
So we see the personification of wisdom
in Proverbs 1:20, ÒWisdom calls aloud outside.Ó Wisdom is always knocking on
your door saying, Let me in. I want to come in and strengthen your life so that
when the crisis comes you are prepared. The issue is: how do you respond to
that. Are we making the acquisition of wisdom a priority in our life? Now
remember, wisdom isnÕt information. Information is just facts and data. We live
in the midst of an information revolution and people are overwhelmed with bits
of data and we have more information than we can possibly assimilate.
Information is not knowledge. Knowledge comes from being able to comprehend,
organize and utilize those bits of information. Knowledge, even though it is
much to be desired, is not wisdom. First we have to have information, then we
have knowledge, but only when we apply that knowledge and practice the
application of that knowledge are we able to be able to develop skill, which is
wisdom. It is like learning how to play a musical instrument. If we donÕt practice the application
of GodÕs Word continually we can never develop wisdom. Wisdom is that which
only comes through the practice of application.
Wisdom brings a rebuke to those who
reject wisdom, and we are al rejecters of wisdom at some point or another in
our lives.
So wisdom is constantly available,
crying out, calling out, inviting us to make her a part of our thinking and a
part of our life. Proverbs 1:22 NASB ÒHow long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?Ó
There are three words that tell us the
three different types of fools. They are not all the different words for fools
in the Old Testament but these are three used consistently within Proverbs. And
there is not an order or progression here.
The first is the ÒsimpleÓ [pethi]. It is
translated by some Ògullible,Ó by some Òna•ve.Ó It is used 14 times in Proverbs
to describe this one classification of the fool. The basic literal meaning of
the verb from which it comes (to be open) has to idea of those who are open to
temptation. They are easily enticed, easily attracted to that which is wrong.
This is the simplest of the fools, so to speak, the mildest; they are the ones
who are still at a place where they can change, where they can shift their
volition and respond to the invitation of wisdom. They are the young, the
naive. They are intellectually flawed, yet they are changeable. They havenÕt
really locked things down into the stubborn arrogance of negative volition.
They are immature. They will believe anything, so they need to be taught and
they need to understand wisdom. This person who is na•ve or gullible is
pictured in Proverbs as a youth (Proverbs 1:4; 7:7). He is also depicted in 7:7
as one who is empty or devoid of understanding; he lacks sense. Also Proverbs
9:4 NASB ÒWhoever is naive, let him turn in here!Ó To him who lacks
understanding ÉÓ He doesnÕt have any sense; he doesnÕt have a comprehension of
the truth of GodÕs Word. Also in 9:16, ÒWhoever is naive, let him turn in
here,Ó And to him who lacks understanding ÉÓ
Proverbs 14:15 NASB ÒThe
naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.Ó The
open-minded, gullible one is not shrewd, he believes every word. He is easily
tricked; he tends to believe everything and has no sense of discernment. [18]
The naive inherit foolishnessÉÓ The opposite to that is: ÒBut the sensible
[prudent] are crowned with knowledge.Ó So the simple receives folly, he is not
insightful at all as to what is going on in his life. He is seen in other
verses as being weak-willed and easily seduced. In Proverbs 19:25 he is one who
needs to be rebuked.
Proverbs 21:11 NASB ÒWhen
the scoffer is punished, the naive becomes wise; But when the wise is
instructed, he receives knowledge.Ó So there is the opportunity for the scoffer
to turn and to change his way. But often the simple is not willing to respond.
Proverbs 22:3 NASB ÒThe prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But
the naive go on, and are punished for it.Ó
Proverbs 22:15 NASB ÒFoolishness
is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far
from him.Ó Correction from parents in terms of discipline is very much a part
of training the young, the na•ve so that they do not fall prey to the
enticements of sinners.
The next word group is really a couple of
words that are used as synonyms. The first is the word kesil which is used in Proverbs 1:22 NASB
ÒÉ And fools hate knowledge?Ó It is used
in parallelism many times with ewil which is also translated Òfool.Ó In the English you canÕt tell
the difference in what is stated in the Hebrew, but what we see is that ewil is
obtuse. He is dense, he just doesnÕt get it or want to get it. He is dense
because of his moral perversion. He is already perverted morally and because he
is committed to that moral perversion he has become dense toward spiritual
truth. The word kesil
is almost the exact opposite. He is morally perverse by reason of his
obtuseness. So he starts being obtuse and then the result for him is moral
perversion. These two words are used numerous times going through the
Scripture. They are both characterized by folly in numerous passages, they both
despise discipline and correction, they both lack wisdom, they both have poor
speech, lack self-control and are hot-tempered, and they are both morally
incorrigible. These are the things that they have in common.
There are also other aspects to their
life. They hate knowledge, as we see in Proverbs 1:22. They have rejected the
knowledge of truth. One of the things we also see with the fool is that the
fool is not responsive to truth because of this prior commitment. Proverbs 10:8
NASB ÒThe wise of heart
will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined.Ó He is not
responsive. You can talk until you are blue in the face. He is more set in his
ways than the gullible.
Proverbs 10:14 NASB ÒWise
men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.Ó
They are closer to the end of judgment or divine discipline.
Proverbs 12:15 NASB ÒThe way
of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to
counsel.Ó The fool is not open to correction or receiving counsel.
Proverbs 15:5 NASB ÒA fool
rejects his fatherÕs discipline, But he who regards reproof is sensible.Ó He is
not responsive to GodÕs direction. All of these relate to the word ewil.
Proverbs 16:22 NASB
ÒUnderstanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, But the discipline of fools
is folly.Ó There is just this preset rejection of God and they become so
hardened in their way of rejection that they are not going to be responsive to
correction.
The third word used in Proverbs 1:22 is
for the scoffers. ÒAnd scoffers delight themselves in scoffing.Ó Notice that
the simple ones love their simplicity and the scoffers delight in their
scoffing. They have made that something of value in their life. The word for
ÒscofferÓ in the Hebrew is letz, and it simply means someone who is just looks back,
ridicules, scoffs and makes light of someone else. It is a word that occurs 14
times in Proverbs and only twice outside of Proverbs. It is used in Proverbs
3:34 NASB ÒThough He scoffs at the scoffers..Ó This is GodÕs
response to the one who scorns God. ÒÉYet He gives grace to the afflicted
[humble].Ó This is a sort of corrective to people who think that God is
friendly to everybody, but for the person who has been hostile to God in their
arrogance God is scornful of them. But in contrast, for the one who is humble
God gives grace and more grace.
Proverbs 9:7 NASB ÒHe
who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself ÉÓ Because the scoffer doesnÕt
want to hear. It is tantamount to what Jesus said about casting pearls before
swine. ÒÉ And he who reproves a wicked man {gets} insults for himself.Ó There
are some people you try to correct and all you are going to get is pain and
misery and suffering for your efforts. [8] ÒDo not reprove a scoffer, or he
will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you.Ó
Proverbs 13:1 NASB ÒA wise
son {accepts his} fatherÕs discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to
rebuke.Ó They have gone beyond the point of no return.
Proverbs 15:12 NASB ÒA
scoffer does not love one who reproves him, He will not go to the wise.Ó This
explains why sometimes we get into such polarized arguments with some people.
They are so committed to a pagan view of life and God that no matter what you
say and do all you are going to do is increase the antagonism and intensify the
argument and the hostility. They are never going to listen no matter what you
say.
Proverbs 19:25 NASB ÒStrike
a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd [wary], But reprove one who has
understanding and he will gain knowledge.Ó
Proverbs 24:9 NASB ÒThe
devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.Ó
So these are the categories of fools.
There is an intensification that occurs. First the one who is open to
temptation, then the fool in either category of the one who is morally obtuse
and then becomes a fool, or he is a fool and becomes a moral reprobate, one or
the other. When that continues he ends up being a scoffer. But the rebuke that
the lady wisdom gives in Proverbs 1:23 is that she is offering herself. And
that comes through the teaching of the Word of God. Again and again and again
she is pictured as one who offers herself continuously to people. This happens
with folk who just ignore going to church and many times people who go to
church. They learn and they learn and they keep their notebooks but they never
quite figure out how to put it into practice until one day the crisis hits.
The response of lady wisdom in verse
25: ÒAnd you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof.Ó You
wouldnÕt respond when you had the opportunity. [26] ÒI will also laugh at your
calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, [27] When your dread comes like a
storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come
upon you.Ó When you canÕt sleep at night and start crying out God to understand
things wisdom just laughs and says: Too late, thereÕs nothing can be done about
it now; now you have to go through the turmoil. [28] ÒThen they will call on
me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find
me, [29]
Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD.Ó
The issue in life is volition.
Why is it that people reject the
gospel? Why is it that they reject truth? It is because of arrogance, because
they have set their heart against God at the beginning and against the truth.
They donÕt want to know what God has to say, they donÕt want to learn the
truth; they believe they are sufficient unto themselves. And that is true for
many of us as well. And we can easily fall into that same trap, even as Christians,
where we think we have arrived and we think we have all the answers. We have to
continuously be taught the Word and respond and apply the Word in our life.
The negative is depicted in verse 30:
ÒThey would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.Ó The results
are described in verses 31and 32. This is the same principle we find in Galatians. We
reap what we sow. We will visit the consequences of our bad decisions and our
foolish choices will be visited on our own lives. Proverbs 1:32 NASB
ÒFor the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools
will destroy them.Ó But there is hope: [33] ÒBut he who listens to me shall live securely And will
be at ease from the dread of evil.Ó
The only way to get through all of the
traps and enticements of life, and to avoid making bad decisions based on the
arrogance of our sin nature, is to get the Word of God into our soul. And that
only comes on a day to day basis and a commitment to make that a priority. The
Word of God needs to overhaul our life so that we can be transformed and learn
to practice that walking by the Spirit, and practice claiming promises,
practice putting that into effect in all of the minor details of life, and all
the minor challenges and minor testings, so that when the big tests come we
have the ability to handle that because we have wisdom fortifying our
soul.