Escaping Fools April 1st and throughout the Year
Friday, in honor of April Fools Day I published a free glimpse into Chapter 19 from my book on Character Development from the Book of Proverbs. Print it out and use for a Bible Study or order the whole book from Amazon.
If you like the writing of Patrick Skinner check out this book on Character Development on Amazon $9.99 Kindle $21.32 Paper
Chapter 19 Fools- Morally Deficient Folk Who Cannot or Will Not Learn From Mistakes
(send me an e mail at [email protected] requesting a PDF file and I will e mail you an easier to read copy as I have not figured out all the formatting of Linked In)
The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient. We are morally deficient when we reject the things that would benefit our moral core at the center of our attitudes. When we reject the things that would benefit our moral core we are both spiritually nearsighted and foolish. The fool’s problem is not so much intellectual stupidity as it is a lack of practical and spiritual responses to God’s provisions of knowledge concerning the things which are spiritually wise. Not everyone seems willing or able to learn from their mistakes though they would be wise or wiser if they did. God has given us hundreds of examples in scripture and numberless examples in the lives of those around us of mistakes we make concerning God and others. The wise will learn from these mistakes; the fool, not so much.
Fools Thought Question
Nabal was a foolish man that lived in David’s time in Carmel (in the hill country of Judah). David’s men had helped Nabal shear his sheep and protected them from others while in the wilderness and David requested food and rations to help in his men’s sustenance and basic provisions. It was a custom in David’s day that when people like David assisted you that you would show a basic courtesy that David requested, much like giving a good tip for service when you eat. Nabal was foolish in answering David roughly (see 1 Samuel 25) and were it not for Abigail’s intervention Nabal and his men would have been killed for their offensive slight of David and his men. Nabal was foolish for being so materialistic that he had not been willing to help David in return. His wife told David that was his pattern in life and kept him from being slaughtered and later God was the one who took Nabal’s life. What does Proverbs tell us about the fool or the foolish?
Fools Concepts: (for greater focus read the verses out loud)
1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
1:22 How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
1:29-30 “since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,”
1:32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 3:35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.
5:23 For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
[6:1-19 Warnings against Folly, this content is listed in other topical categories]
8:5 You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it [Septuagint; Hebrew foolish, instruct your minds].
[Invitations of Wisdom and Folly are in Chapter 9; verses 13-18 have “folly” in them]
9:13 Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing.
9:14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
9:15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way,
9:16 Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says,
9:17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
9:18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.” 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
10:8 The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. 10:10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
10:14 The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
10:18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.
10:21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.
10:23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.
11:29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
12:16 Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.
12:23 The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.
13:16 All who are prudent act with [prudent protect themselves through] knowledge, but fools expose their folly.
13:19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
14:3 A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.
14:7 Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips.
14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.
14:9 Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
14:16 The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
14:17 A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.
14:18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
14:24 The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
14:29 Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
14:33 Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known [Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac discerning / but in the heart of fools she is not known].
15:2 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
15:5 A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright. 15:14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 15:20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
15:21 Folly brings joy to one who has no sense, but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
16:22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools. 17:7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler! 17:10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool. 17:12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. 17:16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it? 17:21 To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. 17:24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. 17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. 18:2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
18:6 The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.
18:7 The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
18:13 To answer before listening— that is folly and shame.
19:1 Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. 19:3 A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord. 19:10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes. 19:13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.
19:29 Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
20:3 It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
21:20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away. 23:9 Do not speak to fools, for they will scorn your prudent words. 24:7 Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths. 24:8 Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer.
24:9 The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker. 26:1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.
26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools! 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.
26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
26:6 Sending a message by the hands of a fool is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison. 26:7 Like the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
26:8 Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.
26:9 Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
26:10 Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
26:12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. 27:3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. 27:22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them. 28:26 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. 29:9 If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace. 29:11 Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. 29:20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them. 30:32 If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!
Fools Principles (See the index in Chapter 50 page 200 for possible answers to questions posed here. If you are copying answers rephrase them into your own words so that you really think about the answer you give.)
1. Which character traits does the fool dislike?
a. 1:7
b. 1:22
c. 1:29
d. 1:30
e. 18:2
2. What happens when you interact with?
a. 13:20
b. 14:7
c. 26:4
d. 26:5
e. 26:8
3. How do I recognize the fool according to his speech habits?
a. 10:8
b. 10:14
c. 14:3
d. 14:9
e. 15:2
f. 15:7
g. 15:14
h. 17:7
i. 17:28
j. 26:7
k. 26:9
4. What are some moral and emotional traits of the fool?
a. 3:35
b. 9:13
c. 9:16
d. 12:15
e. 12:16
f. 14:8
g. 14:16
h. 17:10
i. 17:16
j. 17:24
k. 21:20
l. 26:1
m. 26:3
n. 27:22
o. 28:26
p. 29:11
5. How are others affected by a fool?
a. 10:1
b. 17:12
c. 17:21
d. 17:25
e. 19:13
f. 26:6
g. 27:3
h. 29:9
6. What are the results of a fools' choices?
a. 1:30
b. 1:31
c. 1:32
d. 10:8
e. 10:9
f. 10:10
g. 10:21
h. 11:29
i. 14:12
j. 19:29
Fool Principles Applied to Thought Questions What does Proverbs tell us about the fool or the foolish that spoke to your heart? What areas do you need to learn lessons from at this point in your life?
For further Biblical Study on Fools Fools Samuel 25:14-17, 25 “14 One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15 Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16 Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17 Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him… 25Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent.” How are you about showing basic courtesies to those who have been a blessing to you? Do you tip your wait staff well in restaurants? Do you listen when approached? Are you more like Abigail or Nabal?
Numbers 22:26-31 “26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” 29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.” What about verse 27 tells you why Balaam thought the donkey had made a fool out of him?
Deuteronomy 32: 3-7 “3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! 4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. 5 They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation. 6 Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? 7 Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” These words, part of Moses’ song lyrics, tell the importance of memory and learning from prior generations. Why did Moses call them foolish and unwise?
1 Samuel 13:12-14 “ 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” Why did Samuel tell Saul he had done a foolish thing?
Matthew 7: 24-27 “24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” What is the difference between a wise man and a foolish man according to Jesus?
Fools and My Life Life Describe one or more recent situations in your life or others where the Proverbs concept of fool needs to be or was properly applied.
Fools Prayer Expressing My Need (Pray this prayer)
“Dear God, as I study this section I am reminded how difficult it would be to consistently know and follow, by my own strength, the directions concerning my lack of wisdom and I submit myself to your Spirit in changing my heart through a spiritual rebirth or a spiritual change as mentioned on pages 9-10. Empower me to understand and apply this book to my life. I ask these things trusting You alone, repenting and believing in Jesus’ name, the name and the power that forgives my sins of not learning from mistakes and not taking direction from You and others You send for my benefit. AMEN!” Additionally I pray today for: