Some Reminders

Fools come in all shapes and sizes. Some have advanced degrees and even teach others. Some have grown up in a home full of wisdom and chose a life of folly. Others came from a background of amazing foolishness to become wise beyond their years. Each person has an opportunity to be wise or a fool. Of course, there are many who think the wise are fools, and there are certainly those who consider fools to be wise. Christians are often considered to be fools for believing in a God they cannot “see.” However, the scriptures paint a far different picture.

God has given us some instructions about fools and folly. I thought it would be good for all of my readers to be reminded of the attributes of those who are fools and those who are wise. The following scriptures help us identify the two groups.

There is No God Fools

Psalm 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.”

Romans 1:19-23 “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

Fool Avoidance

Wise people practice fool avoidance. There is very little to be gained from conversations with or decisions directed by fools.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Proverbs 26:4 “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.”

Proverbs 26:11 “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.”

Ecclesiastes 5:4 “When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.”

The Mouth and Temper of Fools

Fools tend to have big mouths, tons of pride, positions based on emotion, and an unwillingness to really learn or listen.

Proverbs 14:29 “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

Proverbs 15:2 “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”

Proverbs 17:12 “Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.”

Proverbs 18:13 “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”

Ecclesiastes 7:5 “It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9 “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.”

The End of Fools

Sadly, the destiny of the fool is to spend all of eternity in the company of fools.

Proverbs 1:32-33 “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Proverbs 10:21 “The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.”

The Only Solution

Paul’s epistle to the Romans is a great place to start if you want to see the two paths. The path of wisdom is found in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-8 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.