Intelligent Fools

Before we close this week’s study, let’s revisit the sages’ fool. The English language defines a fool as someone who’s a little mischievous or who makes foolish decisions. Hebrew culture, however, took the term fool far more seriously. We have considered three different kinds of internal opposition to divine leading, opposition that the Hebrew language describes using no less than four terms.

Willful Opposition

Of the three distinct types of rebel—those who oppose God’s internal leading and instruction—the simple-minded or naive bear the least moral guilt. Children are expected to be simple-minded, but they come to bear greater responsibility for their naiveté as they grow older. Still, their failure to learn from the school of hard knocks is less sinful than those who scoff at God’s direction.

Stupid Opposition

Hebrew culture recognized that not all opposition to God’s leading is the same. All opposition is foolishness, but the Old Testament sages diagnosed the different root causes of spiritual stupidity and addressed them accordingly. Yesterday, we examined simple foolishness, the opposition of those who simply have not learned, of people who have not been trained.

Simple Opposition

As a pastor, I have been amazed at the difference among Christians when it comes to accepting instruction. Some never seem to learn! Many believers remain keenly aware of God’s leading, submitting to every nuance of His internal prompting, but many other churchgoing followers of Christ insist on learning the hard way. They are exposed to the same truths year after year, but wisdom fails to soak in.

The Greater of Two Evils

What did you first envision when you saw the word opposition in the chapter title? Did you imagine external resistance to your efforts or your own internal resistance to God’s leading? Which do you think would be the greater “grind”? By opposition, I don’t refer to external resistance from others but to internal resistance, to our own opposition to the things of God.

Prosperity: Not Too Little, Not Too Much

As we conclude our examination of balance or the lack of it, let’s return to where we started. A wise man of Israel reflected on his wealth and its effect on his relationship with God. He then formulated this prayer asking the Lord to help him maintain a wise balance: Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches;

Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge

Solomon and the wise men of Israel regarded wisdom, understanding, and knowledge as worthy pursuits in life. In fact, given the choice between wisdom and material wealth, they opted for wisdom, hands down. For them, clear thinking held the key to success in all areas of life. How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. (16:16)

Work versus Reward

As we discovered earlier, Solomon and the wise men of Israel had a lot to say about the value of diligence and the dangers of laziness. When we put all the sayings together, their message becomes clear: work diligently and you will reap material rewards; laziness will leave you penniless. Even in this, however, the proverbs call for balance. In favor of work, the wise men wrote:

Adversity versus Prosperity

Whether or not you realize it, life is a perpetual struggle to maintain balance between various opposing forces. Over the next few days, we will examine some common extremes that threaten to pull us off balance. The first is the tug-of-war between adversity and prosperity. When reflecting on the effects of adversity, the sages of Israel wrote, If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited. (24:10)

Unbalanced

The longer I live, the more I realize how easily a routine can become a rut and how quickly priorities can become obsessions. Last week we examined the grind of laziness and discovered ways to avoid becoming a sluggard. But the decision to make work a priority and be diligent in our responsibilities can carry us to extremes: our industriousness can become workaholism.

Tag Archives: Proverbs