Title: Life of a Foolish Man
[Min Byung-seok’s exposition of proverbs] 56 The life of a fool
Text: (Proverbs 26:1 - 12)
Proverbs is a book that gives wisdom to God's people. The wisdom of life that we get here makes us bear much fruit in our lives. Therefore, in Proverbs chapter 1, it says, “This is to give knowledge of wisdom and instruction, to understand the word of understanding, to give instruction in wise, righteous and just and upright conduct, to give prudence to the foolish, and to impart knowledge and soberness to the young. The one who listens and learns more, and the one who understands will find counsel, and they will understand proverbs and parables, the words of the wise, and their mysteries.”
1. Who is a fool?
Many people in this world rarely think of themselves as foolish. Most of the time, they think they are wise and want others to be recognized as such. However, they have a different view of others, and they tend to view others foolishly rather than wisely. Then who is the fool? Let's look at the words of Proverbs.
(1) Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and fools always despise wisdom and instruction.” In the case of fools, they despise the wisdom and admonition they are trying to give them. Because you believe in your own wisdom, you do not want to accept the wisdom of others. Therefore, in the end, foolishness is bound to appear in his thoughts and actions.
Since he always knows that he is in a position to discipline others, he does not try to accept the instruction of others. Therefore, if you love wisdom and are in a position to listen to instruction, then you have already left the position of a fool.
(2) Proverbs 12:16 says, “A fool shows his anger at once, but a prudent person endures shame.” As we go through life and meet people, we meet all the stars of the stars. At that time, there are people who should think, 'Yes, this person is a fool.' When you meet someone, should you consider yourself a fool? When you meet ‘a person who can’t hold back his anger and shows his anger right away’, you just need to think, “Oh, that person is that person.”
Like a bear, we see a person who is as honest as a bear and doesn't give up and is stubborn and judges them as foolish, but we must judge all standards according to God's Word. You should never get close to a person who can't contain his anger and shows him right away on the spot. Because his foolishness will harm him.
Rather, it is said that a wise person endures bathing. In what cases do we not have that person? When that happens, you don't sting once, and you sit there even after being humiliated like that? It is something to kick out of the seat, but the Bible commends the person who is wise who endures humiliation or shame that comes upon them rather than the person who shows his feelings like this. If you are to be called a wise person, you need to be able to tolerate it without fighting with the person when you are being insulted. Cursing and fighting with someone is something anyone can do. However, it is impossible for only a wise person to be patient without doing such a thing. Why are you saying that anger is foolishness? This is because the minute is connected to the left. In Psalm 4:4 it says, “Do not sin with anger.” Titus 1:7 says, “He who is quick to anger is not worthy of supervision.”
(3) The third characteristic of a fool is like this in Proverbs 18:2. “A fool rejoices only in revealing his will.” When we go to a place where a lot of people gather, we are dealing with people from different floors. However, there, we can quickly find out who is a fool and who is a wise person without having to associate for a long time.
Some people do not want to listen to other people's opinions or arguments, but constantly put forward their own opinions. When someone else tries to say something, you intercept it in the middle and insist that only your opinion is correct. When you see a person like this, you should think that he is a fool and refrain from socializing with such people. If this person is sitting on the left, you shouldn't argue with this person. If you keep your mouth shut and stay still, you will not be embarrassed. If we open our mouths together, we become equally foolish. Proverbs 23:9 tells us, “Do not speak in the ear of a fool, for he will despise your wisdom.”
(4) Next, in Proverbs 20:3, it is said, “Every fool stirs up strife.” Quarrels are always caused by fools. A fool causes strife and strife in any gathering. But Christians should avoid strife and always pursue peace. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” If there is a person who easily causes quarrels around us, that person is a fool.
(5) Proverbs 28:26 says, “He who believes in his own heart is a fool.” What does it mean to believe in your own heart? It refers to the mind of a person who considers himself wise. Thinking like this is deceiving yourself. 1 Corinthians 3:18 says this. “Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this world, let him be a fool, and then he may become wise.”
We must not believe in ourselves, but believe in the Word of God. When we encounter a problem, we must judge according to the Word of God, not according to our own heart, so that we can solve the problem and prosper. Because the word of God is a hundred times wiser than I thought.
(6) Proverbs 29:20 says, “Do you see a man who is hasty in his speech? There is more hope in a fool than that.” This is a warning to those who can't hold back their words and speak hastily. A person who can't hold back his words and quickly translates what he hears is a very dangerous person. If you make even a single mistake in front of such a person, that person may be subject to great disgrace.
There are two ways to say that words are hasty. One is the case of a person who passes on to others what he has heard from others. You should never say anything in front of a person with this habit. In particular, the rumor spreads within a few hours of telling a secret that only you know. The other is that when you hear something a little bitter about yourself, there are people who go straight to that person and argue with them. This kind of person is called a fool in the Bible. He said that he had nothing to ask for from such a person.
If there is one person in this world that is most difficult to deal with, that person is a fool. But the sad thing is that there is no way for a foolish person to fix their foolishness. Proverbs 27:22 says, “A fool is put in a mortar with grain and beaten, but his foolishness does not go away.” Please take a look at verse 3 of today's text. for horses? for donkeys? On the back of a fool? It was called a stick. Why is there no hope for fools? The characteristic of a fool is that he hates wisdom and shuns instruction, so there is no way to fix it. What, then, does a fool have? Proverbs 14:24 says, “A fool has only foolishness.”
2. Thing with fools
He said not to give honor to fools. Honor can also mean a glorious position or honor, or authority or power. There are many times in this world that fools have an honor or power that they should not have. However, if such a foolish person seizes power or sits in an honorable position in a country, the unhappiness may spread to society as a whole, and in some cases may threaten world peace. A person like the Japanese Tojo who attacked Pearl Harbor and started World War II is truly a foolish figure. This man's foolish thoughts and actions have brought war to the world, resulting in many casualties.
And one of the things fools do is to curse others. Foolish people are good at cursing others without cause. The Bible says that if you bless others, you will be blessed, and if you curse others, that curse will come upon you.
Next time we deal with fools, we should be careful. In our social life, we cannot deal only with wise people. Sometimes fellowship with foolish people is inevitable. In that case, we should be silent at the right time and speak at the right time. If we don't use our wisdom in these things, that person will be put to shame.
Verse 6 warns us not to give fools important work or errands. King Saul, who was trying to chase after David, was killed in battle. David heard this from an Amalek boy. This boy saw that King Saul was wounded in battle and was suffering, and the king ordered him to kill him, so he killed him because it was unlikely that he would survive. Then he took off the king's crown and the ring on his arm and brought it to King David. It was because he knew that the news that King Saul, who was trying to kill David, had died was the best news for David, so he would receive praise from the king and receive a reward. But this Amalek boy was a fool. His news eventually led to the death of his own life. To preach the news on the side of fools is to suffer as if cutting off one's feet.