Title: The mouth of the foolish and foolish
Contents
“The proverbs of the mouth of a fool are like thorns in the hand of a drunkard” (Proverbs 26:9).
"The words of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a fool swallow him up" (Ecclesiastes 10:12)
It was when Lysimachus (Alexander the Great's naval commander and commander of the escort) was at war with the Getae. He offered (sayed) his kingdom if he gave the enemy water to quench their thirst. But Lysimachus, having drank all the water his enemies had given him, cried out in despair.
“What a pitiful human I am, who has lost a great kingdom for instant gratification!”
“The heart of the righteous ponders what to say, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil” (Proverbs 15:28).
In the language we speak, there are open languages that open people's minds, and on the other hand, there are closed languages that close people's hearts. People who grow up in a closed language one-sided directive, imperative, threatening, and assertive are prone to become rebellious, negative, critical, aggressive, and contingent.
An open language, on the other hand, that exhorts, explains, asks for consent, and solicits, opens people's minds, convinces them to do their best, and makes them active and generous.
Language has power. With words we can comfort, rebuke, encourage, or disappoint. However, just as a thorn tree in the hands of a drunken person injures others, a foolish person hurts and inflicts pain on everyone regardless of time and place. Thus, even useful lessons that solve problems and help people can be misused when they come out of the mouth of a fool. Therefore, Christians should be people who comfort and encourage people.
What of the lips of the foolish, foolish man?
1. A fool says that there is no God.
I saw in the newspaper that among American pop songs, a song called Nobody, which satirizes the world by young people, is fashionable. It's not exactly like the lyrics of the song, but I can say this. Do you have a sense of president? Nobody. Is there anyone to put war to rest? Nobody. Do you have someone to respect? Nobody. What does this 'Nobody' mean? The thing is, there is nothing to be trusted. There is no credible creed, no God. that there is nowhere to go. These are the No people. It is nothing (nothing). Without God, everything has no value, no meaning, no goal, no focus. So when you look at those eyes, they are out of focus. Anyone who says there is no God is a fool.
"The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt and their deeds are abominable; there is no one who does good" (Psalm 14:1).
2. A foolish and foolish person speaks words of pride and pride.
A platoon was being trained to shoot at a shooting range, and a soldier fired two shots and failed to hit the target. The tantrum sergeant took the rifle from the soldier's hand and shouted a whale whale.
The boss said, "You're such an idiot. Do you have no eyes? Take a look." He pointed the gun and fired, but he was hit far from the target. Then the sergeant looked proudly at the enlisted men and shouted: "Did you see it, you idiot. That's the way you shot it."
People who consider themselves wise ignore other people's words and raise their voices to listen only to their own words, saying that they have nothing to learn from others and only try to teach others. Therefore, it becomes 'unrecoverable', with no possibility of further development or change. These days, especially among Christians, there are many people who think that only they are wise and godly, but they are intoxicated with absurd delusions and behave rudely, harm the church community, and cause quarrels. Therefore, we should always humble ourselves before God and humbly serve our neighbors, so that we can mature our character with the wisdom and power that God gives us.
“Do you see a man who is wise in himself? There is more hope in a fool than in him” (Proverbs 26:12).
"A fool's lips stir up strife, and his mouth stirs up a rod" (Proverbs 18:6).
3. The mouth of the foolish and foolish criticizes and slanders others.
When a monk visited the young widow's house frequently, the villagers who saw it spread bad news and criticized the monk. Shortly thereafter, the widow passed away. Only then did the villagers learn that the monk had comforted and cared for a young widow with cancer. One day, the two women who had criticized the most harshly went to the monk and apologized and asked for forgiveness. Then the monk gave them a bag of chicken hair and told them to go to the field and blow it in the wind. And after a while, the women who returned from flying chicken hair were told to pick it up again. The women were weeping, asking how they would pick up chicken hair that had been blown away by the wind. The monk looked intently into the faces of the women and said: “Forgiveness is okay, but once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back.”
Blaming and gossiping is more dangerous than murder. Murder only hurts one person, but gossip hurts three people at once. You are the object of gossip with yourself and those who hear it.
“Judge not, lest you be judged, for with the judgment with which you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure that you measure, it will be measured to you. do you not understand?" (Matthew 7:1-3)
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).
4. Foolish and foolish people tell lies.
One Sunday School adult class teacher said this during Bible study class. “Next week we will learn a very important lesson. So, please read all of Mark 17 as a preliminary study.”
Everyone nodded at that. I meant to do what I said. Next week, the teacher asked the Bible study participants, “Whoever read Mark 17 last week, would you like to raise your hand?” Almost everyone in the room raised their hands. Then the teacher said:
“It’s so much fun. The Gospel of Mark has only 16 chapters. But at least you'll learn a proper lesson today. Today we will learn how Jesus teaches about lies.”
The most severe punishment for lying is not being caught. The most frightening is the “hidden” punishment, in which the liar cannot believe what others are saying.
“The righteous hate lies, but the wicked do their evil deeds to shame” (Proverbs 13:5).
“A false witness will not be punished, and he who speaks lies will perish” (Proverbs 19:9).
5. Fools and fools grumble and complain.
The Israelites grumbled and complained to God, saying, “I would rather die in this wilderness. I wish they could go back to Egypt.” They died while suffering in the wilderness. “I wish I could go back to Egypt” is a saying in the last few days, “It was better when I didn’t believe in Jesus. Heaven and everything is annoying It's like saying, "Hey, let's quit church." It is like saying that the time of slavery to the devil and slavery to sin was better. How wrathful is God? He is a person who not only listens to prayers, but also listens to everyday words and complaints.
There is an old saying, "If it doesn't work, it's my ancestor's fault, if it goes well, it's my fault". In this way, when people want something to go wrong, they immediately blame and blame others. Such resentment has existed since the time of Adam (Genesis 3:12). Complaining is a habit, and it is an obvious evasion of responsibility. And the words of resentment are the arrows that are shot at you.
Once upon a time there was a general who was very good at planning. However, the strategy the general was planning was always a win-win strategy only on sunny days. It was a sunny day too. The soldiers were rejoicing, confident of victory even before the battle. But suddenly it was raining and they lost. Then the general cursed the sky and ordered the soldiers to shoot arrows at the sky all at once. In the end, where did all those arrows go? To blame others like this is a foolish act of insulting oneself.
“The foolishness of a man perverts his way, and his heart murmurs against the LORD” (Proverbs 19:3).
"Brothers, do not grumble against one another, that you may escape judgment. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door" (James 5:9).
6. A foolish and foolish person speaks negatively.
According to Numbers 13, among the twelve men who returned from spying out the land of Canaan, all except Joshua and Caleb spoke unbelieving and negative words to the people, and the city was strong, and the Anakites were great leaders. When they reported that it was the same, the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out and wept all night long (Numbers 14:1).
Negative people resent and complain about their environment, and are pessimistic and negative about their own future. Therefore, it is difficult for negative people to live in the world. Negative people are stupid, unhappy, have poor family life, and poor interpersonal relationships, so it always gets dark when that person enters.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and whoever loves it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).
7. A fool speaks foolish things without knowing anything.
“A foolish woman is a fusser, she is foolish and knows nothing” (Proverbs 9:19).
“For a fool speaks foolishness, and iniquity is in his heart, and works deceit, and rebellious words against the Lord, and empty the stomach of the hungry, and bring nothing to drink from the thirsty” (Isaiah 32:6).
To overcome folly, we must fear God (Proverbs 1:7), hear and do His word (Matthew 7:24,25), understand what the will of the Lord (Ephesians 5:15-17), and be wise. We must always pray to receive the blessing (Psalm 90:12) and ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).
By all means, I pray that all the saints will not become fools and become wise saints.
* Prayer: God, Source of Wisdom, open the eyes of your Spirit to see the iniquity and folly within me. May my foolishness and wrongdoings be corrected through your grace and love. No matter how powerful the power of the world is, do not forget that God's authority and power are greater. Let the wicked realize that they will destroy themselves and be vigilant. Make me a wise man who can control his tongue. Claim my lips, so that words of thanks, not murmuring against you, flow out. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.