Title: The path of a foolish life
[Min Byeong-seok's Proverbs Exposition] 67
The path of a foolish life
Text: (Proverbs 30:10 - 17)
Tonight, Proverbs Kanghae will receive grace while listening to the word about the path of a foolish life. There is a huge difference between the path of a foolish person and a wise person. A wise person can gain wisdom and gain life and live a life of blessings from God, but a foolish person always loses his life by forsaking wisdom and demands the curse of God.
1. In the case of a fool
Fools can be divided into two categories. One is that there are people who act foolishly because they do not know the Word of God. The foolishness of such a person is understandable to some extent. When he comes into Christ, he can cast off his foolishness. Another form of foolishness is those who know the word of God but do not believe it or do it, so they live foolishly. Such people need the intervention of God's hand from time to time until the skin of their foolishness is peeled off. Today, let's classify a few things about what kind of life a foolish person has, which causes difficulties in his life.
(1) In verse 10, it is said that those who slander others are fools. Those who slander and slander others know that doing so will benefit them, but nothing will come to them. Rather, we need to know that there is a reward for the evil deed on the contrary. Since this is a law ordained by God, it will result in the same results for everyone. If God hadn't set such laws, this world would be ruled by the wicked and only the wicked would be livable.
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Judge not, lest you be judged, for with the criticism you judge you will be judged, and with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you.” Since it is a rule that applies to anyone, wise people never slander or slander others.
When there is no other person, if you praise that person and exalt him, you will be praised for it and you will be exalted. This is also true of the lowly species. “You shall not slander a servant against his master, for he will curse you, and you will be held accountable.” No one likes someone who curses, curses, or slanders him. When you hear such a rumor, gossip goes out and curses go out. And he is instructing us that there will be more serious accusations or blasphemy, resulting in the final guilt. The meaning of the Lord's command to love your enemies and not to hate them can be seen as being based on this same principle.
(2) Next, find verses 11 and 17. “There are some who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.” He said, “The eyes of those who ridicule their fathers and do not want to obey their mothers will be plucked by ravens of the valley and eaten by eagles.” A person who curses his father and does not bless his mother is a fool.
What God's Word teaches is that children should honor their parents in all circumstances. In the Ten Commandments, honoring one's parents was given as the first commandment given to mankind, and in Ephesians 6, it is right to honor one's parents. Therefore, a wise son is filial to his parents. As a result, this kind of respect for parents will fall as a seed of blessing on one's head and become the driving force for bearing many blessings in one's life.
Therefore, foolish people who cannot receive blessings do not believe and follow these words of God. If you look at the news in the newspapers or on TV these days, how many bastard children are abusing, disrespectful, and even beating their parents? What we can know from these words of God is that children should not curse their parents under any circumstances. He said that if you mock, disobey, or fail to bless your parents, you will be rewarded by God.
(3) He said the following hypocrites are fools. Let's look at verse 12. He said, “There are those who consider themselves clean, but do not wash away their filthiness.” A fool is always unaware of his filthiness and deceit. He thinks that he is clean and that he is honest. So, wherever you are, you act as if you were clean. That is why he refuses to admit that he has filthy things that deceive his conscience, and he refuses to repent. Such a person is truly a fool.
We are people who always live before God. That God is ignorant of me and knows every thought of my heart. Therefore, the wise person realizes his own shortcomings, humbles himself before God, and always lives with a contrite heart, saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, I am a sinner.
Foolish people always try to reveal their righteousness in front of people, try to cover up lies and hide them, and even deceive the lies as if they were the truth. Such a thing is a threefold sin before God. It is the sin of deceiving oneself, the sin of deceiving others, and the sin of teaching others wrongly. He said that a man's deeds are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord searches the heart. Keeping in mind that we are people who always live before God, we must live truthfully, not like hypocrites, fools.
(4) Next, He said that those who have very high eyes are fools. Let's look at verse 13. He said, “There is a crowd whose eyes are very high, and whose eyelids are lifted high.” The words “high-eyed” and “a crowd with high eyelids” refer to a proud person. Few people in life are as foolish as the proud. A proud person will boast of his pride and boast about the wealth, authority, honor, or power that made him proud, but in the sight of God it is foolishness.
God has established an immovable law against the proud. It is the fact that the proud man is God's adversary. God has always promised to be the enemy of the proud and fight against them. How do you fight? In 2 Samuel 22:28 it says, “God searches the proud and humbles them.” When God humbles people, there is no great person to be exalted. Proverbs 16:18 says that God destroys the proud. He said, “Pride is the vanguard of destruction.”
It is a blessing in the womb for a person to be born with a gentle and humble personality. May you never be afraid of the proud. Do not envy the proud. When dealing with an arrogant person, avoid important conversations or promises. Because that person will soon perish very soon.
(5) Next, concerning the foolish, in verse 14, He said, “They are a crowd that devours the poor and devours the needy.” Helping and comforting our poor and struggling brothers is an indescribable blessing. Because God will remember and he will surely bless you. Therefore, wise people are always tolerant of the poor. His heart moves to the poor and needy. Please see Psalm 15:7-11. In verse 8, when the poor man asks for anything, he says, “Surely stretch out your hand to him, and lend generously for what he needs.” Verse 10 says, “You must give to him, and when you give, do not be greedy.” What did you say you would do if you did? “The Lord will bless you in all that you do and in the work of your hands.” Hallelujah.
God said that there will always be poor people on this earth. No matter how peaceful the times are, the poor will always live in my neighbourhood. The reason is that he may bless us by allowing us to help the poor brother. There are many gifts in the Church, but among them the gift of salvation is truly a beautiful gift. We are filled with overflowing blessings so that we can be thankful to each other, God's reward is certain, and we can do more good works, and the reward for this is also reserved in heaven. But a fool despises the poor because he cannot have such wisdom. He said that he rather swallows the poor.
(6) He said that the life of not knowing how to be enough is foolishness. Please see verses 15 and 16. God compared the life of not knowing enough to a life like a leech. The heart of a person who does not have enough is like a grave, and no matter how much he fills it, it cannot be filled. It is said that those who love silver will never be satisfied with silver.
A foolish person lives in any circumstance, not knowing how to get enough. No one who makes good money is satisfied with the money he has. If he doesn't know how to be satisfied like this, his life will eventually come to an end. In Proverbs 16:1 it says, “The plans of the heart belong to men, but the answer of a word is from the Lord.”
A person should lead a self-sufficient life according to God's will, and if he indulges in excessive greed, he will fall into destruction on his own. In Proverbs 28:20, it says, “The desire to get rich quickly is an evil spirit, and it will surely not escape punishment.” Verse 22 says that for those who are desperate to obtain wealth, poverty will surely follow him.
But a foolish person neither realizes nor understands this fact. 1 Timothy 6:9 says that those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a snare. We must always live with a heart that knows that we have enough. We heard Agur's prayer last hour. “I have asked thee two things, before I die, give it to me: keep falsehood and lies far from me, neither make me poor nor rich, but feed me with the bread I need.”
Those who live content with their daily bread are the ones who will receive blessings from God. We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out, if we have food and clothing (?).
Conclusion: Gentlemen, a fool always loses a lot in his life. Because the blessing they desire will not come, and disaster will rule their lives. In order to live a successful life, you must live with wisdom. This wisdom can be obtained from the Word of God. The blessings of life will come naturally if you follow the word of God, refrain from taking precautions, do what you are expected to do, and live a life that pleases God. I pray that you will not follow in the footsteps of the foolish people who have failed in life by disobeying God, but that you will be able to live a blessed life by always living according to the word of God with joy.