Day #187
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 14 - 15 …
Has anyone ever said to you, "Don't be a
fool!" It's not a pleasant statement, no matter whom it
might come from. No one likes to be called a fool. But throughout
his proverbs, Solomon contrasts the wise man and the foolish man, giving
various criteria for both. As we have seen, you could say that Jesus
summarized the book of Proverbs in His Sermon on the Mount, when He said, "Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate
and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew
7:13-14). Without the Spirit of God all
people are fools, unable and unwilling to seek the small gate or to walk the
narrow road.
Jesus followed that with two illustrations.
First, "a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad
fruit," and second, "the wise man built his house on the rock,
while the foolish man built his house on the sand." The winds blew and the rain fell on both
houses, but when the storms came, the foolish man's house fell, while
the wise man's house stood firm. These are the kinds of things Solomon
wrote about in Proverbs. God's truth is unchanging and the principles He
reveals in His Word apply to all generations. While the ideas and
theories of mankind regarding human behavior are adapted to fit the changes in
culture and the world around us, God's Word remains the same. It is never
out-of-date and it speaks to every generation, every ethnic group, every
gender, every political persuasion, every economic level, every social division
…
In Proverbs 14 and 15, Solomon speaks repeatedly of
the lot of the fool or the foolish. Fools bring trouble on themselves by
their talk and by their actions. "The folly of fools is
deception" (14:8). The sad thing about fools is they don't know
they are fools … they don't know they are being deceived. "There
is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (14:12).
Such ARE the religions of the world and the philosophies of the world -
ALL of them! In Paul's letter to the Colossians, God says, "See
to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather
than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8). Any philosophy, no matter
how appealing or wise it may appear, that does not point to Jesus Christ, is
foolish and deceptive and leads to death.
Without Jesus you cannot know God or come to Him.
Without Jesus and the work of His Spirit you cannot and will not desire
to please God and you will live for yourself until you either fall to your
knees in repentance, asking God's forgiveness, or face His judgment when your
life ends. You don't HAVE to learn
things the hard way … you can listen to God NOW, and follow the path that leads
to life. "The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him
from going down to the grave" (15:24). The "way" that
seems right to people is the self-centered life of the fool. "I
am the captain of my fate," one such fool declared. "I
think, therefore I am," said another. And "I did it MY
way," sang another.
Wisdom comes from the knowledge of the truth, not
lies. And that truth is found in God's Word. Solomon wrote in
Proverbs 1:7: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Throughout these
chapters Solomon hammers away at the "fool" who "mocks at
making amends for sin" (14:9), who "is hotheaded and
reckless" and "quick-tempered" (14:16-17, 29),
whose "mouth gushes folly" (15:2), who "spurns his
father's discipline" (15:7) and "despises his mother" (15:20).
But the wise "give thought to their
ways" (14:8), "fear the LORD and shun evil" (14:16), are
"crowned with knowledge" (14:18), have "wealth" the
world cannot find (14:24), and "save lives" by their
witness (14:25). Meanwhile, "the eyes of the LORD are
everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (15:3).
The LORD hears the prayers of the upright and loves those who pursue
righteousness (15:8-9). Jesus told His disciples to "seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33) and God
would give them all they needed. Solomon wrote, "righteousness
exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (14:34).
The choice between being wise or foolish, between righteousness and
wickedness, between life and death, would appear to be obvious, yet sinful man
makes the wrong choice every time.
God says, "there is no one righteous,
not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no
one who does good; not even one" (Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Romans
3:10-12). Wisdom is a gift that God gives to those whom He chooses, and
it comes through His Word as the Spirit works in the hearts and minds of
believers. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “We have not received the
spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what
God has freely given us. This is what we
speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught us by the
Spirit … The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come
from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. … But we (who
believe) have the mind of Christ" (I Corinthians 2:13-16).
Do not be a fool. God has revealed truth through His Word and in
His Son Jesus Christ, who is “the Way and
the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). Listen to GOD's instruction as
you read and study His Word. Jesus says, "Everyone who hears
these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built
his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24).
The one who is spiritually wise will listen to God's instruction and
will find pleasure in doing what He says … believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
trust in His sacrifice on the cross for forgiveness, and live a life of thankfulness
as you walk the path of life!
"Heavenly Father, as I live in this world the
foolishness of sin becomes more and more clear as I gain knowledge and wisdom
from Your Word and as Your Spirit works within me. I thank You for the
forgiveness of my sins through faith in Jesus, and for the empowering presence
of Your Spirit that moves me to turn from sin to pursue righteousness …
the path that leads to life. May my life be built on the solid Rock that
does not move, that I may live to glorify You, my Father, and my God, in Jesus'
name, Amen"
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