Everybody Plays the Fool

           In the flyleaf of my grandfather's Bible was a note to his children. Along with a record of the births of each child, eleven in all, he wrote: "My children, if you listen to the words of this book, your life will not be as hard as mine." In this small testimony, he tells us that he had learned many things by experience that he could have avoided if he had listened to the counsel of scripture. Looking back, he wished he hadn't been so fool hardy. He wished he had laid a better foundation for his children. He wanted to protect them from playing the fool.

          There are five Hebrew words in the wisdom literature that mean "fool." While some of the terms are interchangeable, each has something to teach about the character and predicament of the fool in scripture. They represent a progression from simpleness and gullibility to scornfulness and full-measured opposition to the knowledge of God.

          The Simple Fool. The first term represents one who is gullible, easily led, and easily deceived. He believes everything he is told (14:15) and cannot see the relationship 'between actions and consequences. He cannot see danger coming (22:3; 27:12). He is aimless and drifting toward temptation. He moves with an unconscious predictability toward a snare and to the observer it looks intentional. It is his wandering and waywardness that will kill him (l :32).

          We all begin with this kind of simpleness. The simple are often also described as young. Simpleness may seem appropriate for a six-year-old, but an adult who cannot predict the consequences of sin is in mortal danger. Simpleness is not a permanent condition. He will either move away from his folly and toward maturity or his folly will worsen with age. He cannot stay where he is.

          The simple has two marks against him. His gullibility leaves him open to peer pressure and to being swayed toward some bad end. His other weakness is his sin nature, common in all of us, that will provide the necessary desire to move in the direction of folly rather than wisdom. He delights in folly and wanders from a straight course (15:21). He would rather chase fantasies than work hard to reach a desired end (12:11). Since he cannot predict the outcome of foolish decisions, he will let his desires lead. As a result, snares and temptations, judgment, and destruction await.

          The Proper Fool. He refuses to listen to advice because his own way seems right to him (12:15). He despises wisdom and instruction (l :7), because of peer pressure or his own lust. He spurns his father's instruction (15:5), valuing the opinions of others or himself more. His descent from simpleness to folly has made him a proper fool: "though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him" (27:22).

          His folly fuels trouble. His pride causes him to jump headlong into conflict. He might be able to cover his folly if he kept his mouth shut (17:28), but he is losing control of his tongue. He shows his annoyance at once (12:16) and is quick to quarrel (20:3). He quickly develops a reputation as a hothead and will defend his position at any cost. He cannot back down and will excuse his sin (14:9) rather than make amends. People learn to avoid him or to give in. "Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both" (27:3).

          The end for the fool is not bright. He has traded a "fountain of life" for punishment (16:22). His abusive actions toward others assure that he will never be given a position of leadership. He brings trouble on his family and will always be a servant, however begrudgingly, of the wise (11:29).

          The Self-Confident Fool. The most common word for fool in Proverbs displays his self-confidence in the face of fearing God. God calls him to trust in God's provision, but he trusts in his own strength. While the path to wisdom begins with understanding our place under God's authority, the fool recognizes only his own ability.

          It is almost laughably predictable. The farther you go along the path of folly, the more pride plays a role, The fool is losing his ability to recognize any knowledge but his own (l:22).

          The wise man delights in knowledge and his whole heart is bent to listen for understanding. Instead, the fool takes pleasure in his evil conduct (10:23) and he detests any suggestion that he must one day turn from his evil (13:19). His opponents are personally attacked (10:18) and his foolishness harms his companions (13:20),

          Pride in the fool brings about incredible deception. Because fear of God is not at the center of his life, the self-confident fool is convinced in his views (14:8). Like a dam that is breeched, his heart blurts out folly (12:23). The wise man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the fool believes his own errors. Both words (15:2) and actions (13:16) expose him as a fool. Instead of merely adding sin to sin, his errors begin to multiply (14:24). Folly becomes his meat and bread (15:14). To those who must relate to him, wisdom warns: "Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly" (17: 12)!

          Can this fool change? He is settled in his folly, even when he suffers shame and punishment. A wise man responds to a rebuke, but a fool stays with his sin though he is lashed a hundred times (17:10). Still, wisdom continues to call out to the fool: "How long will you hate knowledge" (l :22)? She still makes understanding available (8:5) and to some, she will let herself be known (14:33).

          The Thick-Headed Fool. One word for fool which appears in Ecclesiastes, but not in the Proverbs, indicates a dullness, not from intellectual ability, but a dullness toward moral and spiritual things. He has grown callous to the things of God. His stupidity is obvious to everyone except himself (Ecclesiastes 10:3). He cannot control his tongue and as he multiplies words, he multiplies sin. His words first reflect folly, but they grow worse and worse until they are "wicked madness" (Ecclesiastes 10:13-14). Solomon laments that he has no way of protecting his wealth and accomplishments from being inherited by this type of fool (Ecclesiastes 10: 13-14).

          The Empty-Headed Fool. Folly has so destroyed his capacity for understanding, that this fool might as well be empty-headed. His words and actions have betrayed his arrogance (17:21). His reputation is well-known and a source of grief to his parents (17:21). There is a sense among those who know him that any position or honor he holds is going to be short-lived. Everyone around him expects judgment for him. Wisdom draws this picture: The earth trembles under the weight of a "fool who is full of food," it cannot bear up until this fool gets his due.

          The Hebrew word for this sort of fool is Nabal. He is pictured for us in the actions of Abigail's husband (I Samuel 25). His insensitivity and arrogance were his downfall. He refused to honor a request for help from David as he was running from Saul. You can hear the earth groan as this prosperous man, in the midst of sheep-shearing time, rebuffs David's mighty men and invites judgment on himself, his family, and all the servants who belong to his household. David is so angry that he intends the destruction of every male in Nabal's house. His wife hastens in humility to stop the disaster hanging over her household. She and the servants gather together bread and wine, sheep, roasted nuts, cakes of raisins and figs, and without telling her husband, she moves to intervene for her family.

Listen to her words to David:

          "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name. His name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, I did not see the men my master sent."

          Abigail continues to plead with David for the lives of her household. She may have been accustomed to protecting her husband's reputation in public, but now, in order to divert disaster, she is honest about his character. Her wisdom causes David to praise God because her good judgment has kept him from rashly shedding blood. The tragedy is averted. Meanwhile, oblivious to the disaster hanging over his head, Nabal gets drunk. When he awakens the next morning, Abigail tells him the story and his heart failed him and he became like a stone." Ten days later, he dies. To the end of his life, he has pursued only his own pleasure while judgment gathers, and God suddenly brings down his wrong doing on his own head.

          This kind of a fool is the one who declares there is no God (Psalm 14:l). He may be rich and possess an advanced degree, but he has set himself as God's enemy. The road to wisdom begins with an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. The fool denies this authority. His approach to psychology, sociology, law, government, education, philosophy, and ethics will all be marred by this fundamental error. His personal choices will exhibit pride and self-centeredness and the wise will feel the judgment gathering over the head of Nabal.

          The Mocker. Another figure, a companion of fools, plays a major role in wisdom. He is the mocker, the one who scorns everything and everyone associated with wisdom. He mocks the poor (17:5) in their pain and gloats over the victims of disaster (17:5). He offers corrupt witness in court, mocking justice (19:28). He disrespects his parents and is in full rebellion (30:17). In the end, he mocks everything associated with God (17:5).

          His end is fitting punishment: The mocker is mocked. God Himself mocks him (3:34). Wisdom scorns him and remarks, "I in turn will laugh at your disaster, I will mock when calamity overtakes you" (1:26). A vivid warning is given to him: "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by vultures."

Everybody plays the fool. Decisions of the past or circumstances of the present remind us that no one is exempt from folly. What can you do to turn around, leave the characteristics of folly and head toward wisdom?

          Proverbs says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. In humility, come to the Father and confess your sins. Cleansing and a new start are available at the foot of the cross. Humility and respect for God put an end to the pride that is inherent in folly. A different way is available, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to change. He sets a new course for our lives and will help us deal with the consequences of our foolish decisions so that we don't have to repeat our mistakes or pass them on to our children.

How do we protect our children? All of us began as simple fools. Our sin nature and our gullibility combine to lead us toward destruction. The simple-minded can be rescued by a caring parent or mentor. One who can provide physical, moral, and spiritual protection will be a great help. There are two obstacles to our children of which we must be wary: Peer pressure and sexual temptation. Peer pressure is described as the influence of an evil man- one whose words kindle their greed and lust för quick gain. Sexual temptation comes in the form of an evil woman-a wayward wife with a seductive invitation. We must help them guard their hearts from such influences. Tutoring from scripture on issues of work and laziness, decision-making that takes God into account, and study that begins to embrace the practical teaching of Proverbs will begin to redirect the course of the simple.

          There is a wonderful testimony of this kind of protection toward the end of the Song of Solomon. The Shulamite (Song of Solomon 8:8-12) had apparently lost her parents and so her wise brothers conspired to protect her virtue. How could they help her to make good and pure decisions, especially in the area of sexual temptations? They began to watch her steps and her decisions. If they found her to be a "wall," careful to maintain her purity and to resist the charms of 'unrighteous suitors, they would praise her. They would make it a priority to recognize and honor every decision she made which was in alignment with wisdom. If they found her to be a "door," vulnerable to the flirtations of sin and illicit romance, they would "enclose her with panels of cedar." Lovingly and carefully, they would provide protection- if she could not be a wall herself, then they would be a wall for her. They would make the protection as pleasant, as "aromatic," as possible.

The brothers of the Shulamite were very intentional. They would not wait to let her learn by experience what was right and wrong. Their words of praise when she made good decisions would give her the confidence and motivation to continue along the path of wisdom. Their panels of cedar would protect her weakness until she began to see the dangers and snares before she stepped into them.

          The brothers did their jobs well. The Shulamite found it a great source of joy that she was discovered to be a "wall," even during the raging hormones and temptations of her teen years, She could now see the consequences of her right actions. The sexual arena was no place to learn by experience. She saw that her purity would become a source of contentment for her spouse.

          The simple need structure and training. They may resist it, but the parent or mentor who stays the course in providing both praise and protection will reap the reward. The simple can change if the parent is intentional in instruction, discipline, and example. Also, if society is consistent in handing out justice and punishment, the simple will learn prudence (19:25; 21 : 11).

          Left to himself, the simple will change, but his decisions will lead him to destruction. It is a horrible thing to allow your children to learn by experience. By the time a son or daughter is a teen, the decisions they make can be irreversible. They are old enough that a bad decision will alter their direction for the rest of their lives. Peer pressure can land them in jail; sexual temptation can bring pregnancy, disease, and a lifetime of guilt and regret. Parents and mentors must provide protection until the child has learned good decision-making. One child will be weak and another strong- in the same family. Like the brothers of the Shulamite, different approaches will be needed with different children. Some will learn wisdom early and others will learn it later. Don't set an age, like eighteen, when the child is thrust into the world, fool or not.

Only give freedom when it will not destroy them. Simple. Proper fool. Self-confident. Thick-headed. Empty-headed. The pressing need is prudence. Each must learn when to speak and when to be silent. Each must learn humility in the face of honor. Each must have sound judgment and a desire to make right decisions. Each must be able to see where his decisions will lead him and to make good ones. Proverbs is written to warn him before he has to learn from experience.