The Problem of Fools, Part 2

The Bible, specifically the book of Proverbs, helps us understand life's puzzles, helps us unscramble those things that seem to be so confusing to us, in order that we might find solutions, that we might understand what God has for us. And so we're in for a fascinating study.

Now, verse number 7 of Proverbs 1 is the key verse of the book of Proverbs. It says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, fools despise wisdom and instruction." So at the outset, we have a problem, a problem that all of us face. And that is a problem of foolishness. The problem of being a fool.

Now, if you read the Bible, you understand that the wise man is the believing man. And the foolish man is the unbelieving man. Yet, many of us who are believers and understand the wisdom of God at times act in foolish ways. And so Solomon is going to address those issues to help us come to grips with what we need to do so that we are not fools. And Solomon begins by dealing with that at the outset, helping us realize that it's the wise man that fears the Lord, but the foolish man is going to despise what God says.

Proverbs 15, verse number 7 says, "The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the heart of fools are not so." Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool. Why? Because they have deceit in their hearts. So that's the conduct of a fool. He speaks lies, he has a heart filled with anger. He loves to get into arguments. He squanders his money. He easily falls prey to seduction. He hypocritically makes vows to God. He purposely treats sin lightly.

Why is he this way? Well, number two, because of his character. That's why. His character. He's this way because he believes he's right. Proverbs 12, verse number 15 says this, "The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel." The Bible says in Proverbs 28:26, these words about the fool: "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." Proverbs 29, verse number 11 says, "A fool always loses his temper or in other words, always sends forth his spirit, but a wise man holds it back."

Let me tell you something about a fool. Listen carefully. A fool wants you to know how he feels. He wants you to know how he feels. But the Bible says that it's the fool who holds nothing back. He has no discernment. He has no discretion because he has no wisdom. That's the foolish man. See? That's his character. We look at his conduct.

Now, how about his conversation? His conversation. Proverbs 10, verse number 18 tells us about a fool's conversation. "He who conceals hatred has lying lips. And he who spreads slander is a fool." He who spreads slander is a fool. Did you hear what I heard? Do you know what I know about so-and-so? Hey, wait till you hear what I got to say. You won't believe what happened to them. They love to spread slander. They love to slam the name of somebody else. They want to drag it through the mud, and they want you to drag it with them. And so they love to spread slander. That's how you know a fool.

Another thing about a fool, this is great: fools talk too much. Ecclesiastes chapter 10, verse number 12. Fools love to talk. "Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of his talking is folly, and the end of it is wicked madness. Yet the fool multiplies words. And no man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him. The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city." The fool is so much into talking and speaking and giving you information that he knows absolutely nothing about, although he thinks he does. That when it's all said and done, he works himself up so much that he's completely incompetent to do anything else.

The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 10, verse number 19: "In a multitude of words, sin is not lacking." Do you ever know people who talk too much? The Bible says they're just foolish people. They just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. That's all they do is talk. Just keep on talking. And sometimes you're listening to me and say, you know, let me read to you Ecclesiastes chapter 10 before you go any further. "In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking."

Why is that? Because the more you talk, the easier it is to put your foot in your mouth. It is. And there's so many things that we should not even say. That's why Paul said in Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth." None. No corrupt communication. The only words that are to come out of your mouth are the words that minister grace to those who hear them.

Now think about that in your conversations today. Think about that. What words did you use today that ministered grace to every one of your hearers? And what words did you use today that slandered somebody else, that brought somebody else down, that despised somebody else, that you just kept talking and talking and talking and talking to hear yourself talk? And yet the words that come out of our mouth are to be gracious words and kind words that minister to the person who hears them. And wouldn't it be good if every time we had a chance to say something, we would say, okay, now how am I going to gracefully minister to this person with my words?

Could you imagine what your marriage would be like if that was your theme verse, Ephesians 4:29? That no corrupt communication would come out of your mouth? Can you imagine the quietness in your home? Some of you wouldn't know what to say. You wouldn't have anything to say. You're so busy ragging on each other all day. What would you say to one another? But you can imagine the peace and the calmness of your home by ministering grace to those who hear.

The conversation of a fool. Proverbs 18, verse number 13 says it this way, "He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him." A foolish man gives an answer before he hears all the facts. Proverbs 18:17: "The first to plead his cause seems, or his case seems just, until another comes and examines him." You see, the foolish man is so quick to speak because he likes to talk, we've already seen that, that when something arises, he gives a quick judgment on it without knowing all the facts. You ever been in that situation? Passing judgment on something without knowing all the facts of the situation? That's something about the conversation of the foolish man.

We need to understand the description of a fool as the Bible says it. But let me talk to you a moment about the disruption of a fool in the family and in society. The disruption of the fool. You ever met a family that has no joy? There's a reason for that. The Bible gives you a reason as to why a family has no joy. It's not the only reason. But it's one of the reasons. And it's because of the fool that lives within the house. The fool could be the father, the fool could be the mother, the fool could be one of the children. But listen to what the Bible says in Proverbs 10, verse number 1. It says, "The proverbs of Solomon, a wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother." A foolish son is grief to his mother.

Now you think about that. And how many mothers do you know that have experienced a great amount of grief because of their son or their daughter? The Bible says over in Proverbs chapter 15, verse number 5, these words: "A fool rejects his father's discipline. But he who regards reproof is prudent." A fool is one who despises his father's discipline. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. A foolish son is one who's going to despise or is going to reject his father's discipline. He doesn't want that. And he will rebel against that discipline. But he who regards reproof, the Bible says, is a prudent man.

Verse number 20: "A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother." A foolish man despises his mother. Proverbs 17, verse number 21: "He who begets a fool does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy." Why does the father of a fool have no joy? Over in verse number 25 of chapter 17, "A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him."

Let me tell you something. When the Bible says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child, and the rod of correction will drive it far from him. If there is no joy in the home, it's because you haven't used the rod properly. You haven't. And that foolish son has brought grief to his father and bitterness to his mother. There is no joy in the family. Why? Because he despises instruction, he easily falls prey to sexual temptation, he squanders his money. The foolish son always believes he's right and knows everybody else is wrong. His conversation is nothing but slanderous and prideful and arrogant. He's the kind of individual that only looks out for himself because he's always right in his own eyes. You can't live with somebody like that. And all it does is disrupt the unity of the home. It destroys the home, brings grief, bitterness, sadness, and no joy to that family.

So we need to understand how important it is as parents to know the book of Proverbs so that we can have joy in our homes. So our children don't bring us grief and sorrow and bitterness. So we understand that our responsibility before the Lord is to teach them in the ways of God and instruct them through the book of Proverbs. As God's word says. Because we want our families to honor the Lord. Proverbs 19:13: "A foolish son is destruction to his father." A foolish son is destruction to his father. He drags the family down. He tears the family apart. The disruption of a fool.

How about society? Well, you can imagine what a fool does in society, but Proverbs 29, verse number 9, states it this way: "When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest." When a wise man is involved in a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man does one of two things. He rages against him, or he laughs at him and scorns him. But no matter what the case, there is no peace. There is no rest. Why? Well, we read it earlier. Proverbs 23, verse number 9: "He will despise, that is a foolish man, the wisdom of your words. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words."

The reason society is the way it is is because it's filled with people who are foolish. Foolish. It disrupts society. It disrupts the family.

Number three, the destruction of a fool. We must hurry. The destruction of a fool. In three areas, his conversation, his companions, and because of his complacency. Proverbs 10, verse number 14 says this: "Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand." Ruin is at hand. Chapter 18, verse number 7 says this: "A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul." A fool will be destroyed because of his conversation. It will come back to haunt him because he's always right in his own eyes, and because he seeks to slander those that he is against, and because he is always talking, it will ultimately come to his own ruin. He will be caught in his lies, he will be caught in his deceit, he will be exposed for who he is. He will be destroyed because of his conversation.

He will be destroyed because of his companions. Proverbs chapter 13, verse number 20: "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Ah, parents, it's so important that you help your children understand that the people they companion with must be wise people, not foolish people. Who do your children hang out with? Where do they go on Friday nights? Who are they with? Do you know who they're with? Do you even care who they're with? Or are you just glad to get them out of the house for a while? Don't let your children become a companion of a fool. It will destroy their lives. It will tear them down. Don't be afraid to say, you know what? I'm not sure the company of those people is what you need to be keeping. So I'm going to say no to your adventure this evening.

They can rant and they can rave all they want, but you know what? Just read them Proverbs chapter 13, verse number 20. That's it. Be a companion with the wise man, not the foolish man. Bad company always corrupts good morals. Bad company is never influenced by good morals. It's always corrupted. It always corrupts the good morals, doesn't it? That's what the Bible says. And so we've got to be careful about who our children hang out with, because the destruction of a fool comes because of his conversation and because of his companions, and thirdly, because of his complacency.

Proverbs 1, verse number 32 says this: "For the waywardness of the naïve shall kill them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them." They're going to be destroyed because of their complacency. Their apathetic attitude toward the things of God, their indifference to the things of God. You ever met somebody who they come to church and they're just kind of... They kind of slump down in the chair, you know. They kind of sit back, close their eyes, and there they are. The complacency of fools will destroy them. They're indifferent to the things of God. They certainly haven't followed Solomon's exhortation in Ecclesiastes chapter 5: "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Make sure you go there to listen." That indifferent attitude, that I don't care attitude. It doesn't make any difference to me. Whatever God says, it's no big deal. It'll destroy their lives. And that's the destruction of the fool.

So, what do we do? What do we do? We know we can't change a fool. Only God can. So, what are the directions for the fool? How do we help change that person? I want to give you the plea, and then I want to give you the process, and then I want to give you the product. There's a plea over in Proverbs chapter 8, verse number 5, that goes like this. Proverbs 8, verse number 5: "O naïve ones, discern prudence, and O fools, discern wisdom." That's the plea. Chapter 9, verse number 6: "Forsake your folly and live, and proceed in the way of understanding." There's a plea there. It's not too late. It's never too late to turn around. As long as you have breath, as long as you have life on this earth, it is never too late to turn from your folly. Never. And so the plea comes.

Proverbs chapter 3, verse 35, it says this: "The wise will inherit honor. But fools display dishonor." See, the legacy of a fool is nothing but shame and dishonor. The wise man receives honor, the foolish man nothing but dishonor. And we think about this with our children. We want them to understand that as they grow, they need to understand that they need to be people that are honorable. The foolish man receives nothing but dishonor and shame. So we need to help them understand what God's word says. And that's the process. That's the process.

Remember back in Luke chapter 24 with the two men on the road to Emmaus? It says in verse number 24, "And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the woman also had said. But him they did not see." And he that is Christ said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart, to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer these things and to enter into glory?" And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning him and all the scriptures. He says, "Oh, you foolish men, how did you miss it? Why is it you despise wisdom and instruction? Don't you know what the Bible says?"

So, what's he do? He takes them back all through the Old Testament, through all the writings of the prophets, to explain to them who the Messiah was. Why he came, why he had to suffer, and why he had to die and rise again. And then listen to this. It says this. In verse number 29, "And they urged him, saying, Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over. And he went in to stay with them, and it came about that when he had reclined at the table with them, he took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, he began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?"

The process of turning a fool from the folly of his way is to be able to take him to the scriptures and read to him the word of God and explain to him who Christ is, what he's done, and cause there to be a burning desire in the heart of a fool to turn his life around. You can't do it. You can't do it. But God can. And God works in conjunction with his word. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God." We must continually give our children the Word of God. We must memorize the Word of God to recite the Word of God to them. We must be able to take them to the book of Proverbs and say, "Look, if you do this, this will happen because God said it, I didn't. You need to know the way of truth. You need to know what God's word says." And they might not like it at first, and they might turn you off at first. But you know what? You stick to your guns. You do what God told you to do. And you trust God that His Word will not return void, that it will not return empty, that it will accomplish its purpose as it goes forth from your mouth to their ears.

And what's the product? Listen to this. Proverbs chapter 22, verse number 17: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips, so that your trust may be in the Lord I have taught you today, even you." The result, the product, is that the ways of their life will be pleasant because they will learn to trust the Lord and not trust in themselves.

The problem of a fool. May God give us the wisdom to understand His instruction so that we don't go down the path of the foolish. But that we encounter the way of the wise. Let's pray.

Our most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word and all that's there, and we ask that, Lord, You would cause the word of the Lord to burn in our hearts. Cause your word, Lord, to take effect in our hearts, that we might bow in submission to your lordship. And I pray for every parent in this room that you give them wisdom with their children. It's not too late. It's never too late to instruct them in the ways of God. It's never too late to counsel them in the ways of truth. As parents, may we continually be giving God's word to our children and living God's Word in front of them so as not to tear down the things that we say to them. And may you encourage every parent, every individual in this room to follow the way of the wise. We thank you, Lord, for your word and your grace toward us. In Jesus' name, amen.