Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge,
Proverbs 1:7
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
More often than not our problems are human in origin. We frequently suffer the painful results of our own foolishness or the foolishness of others. The greater the fool the more painful his folly. But is there a way to guard ourselves from fools? Could we ever make our lives truly “fool-proof”?
The Bible most often speaks of “fools” as those who lack wisdom and understanding, especially in relation to God. Likewise “folly” is the attitude that leads to a closing of the mind toward God and his truth. More of than not the biblical fool is overly self-confident, which ironically results in them being easily led astray by Satan’s deceptions.
Unfortunately we do not live in a fool-proof world, so long as mankind has a part to play. Each of us has the ability to succumb to folly. The biggest fool is usually the one who assumes that there is no foolishness in their hearts or minds. No, there will be fools as long as there is sin, and there will be sin until Christ returns in glory to judge and redeem the world.
Maybe you are like me in that you like to browse the news headlines every morning. The mostly negative stories may leave us wondering, sometimes in amusement, over some of the foolish actions and decisions we see others making. Of course we are judging from a distance and we have the benefit of hindsight, but we still have a tendency to think that had we been in that person’s place, we would not have made that mistake. When the fool’s actions negatively affect us our amusement may turn to frustration or rage. At the same time, when we are the fool and it is our folly that is being discussed, we expect understanding and sympathy.
Our problem really lies in the fact that we were made for a perfect world that doesn’t exist anymore (though one day it will come again). We should expected perfection, not from man, but from God. Folly shouldn’t surprise us, though we should do what we can to live by faith and not by folly. As Christians, rather than overly concerning ourselves with folly of others, we should concern ourselves primarily with the task of serving Christ faithfully.
Should we take wise precautions against sin and worldly foolishness? Absolutely, but this is a secondary concern for the Christian who knows that sin and worldly folly are inescapable. Our primary concern is to serve God with all our heart, mind, and being. In doing so, we will not only grow in wisdom, but we will also be able to see folly with clear eyes and will know how to respond with grace, truth, and love.
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