Word To The Wise: Don't Be A Fool!

Do you remember Mr. T?  Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B.A. Baracus in the 1980s TV series The A-Team, boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and his appearances as a professional wrestler in the WWF.  If there is one thing that Mr. T was famous for it was one phrase, “I pity the fool”!  Mr. T would say, “I pity the fool” to anyone who said or did anything that he thought was deserving of a whoopin’.  When Mr. T said, “I pity the fool” it was a warning to them that he was coming to punch their lights out.

The book of Proverbs expresses pity for the fool as well.  Foolishness is referred to 73 times in the book of Proverbs as a warning of the kind of person we do not want to be.  Foolishness is the opposite of wisdom.  Another term used to describe the foolish in Proverbs are the  “simple”. So, if wisdom is knowing and living life according to God’s way, what does it mean to be a fool?  A fool is someone who lives life INDEPENDENT of God’s way and arrogantly ignores wisdom.  God “pities the fool” who lives life in such a way!

READ:  Proverbs 1:7, 22

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs (and Mr. T):  Don’t be a FOOL!  The wise pursue wisdom and instruction whereas fools “despise it”.  The wise pursue knowledge, whereas fools “hate it”.  Fools are characterized by a few things that we need to be aware of . . .

Fools are right in their OWN EYES (Prov. *12:15, 18:2, *28:26) – Do you find it easy or hard to admit when you are wrong?  HARD!  Having difficulty admitting we are wrong is a sign of foolishness in our lives because fools are always “right in their own eyes”.  A fool selfishly finds “wisdom” in their own personal thoughts and ideas.  A fool arrogantly denies the possibility that anyone else could have a wise thought or idea outside of themselves.  We will avoid foolishness when we can honestly admit that we are helplessly wrong and God is always right.

Fools are RECKLESS and CARELESS thinkers (Prov. 14:16) – As a parent, the question, “what were you thinking?” enters into my mind a lot.  When I find writing on a wall (or the side of our van) with permanent marker I have to ask, “what were you thinking?”  My mom asked me what I was thinking in college when I decided to jump off a train bridge into river for fun.  A fool is someone who does not put careful thought into their words or actions.  A fool will say and do whatever comes into their minds giving no thought to how reckless or destructive it might be.  We will avoid foolishness when we give first consideration to what God would have us say or do in any and every situation.

Fools ruin their lives with their MOUTH (Prov. *10:14, 15:2, 14, *18:6-7) – Most of us would never consider physically hurting ourselves (although there are those who cut or attempt suicide).  And yet, a fool is guilty of bringing harm upon themselves with some of the words that come out of their mouths.  Cutting and suicide are intentional efforts to cause ourselves pain or death, whereas a fool unintentionally “ruins” their life by using hurtful and destructive words they say to others.  James 3:6 says, “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life.”  We will avoid the destructive consequences of foolishness if we guard the words of our mouths’ closely and speak only with the words and wisdom given to us by God.

CONCLUSION:

No one would want to be pitied by Mr. T!  No one wants to foolish.  And yet, if we are living life independent of God and arrogantly ignoring the godly wisdom of others, according to Proverbs, we are a fool.  A word to the wise, . . . DON’T BE A FOOL!   Let go of your selfish pride and humbly submit your life to knowing and living according to God’s way.

Word To the Wise

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “a word to the wise?”  “Word to the wise” is a phrase referring to advice or information given from one person to another by means of a subtle hint and yet clearly communicates the message.  For example, if I want to communicate to a friend that the zipper of their jeans is down I might or simply say the word, “zipper” or give them the zipper hand signal.  A word to the wise is one simple gesture or word which is sufficient to communicate an important message to another person.  If the message is heeded the recipient will avoid unnecessary suffering and embarrassment.

The book of Proverbs is God’s “word to the wise” to us.  Most of the book of Proverbs is written by King Solomon whom God had given a, “wise and discerning mind”.  When asked by God in a dream, “what shall I give you?”, rather than ask for long life, riches, or victory of his enemies, Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave it to him abundantly.  Solomon was so wise that people and kings traveled from all nations to hear his wisdom (1 Kings 3:3-14, 4:29-34).  Solomon’s wisdom came from God and in the book of Proverbs Solomon shares God’s wisdom with us!  Those who hear and listen to the wisdom in the book of Proverbs will gain practical insight into how to successfully live life.  I am going to give 10 words of wisdom in the next several weeks from the book of Proverbs, the first one is a major theme that runs throughout the book and is summarized best in . . .

READ:  Proverbs 4:7

Did you catch it?  WORD TO THE WISE:  Get WISDOM!  Doesn’t get a whole lot more straight forward than that!  In fact, so straight forward it seems kind of silly.  If Solomon could have said it in another way he probably would have said, “you need it”, “you have to have it”, “you cannot live without it!”  According to Solomon, there are NO OTHER priorities in life in front of gaining possession of wisdom.  So, what’s the big deal with wisdom?  Why do we need it?  Before we can answer those questions we have to answer the question, “What is it?”  Wisdom = Knowing and living life according to God’s ways (formula).

The Lord has made wisdom public KNOWLEDGE (Prov. 1:20-23) – For over 125 years the Coca-Cola Company has possessed knowledge that they DO NOT want anyone else to have.  What is it?  The secret formula for their world famous soda pop!  Coca-Cola has gone to extensive measures to make sure that knowledge of their secret formula does not become public knowledge.  Have you ever considered that there is a “secret formula” for how to live life?  What if someone possessed this “secret formula” and they kept it to themselves?  God possesses the “secret formula” for living life which the book of Proverbs calls WISDOM.  God is the creator of life and so he knows exactly how He intended it to be lived.  God does not want to withhold His “secret formula” of how to live life.  In fact, Proverbs is pretty clear that God’s wisdom is public knowledge (cf Deut. 30:11-20).  So, how come more of us do not possess God’s wisdom?

The Lord GIVES wisdom to all who PURSUE it (Prov. 2:1-10) – The secret formula of Coca-Cola is in a locked vault in Atlanta, Georgia.  If we wanted to obtain the secret formula of Coca-Cola we would need to know the code to unlock the vault.  God has a similar “code” if we are going to be given His wisdom.  According to Prov. 2:1-4 the “code” to possessing God’s wisdom is our pursuit of it, our desire to have it, our seeking after it!  God alone is the possessor of wisdom and He gives to anyone and everyone who recognizes its value and pursues it with a genuine heart (James 1:5).  

CONCLUSION:

We all need wisdom in order to live life in a way that is honoring and pleasing to God. Through King Solomon, God has made known His wisdom that will guide us down the right path in life.  Are you pursuing God’s wisdom in your life right now?  If not, a word to the wise, . . . GET WISDOM!