October 3, Proverbs 29
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- Deuteronomy 29:20
The "fool" in Proverbs is not a lovable clown, like the court jester. He is not someone who is unable to learn. He is the one who will not listen to God. The fool is led by his passions and appetites. He doesn't restrain himself from indulging in whatever appeals to him and mocks anyone who wastes time trying to warn him about his dangerous course. The fool is presented as both helpless and hopeless. He is helpless because he refuses help when it is offered. He is hopeless because in stubborn, willful rebellion against God and God's wisdom, he will not turn or change.
Is anyone in worse shape than this moral fool? Our text along with another verse from a few chapters back show us two individuals who may be even more helpless and hopeless than the fool. Warning: the following descriptions may hit too close to home for some of us to be comfortable with what I'm about to write and you're about to read. Reader discretion is advised.
Who is this person for whom there is even less hope than we would hold out for the fool? "Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Proverbs 29:20). Ouch. Do you struggle with saying too much and saying it too soon? I may start a club for folks like us if you'd like to join. How many times have you embarrassed yourself and hurt other people by speaking before you stopped to think? And worse, how many times have I dishonored God by letting my flesh instead of God's spirit govern my speech?
From the extended description of the fool back in chapter 26 comes this unfavorable comparison: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (verse 12). Intelligence is a blessing. A good mind is a gift from God. Have you ever talked with someone who obviously was blessed with an unusual degree of intellectual ability? Maybe you went to school with someone like this. She breezed through trig or calculus while you struggled. Or you may be one so gifted. You read and understand what you've read with relative ease, while others have to read a text over and over again to get an idea of what is being said.
But there's more to wise than just being smart. This hopeless person described in this verse sees himself as wise whether he really is or not. He is "wise in his own eyes." He is smart, knows he is and it has made him proud. He knows more than someone who tries to teach him or reason with him. He can’t imagine anyone teaching him anything. He is like Flipper the dolphin on the old tv show: "No one you see is smarter than he." Arrogance turns to hopeless folly when this person has that attitude toward God himself. If he is confronted with something in God’s word he cannot accept, he does the opposite of what Solomon counseled back in Proverbs 3:5. This fellow leans on his own understanding instead of trusting in the Lord with all his heart. That is why there's less hope for him than the fool. He burns the bridge to hope and help by rejecting God's wisdom, choosing instead his own overestimated wisdom.
Tongue taming is hard. The dangerous habit of speaking too soon can be broken, but not without lots of practice and a serious dose of discipline. Arrogance that refuses to listen and rejects wise counsel (even from God) is hopeless by design.
So our proverbs for today ask, "Do you see a person like this?" Let's beware of looking around to find examples among our peers without first looking into our own hearts. Is there a person like this right here at home in my heart? God help us to not be more hopeless than a fool.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used
by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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