A Word on the Fool

We do not even need to go back a full century to discover a world where there was no penicillin, no frozen foods, no copy machines, not even the Frisbee was invented yet.

Think about it, not that long ago, there were no credit cards, no ballpoint pens, no dishwashers, no microwaves, no dryers, no heated blankets, which some of you may be using later today.

Then you get to more recent history where there were no CD players, no computers, iPads, and of course, no cellphones.

Imagine travelling back in time and trying to explain to someone that a chip is not only something you eat or a small piece of wood,

But it is actually something that goes inside a device that allows you to see and talk to people from all over the world.

Or to search for an answer to a question you have within seconds.

Or trying to tell them that hardware is not just talking about a hammer and a nail,

Rather, most people think of computer parts when talking about hardware.

Good luck explaining software because that wasn’t even a word yet!

I love that we have the 5 and 10 here in Afton today,

It has great deals and I shop there all the time.

But there used to be real 5 and dime stores where you could actually buy ice cream or soda or stamps with a nickel.

Or you could slide your nickel into a payphone and close the phone booth door to make a call.

Imagine trying to tell people who were paying 11 cents a gallon for gas that we pay well over $3 a gallon.

Or what about some of the words we use today?

Imagine telling someone from the past that Coke is both a soda and an illegal drug,

Pot is not just something that you cook in, but it is something people smoke.

AIDS does not just refer to a group of helpers but a disease,

Mass shootings do not just happen in the movies but in real life,

And of course social distancing became the norm in 2020.

Yes, the world certainly has changed rapidly and drastically.

And it is continuing to change.

It seems in many ways that people keep getting smarter and wealthier,

But an important question is,

Are we getting wiser?

And most importantly, are we ready stand before God?

You see the same advancements and changes that can be used for good,

Have also been equally used for evil.

Why?

Because we all have the potential for good or evil.

Or as Proverbs categorizes it, the potential to be wise or to be a fool.

If we take an honest assessment of our world,

It can often be difficult to be optimistic about the wisdom of humanity.

Going back to Christ’s time,

Jesus was unjustly murdered as an attempt to maintain power structures for those in authority.

Despite this, Jesus prayed for those who were torturing and murdering Him,

Saying, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

Today, it seems as if there is this mindset that would say,

“Oh, we know what we do! So, we don’t need God to tell us what we do! We will not listen anyway!”

We people so easily buy into the lies we tell ourselves.

We are all too ready to play the fool.

It is much easier to see foolishness in someone else,

But all of us have a much harder time recognizing it in ourselves.

So, we will say things like, “Yes, I may have disobeyed God’s Word,

But it is only because this situation in my life or my marriage or with my teacher or my brother or sister or my children,

Therefore, I am an exception, God will understand.”

When we think this way,

It shows that we would rather live a lie, like a fool, than live the truth.

The contrast between the wise and the fool is the primary contrast in Proverbs.

This morning, we are going to look at A Word on the Fool in Proverbs 18:1-9.

Due to some of our limitations in technology this morning,

The references will not be on the screen.

But we do have Bibles on the cart in the back you can use,

Our passage starts on pg. 311.

If you are joining us online, you can use a Bible app or search Proverbs 18 ESV on Google to follow along.

This passage contrasts the fool against the wise with a description of the fool’s antisocial nature, activity, and consequences.

There seems to be a natural division in this passage which determines our outline:

Anti-Wisdom (vs. 1-3)

Antagonistic Words (vs. 4-8)

Apathetic Worker (v. 9)

As we go through, notice how frequently the fool is explicitly mentioned in these verses.

This passage seems to be almost entirely devoted to warning against being a fool.

So, as we work our way through these wisdom sayings,

Think about what Proverbs is teaching us about the ways of the fool,

Particularly concerning the fools social behavior, speech, and work ethic.

WE: Anti-Wisdom (vs. 1-3)

In a general sense, the fool in Proverbs is a person who lacks wisdom.

It is when we do not delight in understanding.

When we are unable or unwilling to see life in this world from God’s perspective and respond accordingly.

Foolishness is when we are oblivious to God’s ways and we refuse counsel from trusted friends.

As we see in vs. 1-3,

It is when we are Anti-Wisdom.

Proverbs 18:1–3 ESV

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace.

Proverbs says that isolating ourselves from others is foolish.

Vs. 1 seems to suggest that we isolate ourselves to satisfy our selfish desires and cravings.

This type of antisocial behavior is rooted in self-absorption.

Because we are so focused on ourselves.

So, being a selfish fool in this way will estrange us from others.

Proverbs is characterizing the fool as selfish.

If you are a note taker, write this down:

Tragically, our own selfishness leads to loneliness.

This is a consequence of selfishness,

But this proverb is warning against rude irresponsibility.

It is warning us not to rebel against sound wisdom.

Vs. 1 is saying that because we are self-centered, we do not listen to the wisdom of others.

And when people who love us try to reason with us,

It says we break out against their wisdom.

What does this mean that we break out?

The NIV says we start a quarrel,

The CSB says we rebel.

So, it is saying that we cause trouble by never listening to others.

It describes this quick-tempered rage that is emotionally out of control and is unwilling to receive wisdom.

The Message Bible paraphrases it this way:

“Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good.”

So, what is the wise alternative to this?

Surrounding ourselves with godly counselors.

Instead of withdrawing and isolating ourselves from others for our own selfish reasons.

We must invest in godly friends who will love us enough to tell us the truth,

Even if it is a hard truth.

A friend like this is a treasure worth cherishing.

Where can we find friends like this?

The church!

God set up the church to be this for us!

So, let me list out some baby step applications for us:

The first baby step out of this foolish isolation Proverbs warns us about is to...

Connect with one another to worship God together on Sunday morning.

If you are already doing this,

The second baby step is praying with and for one another.

So, one way to do this is through our monthly prayer gatherings at 6PM on the third Sunday of every month.

But perhaps the biggest and most important step out of this isolation is being a part of a connect group.

A connect group is the best place we have as a church to know others and be known.

In these groups, the first two baby steps our built upon.

Fellowship and prayer are fundamental to a healthy connect group!

We have a couple available but we must continue to grow them because it is through these groups we will help one another out of this isolation.

This is vitally important now, perhaps more than ever,

Because of the extended isolation that has resulted from COVID.

Do not misunderstand me,

I am not saying some of the protocols and distancing and limitations on gathering were wrong.

But that is not meant to become the norm for us.

This isolation during COVID has given us a taste of what it is like to live as the fool in vs. 1, and what happened?

It felt good to be self-absorbed at first.

But the longer it has gone on, the lonelier we find ourselves,

And the more we are breaking out against sound judgment from others.

So, now bringing ourselves out of this isolation is so much less convenient,

And many of us are remaining isolated out of convenience despite how lonely we are.

Now, I am not making a blanket judgment on everyone here.

But I am bringing what Proverbs says to your attention and asking you to consider if this is warning you against isolating yourself from others.

If this warning resonates with you, pick one of the baby steps I listed, surround yourself with godly friends, and do not remain in isolation.

It would be foolish to do so.

Vs. 2 continues this characterization of the fool, saying not only are they selfish, but they are opinionated.

The verse specifically says that they take no delight in understanding.

We are incompetent when we are fools,

We only want to show off our opinions to others.

And the sad irony is that this sound wisdom we rebel against in our foolishness leads to success.

If a fool delighted in understanding, he would remain quiet.

Instead, Proverbs says, a fool cannot keep himself from blurting out what he thinks he knows.

So, we are fools when we just want others to hear what we know.

It is really an insult to human decency to act this way.

To put it simply, fools have closed minds and open mouths.

We are foolish when we do not listen, but rather, we are quick to tell others what we think.

This type of foolishness shows that pride is alive and well in us.

We become convinced that what we think is what everyone else should think.

We think we are a little too clever for our own good.

So, in response to this foolishness,

James 1:19 tells us to...

James 1:19 (ESV)

let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Because being a fool has social consequences.

Vs. 3 describes these consequences as contempt, dishonor, and disgrace.

When we are wicked, it is met with contempt from others.

Being a fool is humiliating.

Because the fool is anti-wisdom.

Therefore the fool is not a good person.

Foolishness has costly consequences.

Robert Alden comments on the humiliating consequences outlined in vs. 3:

“Sin belongs with shame as dishonor goes with disgrace. The series starts with sin which leads to shame (or contempt). Shame is just a step away from dishonor which leads to disgrace…Sin is a road which progresses downward; the consequences of walking it are progressively more severe.”

GOD: Antagonistic Words (vs. 4-8)

At times, you may have stuck out your tongue and looked in the mirror.

It may have been a different shade of color or the texture may have been different.

This is the reason doctors have you stick your tongue out.

Dr. Ryan Gauthier tells us that “the tongue provides information about every system in the body.”

Qualified doctors can interpret what these changes in the appearance your tongue means.

Dr. Gauthier continues:

“I use the tongue to gather information about a patient’s health and well-being. It’s a way to get clues about what’s going on in your body before it erupts.”

We have learned that the tongue is an indicator of physical health.

But in the Bible, God says what erupts from your tongue is an indicator of spiritual health.

Jesus Christ offers redemption for the whole person.

Therefore, apart from Christ, the tongue is out of control spewing this vile poison.

This is what James tells us in James 3:8:

James 3:8 ESV

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Proverbs repeatedly reinforces the power of the tongue,

As vs. 4-8 says, fools have Antagonistic Words that come off their tongue.

Proverbs 18:4–8 ESV

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Vs. 4 contrasts the tongue of a fool against the tongue of the wise.

It begins by saying that the words of a man’s mouth are deep waters.

It is difficult to understand exactly what this is saying.

But it seems to imply that a fool’s words are obscure,

Like trying to see through deep water,

A fool conceals his words, making them unusable.

And this idea is being contrasted against the second half of this verse,

Unlike the words of a fool,

The words of the wise are like the clear water of a bubbling brook.

They are much more useful than the words of the simple.

So, it would seem the be teaching us that the words of the simple are difficult to understand,

While the words of the wise are clear and understandable and useful.

The words of the wise are pure and refreshing,

They bless and do not curse.

They build up and do not tear down.

Where the words of a fool are stale, bitter, and poisonous.

Their words are catered to the wicked,

They stir up strife and they ruin lives.

There is no delight in the words of a fool.

They keep truth secret and hidden like deep waters.

And we all struggle with being foolish this way.

Derek Kidner explains this well in his commentary:

“The proverb is contrasting our human reluctance, or inability, to give ourselves away, with the refreshing candour and clarity of the true wisdom.”

So, we need something, or someone, to draw us out of our own reluctance and obscurity.

And that is exactly what Jesus promises to do for us in John 7:38:

John 7:38 ESV

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

He will turn our obscure deep water into clear rivers of living water.

He transforms our tendency toward concealing our heart into a refreshing openness of our souls.

After this water imagery,

Vs. 5 turns our attention to a courtroom.

It says that it is not good to pervert justice by showing partiality to the wicked,

While denying an innocent person justice.

What exactly does this mean to show partiality to the wicked?

It is hard to say.

Perhaps this proverb is suggesting that fools will show partiality to the wicked when their is something to be gained from the wicked,

Even at the expense of the innocent.

This would be an example of how the words of a fool distort truth and oppress the innocent.

Think about the false trial Jesus received in Mark 14.

There were fake witnesses siding with the wickedness of the Sanhedrin,

Making up accusations against Christ, who was innocent.

Listen to vs. 55-59:

Mark 14:55–59 ESV

Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.

Fools neglect wisdom.

And Proverbs 19:5 warns about this:

Proverbs 19:5 ESV

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Our words significantly impact our human relationships.

Pastor Lee, the former pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, NT,

Once put together the 10 Commandments of Human Relations:

Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

Smile at people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown, only four to smile.

Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ear is the sound of one’s own name.

Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be friendly.

Be genuinely interested in people. You can like almost everybody, if you try. (If you cannot like them, you can still love them through Jesus.)

Be generous with praise—and cautious with criticism.

Be considerate with feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy: your, the other person’s, and the right one.

Be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

Learn to trust people. That trust builds relationships.

Have a sense of humor. If you add to the above a good sense of humor, a big does of patience, and a dash of humility, you will be rewarded manifold.

Proverbs is teaching us that a fool values none of these 10 commandments of human relations.

In fact, the fool seems to treat each commandment as a clay pot that he is aiming to break.

Vs. 6-7 show this characterization of the fool,

Expressing the height of ruin caused by a fool’s words.

Vs. 6 teaches that fools talk themselves into trouble.

Listen to how the Message Bible paraphrases this:

“The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him!”

Similar lessons have been taught earlier in Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:11 says:

Proverbs 10:11 ESV

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Then a couple verses later,

Proverbs 10:13-14 say:

Proverbs 10:13–14 ESV

On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

A few chapters later,

Proverbs 13:3 says:

Proverbs 13:3 ESV

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

And lastly, Proverbs 14:3 says:

Proverbs 14:3 ESV

By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Proverbs clearly teaches that fools seem to just invite strife in their life.

One of the most common ways this happens is through their speech.

Fools cause trouble and escalate tensions rather than resolve tensions when they talk.

Proverbs says the mouth of a fool instigates these tensions to the point of physical retaliation.

It pictures people being on edge with a fool’s words being what pushes them over the edge,

And the result is a beating for the fool.

This could be socially, where someone else physically attacks the fool.

But more commonly, this is talking about a formal beating,

Like a public whipping for foolish speech.

It was actually the inspiration for Jesus being whipped.

He was accused of blasphemy,

For speaking what is unspeakable about Himself and God.

But Jesus was no fool, He spoke truth about Himself and God.

Proverbs says that a fool is a babbler.

Fools do not have the wisdom to know when to keep silent and when to speak.

Vs. 7 extends the teaching of vs. 6,

Explaining that the consequence of a fool’s speach is devastation and ultimately death.

The words of the fool invites his own downfall.

Vs. 6 said fools earn a beating,

Vs. 7 says fools are destroyed.

You know the old saying,

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

You also know how untrue this old saying is.

Words are powerful weapons,

Tragically, when used foolishly,

They cause our own ruin and destruction.

Proverbs uses the picture of a deadly snare that someone sets,

Only to eventually catch themselves in it.

And the snare is our own tongue, our words.

Despite the ruin caused by words,

A fool cannot stop talking!

Cannot stop from wrecking his life.

A fool’s speech is self-destructive.

This is why we are given Miranda rights.

The right to remain silent,

Because anything we say or do can be used against us in a court of law.

The fool is like Marv from Home Alone:

In the second one as he is being arrested in central park he finds out he missed out on the presents.

So, he tells the cops that Harry made them hide out in the toy store to steal all the kiddies charity money.

Harry kicks him and tells him to shut up.

So, Marv apologizes to the cops and explains how Harry is cranky because they just broke out of prison a few days ago.

A fool cannot stop talking,

Even when his words are hurting him.

But Proverbs teaches that fools also lie and slander.

They speak perverse things.

They do not offer sound judgment.

They gossip about others.

They use their speech to cause division,

And destroy the reputation of others.

The fool cannot be trusted with confidential information.

He blurts out words,

Sometimes just out of hastiness,

Other times out of intentional maliciousness.

Regardless, a fool speaks with no concern for the consequences.

Tragically, our passage says, the lips of a fool are a trap for his life.

It takes a long time to wisely build up a good reputation.

But it can foolishly come crashing down with one careless word.

Almost without fail,

You will regret things you say,

Whether in person or online or through a text,

Than you will regret things you do not say.

This is why Jesus warns us in Matthew 12:36-37:

Matthew 12:36–37 ESV

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Vs. 8 of our passage this morning addresses the wicked destructive sin of gossip.

But it also shows how tempting it is for you to gossip.

Gossip is like a universal human addiction.

We cannot get enough.

Like being strung out on heroin, we must have more.

Proverbs shows how this appetite for gossip is part of our sinful nature.

It says that gossip goes down like delicious morsels.

It is talking about choice food that you are all too greedy to eat.

And the words go down to the hearer’s innermost being.

The sin of gossip is a powerful sin.

The Good News Translation says it this way:

“Gossip is so tasty—how we love to swallow it!”

Once something is in your innermost being,

It becomes a part of who you are.

It infects your thinking and poisons your heart.

It is a delicious poison,

Making it that much more dangerous.

Gossip goes hand in hand with dishonesty,

And are found on the lips of fools.

Proverbs 16:28 says:

Proverbs 16:28 ESV

A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

Proverbs 26:20 adds:

Proverbs 26:20 ESV

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

Ray Ortlund gives a good summary of gossip:

“Let’s all admit it. We love gossip. We love negative information about other people. We love controversy. We find it delicious. It is a delicacy—to our corrupt hearts. We gulp these words down with relish. But the contagion goes down into us and makes a deep impression and leaves us even sicker than we were before.”

Ortlund goes on to raise some very good self-reflection questions:

“Do you speak up when others are put down? Or do you just stand there and listen in sinful silence as the blast of gossip and slander hits you in the face? God says, ‘Open your mouth.’ With every unkind word that goes unconfronted a reputation dies. So much is at stake in our words. They matter not just to us but even more, far more, to God. We are always speaking before the face of God

YOU: Against Working (vs. 9)

After addressing gossip,

Proverbs abruptly ends this section on the fool in vs. 9,

Teaching that the fool is Against Working.

Proverbs 18:9 ESV

Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.

This is the final characterization of the fool as lazy.

Disney once said that success is doing something so well that people will pay to see you do it again.

Former president Teddy Roosevelt said,

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

These are a couple of examples that affirm the type of work ethic Proverbs sets as the standard.

Unfortunately, fools are completely out of touch with this level of work ethic.

A fool has no problem with shoddy workmanship,

No problem being a slacker.

That is what vs. 9 says,

A fool is slack in his work.

It is doing just enough to get by.

A fool does not care about job performance,

It is only about retaining their job through as little effort as possible.

Fools do not have a reputation of being hardworkers or honest workers,

A fool is never mistaken for giving 110 percent,

Nor will a fool go the extra mile.

And at the end of the dayu,

A fool will not care about this reputation.

Brothers and sisters,

If you are a follower of Jesus, Colossians 3:23-24 calls us to not be like a fool in this way:

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Being lazy is pictured as sinking down and relaxing.

Letting yourself go to the point of being feeble and ineffective.

Proverbs is literally calling the lazy fool a waster.

Not so much just wasting time,

But laying waste and destruction.

That is why this verse also says that whoever is lazy is a brother to a vandal.

This implies solidarity between being lazy and destructive.

If you leave your work undone,

You cause the same result as a person who destroys it.

Laziness is destructive,

And laziness is the sibling of destruction.

Laziness and destruction are two peas in a pod.

Laziness and destruction are very similar in nature.

In his commentary on Proverbs, Allen Ross writes:

“The one who is slack may look for shortcuts, and may make things that fall apart. His destruction may be indirect and slow in coming, but it is just at problematic.”

So, let me ask,

Do you cut corners at work?

Do you take shortcuts to save time or energy?

If so, Proverbs is warning you that you are a fool.

And ultimately, you are selling yourself short.

You are neglecting the gifts and abilities God gave you.

All for the purpose of cheating others,

And potentially putting other people at risk for destruction.

I mean, imagine if your mechanic did not tighten every bolt on your car after doing a repair,

Just because they did not feel like it.

That could cause a devastating accident.

If you are a believer then you are working for a King!

A King who knows you and sees everything you do.

This reality can empower you to work hard in everything you do,

And to strive for high quality work!

God gave His best for you,

He deserves the same from you.

WE: Conclusion

This morning was focused on a word on the fool.

Let us conclude this word on the fool by talking about one Man who was the complete opposite of the fool.

Jesus Christ was the embodiment of God’s wisdom.

Our passage this morning shows the fool was anti-wisdom,

While Jesus is fully wisdom.

The fool isolates himself while Jesus surrounded Himself with friends and companions whom He shared life with.

Jesus was not opinionated but He did speak Words of truth, healing, and grace.

He spoke on behalf of the Father.

No human ever spoke like Christ!

And while Jesus was humiliated,

It was not by His foolishness,

His humiliation was for the benefit of others.

As Phil. 2:8 says:

Philippians 2:8 ESV

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The innocent one was dishonored and disgraced so that we, the foolish ones would not have to be.

Jesus was not slack in His work, not even close.

He said in John 4:34:

John 4:34 ESV

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Jesus took no shortcuts,

He finished the work the Father had given Him.

He even declared it so from the cross when He cried out, “It is finished!”

It is by Jesus, the embodiment of wisdom, that we fools are able to walk in wisdom.

And He invites us all to respond.

Will we respond to Him wisely?

Or will we respond foolishly?

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