Proverbs: The Ways of the Fool [Proverbs 18:1-9]

Proverbs: The Ways of the Fool []

MI: Fools make poor lifestyle decisions that reveal an absence of godly wisdom and lead to humiliating and destructive behavior

We started out this series through Proverbs a few weeks ago looking at the way of the wise, today we look at the way of the fool. The remaining time in proverbs will be spent looking at various parts of the Proverbs proper [ch. 10-31].

Stand for the reading of the word of God []

As we think about the early 21st century it truly is a remarkable time of change and transition. In fact it’s mind-boggling to think about how rapidly things have changed. It really is an awesome time to be alive but also an anxious time to be alive as well due to the speed of change.

The world is definitely different from the one we left behind only a few years ago. You only have to go back less than a century to discover a very different world. Less than a century ago it was a world without penicillin, polio vaccine, frozen foods, photocopiers, contact lens, and Frisbees.

There were no credit cards, laser beams, ballpoint pens, pantyhose, dishwashers, microwave ovens, clothes dryers, air conditioners, and electric blankets.

There was no FM radio [much less satellite radio], CD players [which will soon be gone as well], word processors, computers, iPads, or cell phones. A chip was a piece of wood, hardware meant hammer and nails, and software wasn’t even a word.

There were really “five-and-dime stores” where you could actually buy things for a nickel and a dime. For a nickel you could get an ice cream cone with sprinkles, a soft drink [called soda pop], make a phone call from a telephone booth, or buy enough stamps to mail a letter and two postcards.

Gasoline was 11 cents a gallon, grass was something you mowed not smoked, AIDS were helpers not a disease, and school shootings and metal detectors were not even in science fiction.

Yes, the world has changed, and we can expect even more changes in the very near future. We are smarter and wealthier people, but the question is…are we wiser? Have we really learned anything? Are we ready for what’s next? Are we ready to meet God?

Every generation has the potential for good or evil, to live wisely or play the fool. It can be hard to be optimistic when we take an honest look at our world today. The hatred, greed, vanity, and contempt for the truth of God’s word make us ask…What will our generation be known for?

Perhaps we could just adjust the bible a bit, we could take the modern mindset of our culture and say, “Father, forgive us, for we know not what we are doing-and please don’t tell us. We won’t listen anyway!” Too many people today buy into the lies, we will point out others as fools but won’t take a close look at ourselves. Many would rather live a lie-like a fool-than live the truth of God’s word.

The Proverbs constantly contrasts these two ways…the way of the wise and the way of the fool. continues this patter describing the fools ways. This section naturally divides into three sections, we’ll talk about these three movements concerning the fools behavior, words, and work ethic.

A fool lacks wisdom []

A fool in Proverbs is a person who lacks wisdom. They are a person who has no delight in understanding [v.2]. They are not able to see life from God’s perspective and act accordingly. They are oblivious to the ways of God and refuses the counsel of true friends. Three things are noted about the fools lack of wisdom in these first three verses… one...

A fool isolates himself/herself [v.1] A fool is a person who isolates himself from others. He is antisocial and a loner who is absorbed with himself. His interests are located in his own desires, and own self-gratification. Side note: this isn’t condemning those who may be shy or very anxious around others, I understand some people have social anxiety…this proverb points out this loner isolates himself for himself. i.e. he doesn’t listen to others, he will not be reasoned with, but will rage and quarrel with those who disagree with him.

The fool is a loudmouth who only caused trouble because he never listens to anyone. He’s quick tempered, rages emotionally out of control, and refuses to receive godly wisdom. I don’t quote the Message bible very often, well never actually till now, [it’s a paraphrase not a literal translation] but anyway, it puts verse one this way… “Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good.” A wise person will surround himself with good and godly friends who love him enough to tell him the truth-even if it hurts. A wise person doesn’t play the Lone Ranger…after all even the Lone Ranger needed Tonto!

A fool is opinionated [v.2] Verse 2 says a fool has no delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his own opinions [ESV]. The fool has a closed mind and an open mouth, a small mind and a big mouth…that’s a bad combination. He doesn’t listen, he’s quick to tell others what he thinks…he’s very much filled with pride. He’s very much convinced that what he thinks is what everyone else should think as well. We all probably have met people like that…I hope we don’t think that. He is to clever and to cute for his own good. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes we need to put our opinions in our pockets.

You see, God gave us two ears and only one mouth…perhaps we should listen twice as much as we speak? We’d all be better off if we’d follow that right? James points this out for us in his epistle [1:19] “everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger.”

A fool will be humiliated [v.3] Because a fool keeps to himself, will not listen, but only pushes his opinions, eventually he will humiliate himself. In this instance his foolishness leads him into wickedness. His foolish choices cost him…notice the three words the proverbs uses to describe the fool’s humiliation: contempt, dishonor, reproach. One commentator said those three are sins traveling companions.

I couldn’t help but notice that these three words were used a lot this past week in the various news outlets concerning the political atmosphere. I think we would agree there is a lot of foolishness on display in our world today.

Robert Alden said in his commentary on Proverbs… “Sin belongs with shame as dishonor goes with disgrace. The series starts with sin leads to shame [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.”

A fool’s behavior is lacking wisdom...

A fool is loose with his words []

when you go to the doctor for a check-up they always look at your tongue because it’s an indicator of your physical health. The bible tells us we should listen to what flows from our tongue because it’s an indicator of our spiritual health. I think that’s interesting how this little muscle is a good indicator of one’s physical and spiritual health.

Apart from salvation in Jesus, who redeems the whole person, the tongue runs wild and spews all sorts of poison. says, “no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Proverbs speaks often on the power of the tongue, here in verses 4-8 it focuses on the bubbling words that come from the mouth of the fool.

A fool does not see the delight of his words [v.4] This verse can be difficult to see the parallelism, but it contrasts the words of the fool and the words of the wise. The idea is the words of the wise are a supply of blessing and nourishment, like deep, cool, pure, and refreshing water…they bless like a beautiful flowing brook or fountain of wisdom. The contrast is implied due to the context of the verse. A fools words are stale, bitter, and poison. they cater to the wicked [v.5], they stir up strife [v.6], they ruin lives [v.7], and find a home in gossip [v.8]. There is no delight in the words of the fool.

A fool does not see the disgrace of his words [v.5] Verse five places us in the courtroom where the fool shows partiality to the guilty by perverting the justice due the innocent. He takes the side of the wicked as opposed to the side of the righteous. Perhaps he sees self benefit or he has his own agenda…nonetheless…he turns the truth upside down to betray the innocent. This should immediately make us think of Jesus and the false witnesses who sided with the wicked Sanhedrin against the innocent Jesus. The fool forgets or ignores God’s word, , “a false witness will not go unpunished.”

A fool does not see the danger in his words [v.6] As you might expect a fool doesn’t value wise counsel, actually a fool, according to verse 6, is good at getting himself into trouble. ESV says, “a fool’s lips lead to strife, and his mouth provokes a beating.” Once again from the Message paraphrase puts it like this, “the words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.” A fools words push people over the edge, and he’s the one who pays the price with a tail-whipping.

Instead of playing the fool take the advice of Robert G. Lee, pastor of Bellevue Baptist in Memphis Tennessee from 1927-60. He gave 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 72 muscles to frown, only 4 to smile.

Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ears 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 can’t like them you can still love them through Jesus.

Be generous with praise-and cautions with criticism.

Be considerate with feelings of others. There are usually 3 sides to a controversy; yours, 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. some of us need to lighten up. If you add to the above a good sense of humor, a big dose of patience, and a dash of humility, you will be rewarded manifold.

A fool does not see the destruction in his words [v.7] verse 7 repeats the idea of verse 6 but takes it even farther. in verse 6 the fool receives a beaten in verse 7 he’s destroyed. Solomon says a fools mouth is his undoing. Words are powerful weapons, and sometimes we use them for our own ruin. The picture is this man has laid a trap for himself with his own words. The fool is a person who cannot keep their mouth shut, even if it means their own destruction.

A wise person will never forget that a lifetime of building a good reputation can come crashing down and be destroyed with one careless word. The wise man remembers this simple axiom: “if I don’t say it, I won’t have to apologize for it.” There are far more regrets in life for what we did say, or post of social media, than for what we did not say.

Remember the words of Jesus as he reminds of this truth in , “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” That should give us pause.

A fool does not see the disease in his words [v.8] and [we will look at that Proverb eventually] are identical. They both address the wicked and destructive sin of gossip. People love to gossip. It’s virtually a universal human addiction. We just can’t get enough…like a strung out drug addict, we just got to have more. Solomon helps us understand why this sin, and it is a sin, is so powerful. He says gossip is like a delicious morsel that goes down into the inner most being, the words become a part of who we are. They stimulate a desire for more. One commentator put it “gossip is like a delectable contagion and so more dangerous.”

Ray Ortlund sums up the gossip matter well, he said, “Let’s admit it. we all 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 the 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. Truly, God is not mocked.”

he goes on to raise some good questions and put us on the spot, he asks...

“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.”

Perhaps that would help our gossiping mouths if we keep that nugget in mind, “we are always speaking before the face of God.” and we will give account for every careless word spoken.

A fool is lazy concerning work []

Verse 9 concludes this section on the ways of the fool with a quick and simple word about work ethic. Walt Disney said, “success is doing something so well that people will pay to see you do it again.” President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Unfortunately the fool of proverbs is completely out of touch with these kinds of perspectives. Shoddy workmanship and a poor work ethic is no problem for the fool. He’s got no problem being a slacker.

A fool is poor in his performance [v.9] a fool is lazy in doing his job. He’s content to do just enough to get by. A poor job performance review is of no concern as long as he keeps his job. He’s not known as a hard worker and he does not care. he’s not known as an honest worker and he does not care. He is not known as the guy who gives 110% and he does not care. He is not known as the guy who will go the extra mile and he does not care.

calls for Christians to a different mindset when it comes to work. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, Knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.”

A fool keeps company with destructive people [v. 9] THe fool is a slacker and his brother’s a vandal. Laziness and slothfulness are destructive. Laziness and destruction are twins, two peas in a pod, they’re related and similar in nature. Cutting corners at work or taking shortcuts to save your time and energy the proverbs say is foolish.

You are selling yourself short if you’re neglecting the gifts and abilities God has given to you, you’re cheating others, and potentially putting people at risk. It’s like the automotive worker who says, “so what if I didn’t tighten the bolt all the way” there’s potential of putting someone else at risk... when we realize we are always working for the King who knows your name and sees everything you do, it’ll make difference in how we work. God gave his best for you doesn’t he not deserve the best from us?

Conclusion: Jesus Christ is the perfect example of the Proverbs man, He is the embodiment of the Wisdom of Go []. He is also the complete opposite of the fool in we looked at today. The fool lacks wisdom, but Jesus is full of grace and truth [].

Jesus was not isolated but surrounded himself with friends and companions with whom he shared life.

Jesus was not opinionated but spoke words of truth, healing, and grace. As says, “No man ever spoke like this!”

Yes, Jesus was humiliated, but His humiliation was for the benefit of others as “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross.” [].

He was dishonored and disgraced so that you and I would not have to be.

Slack in His work…not a chance. says, “My food is to do the will of the Him who sent me and to finish his work.” Praise God Jesus did finish the work the Father gave him and declared it to be so in , when Jesus cried… “It is finished.”

It is through the wisdom of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that makes it possible for you and I to walk in wisdom and not to play the fool. The beauty of it is He invites all to respond to His invitation to turn from our foolish ways and follow Him…How will we respond?