WHAT KIND OF FOOL (am I?)

Do not answer a fool according to his folly or you will also be like him (Proverbs 26:4).

What kind of fool am I, who never fell in love?  It seems I'm the only one I have been thinking of . . . (Sammy Davis Jr. made this song a hit in 1962).

It is an appropriate question to ask because there is a little bit of foolishness in all of us.  The book of Proverbs lists four different kinds:

1)  The naive, simple and unsophisticated.  "The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps (14:15).  The positive of the naive is that they are teachable, something that is probably not characteristic of the other kinds of fools.  Proverbs was written to give prudence to the naive (1:4).

2)  The evil fool is characterized in 1:7,  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction."  This kind of fool lacks sense, he is emotionally driven, "A fools anger is known at once . . . (12:16).  "The way of the fool is right in his own eyes." (12:15).  This kind of fool is dangerous because not only is he emotionally driven, but he never sees himself as being wrong or doing wrong.  Be careful around this kind of person!

3)  The sensual fool is described in 10:23: "Doing wickedness is like sport to the fool . . ."  13:19 says: ". . . it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil."  The desires of the flesh come before the will of God and what is right.

4)  The scorning fool or empty fool.  Psalms 14:1 tells us that this kind of fool says in his heart, "there is no God."  Also, in 1 Samuel 25 is the story of Nabal and Abigail.  Read 25:24-25.  There we find that Nabal means fool and certainly, this Nabal was a fool!  This kind of fool has respect for neither God nor man.  Proverbs 17:21 says of this kind of fool, "He who sires a fool does so to his own sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy."

Each one of these kinds of fools is a different Hebrew word in Proverbs.  Proverbs places a lot of emphasis in understanding fools because fools can be very dangerous; one needs tho understand what his is dealing with!  "He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence who sends a message by the hand of a fool" (Proverbs 26:6).

Our Father's Love,
Tom