The Lord gave us the book of Proverbs to teach us wisdom. This wisdom is not the wisdom of the world, though we could interpret many proverbs in it, taken apart from chapter 1:1-7, in that way. It is instead the wisdom that begins with the fear of God, and the wisdom that resides in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become for us “wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor 1:30).”
The book teaches us wisdom both by giving direct exhortations (1:10: “My son if sinners entice you do not consent”) and by showing us the characteristics and destinies of both the wise and the foolish (1:32: “the complacency of fools will destroy them”). In this brief article I am concerned only with the foolish.
The book uses three words to describe them: the simple, the fool and the scoffer. These three words have distinct meanings which we can discover by examining the verses in which they appear.
The purpose of the book of Proverbs is ”to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion (1:4).” Already here we begin to see one of the distinguishing characteristics of the simple one: he is young. Though the idea here is young in age, it says nothing about his spiritual state. He may be either a believer or an unbeliever. If he is an unbeliever, he has not yet become hardened in the ways of sin. His conscience may be quite active, and he may have aspirations towards doing good as he understands it. From a human perspective he is teachable (19:25, 21:11), but he lacks understanding (7:7) and believes every word (14:15). His lack of experience means that he cannot anticipate and avoid danger (22:3, 27:12). If he loves his simplicity (1:22) or if he turns away from Solomon’s instruction he will be slain (1:32).
All believers are simple at least in some things, but some believers are more simple than others. They are young in the faith or have either not received adequate training or have not profited from the training they received. They are immature Christians and like the Corinthians to whom Paul could not speak “as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ (1 Cor 3:1).” They are children in understanding (1 Corinthians 14:20). At best, they have not yet left “the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ (Heb 6:1).”
The fool’s condition is worse. There are several synonyms in Proverbs for fool, but it’s not our purpose to distinguish them here. He has rejected wisdom and deliberately chosen a path of sin and rebellion. He resists correction (17:10) and will not listen to counsel (12:15). He despises wisdom and instruction (1:7). 26:1-12 are all about him.
1. As snow in summer and rain in harvest, so glory is not fitting for a fool.
2. Like a sparrow fluttering, like a swallow flying, so a curse without cause will not come.
3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
4. You shall not answer a fool according to his stupidity, lest you be like him, even you.
5. Answer a fool according to his stupidity, let he be wise in his own eyes.
6. The one who sends words in the hand of a fool
(is like) one who cuts off (his) feet (and) drinks violence.
7. The legs of the lame hang down; (so is) a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8. Like one who binds a stone in a sling is the one who gives glory to a fool.
9. A thorn goes up into the hand of a drunkard, and a proverb into the mouth of fools.
10. Like an archer wounding everyone, is one who hires the fool and hires the transgressors.
11. As a dog returning to its vomit is a fool repeating his stupidity.
12. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
The scoffer’s (or scorner’s) condition is the worst of all. He delights in scoffing (1:22), is unteachable (9:7,8), does not listen to rebuke (13:1, 15:12), mocks at sin (14:9, the Hebrew is scoffer, not fool as the NKJV has), acts with arrogant pride (21:24) and is an abomination to men (24:9). The Lord scoffs at him (3:34) and prepares judgments for him (19:29). He is the same man mentioned in Psalm 1, where the Lord warns us against sitting in the seat of scoffers.
The difference between a fool and a scoffer is the difference between Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab was a fool because he did not fear God or keep his commandments, but he was not altogether insensitive to the word of God’s prophet. When Elijah condemned him for the murder of Naboth and the theft of his vineyard, Ahab “tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning (1 Kings 21:27).” But the same chapter says of him, “There was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up (v.25).” Ahab was wicked, but Jezebel was worse. She cared nothing for the word of God and did what she pleased without apparently ever feeling any pangs of conscience.
Assuredly, we do not want to advance, or regress, from simplicity to folly, and from folly to scoffing. In that way lies misery and death.
There is for all of us, whether we are brought up in the faith or come to it later in life, a period of simplicity. “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him (22:15).” We must not stay there, but instead advance to wisdom. This takes diligent application to the word of God and much prayer. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” And while we advance to wisdom, we must remember what the Lord says in Proverbs 26:12: “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” The wise know that they are not wise.