Wisdom Wednesday: The Foolishness of Despising Wisdom
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction:
(Proverbs 1:7) NASB 95
The prologue to the Book of Proverbs includes this verse (1:7) that provides a positive and a negative principle:
- Positive- the first principle of gaining knowledge (and wisdom, see Prov. 9:10) is awe and reverential fear of God, Who is revealed to the Hebrew people as the LORD (Yehovah, the proper name of God of Israel).
- Negative – the next principle is that looking upon God’s wisdom and instruction with contempt and holding these as insignificant are the character of a fool.
In some translations, the word “despise” translated here is rendered “scorn” or “belittle”. Despising God’s wisdom and instruction is at the core of the heart of the fool, because the fool rejects God Himself (Psalm 14:1, 10:4, 53:1). Throughout the book of Proverbs, the character and behavior of the fool is described and here we enumerate some of the many references that characterize the fool.
The character of the Fool:
- Says God is non-existent [Psalm 14:1]
- Hates knowledge (1:22), does not delight in understanding (18:2)
- Scorns wisdom (23:9) because it is too high for him (24:7)
- Trusts his own heart (28:26) and views his/her own way as right (12:15)
- Rages against God (19:3)
The behavior of the Fool:
- Finds pleasure in evil behavior (10:23)
- Repeats foolishness like a dog returning to vomit (26:11)
- Speaks forth (gushes forth) foolishness [folly] (15:2), feeds on foolishness (15:4), delights in airing his own opinions (18:2), fails to spread knowledge (15:7), is snared and destroyed by his mouth and lips [conversation] (18:7); and even, is thought to be wise when keeping silent (17:28)
- Hates to turn away (resist) from evil (13:19)
- Is deceptive (14:8); hides hatred with lies and spreads slander (10:18)
- Despises his mother (15:20) and his father’s instruction (15:5),
- Causes contention and invites discipline (18:6)
- Is quarrelsome (20:3)
- Has eyes that wander to the end of the earth (17:24)
- Is not even impressed by strong discipline (17:10)
- Is ineffective in handling money (17:16) and spends all his resources (21:20)
- Displays annoyance immediately (12:16), is quick-tempered (14:17)
- Blurts out foolish remarks (12:23), exposes his foolish behavior (13:16)
- Is hotheaded and reckless (14:16), provocative (27:3), fully expresses his anger (29:11)
Let us heed the warning to the fool. Let us learn to identify the characteristics and behaviors. And never let us forget to be a witness to those that begin to listen. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 5:14–16).