Get my microphone on someone had asked me. Can you hear me? Well, OK. Someone asked me to sing Happy Birthday to Andy as well as Bill, so let's do that.
Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Bill and Andy.
Happy birthday to you, Amen. And he looks a very young 70. Wow. All right.
Well, we are going to finish today a two-part series in Proverbs. And this time, we're going to focus on what Proverbs has to say about foolishness.
And it has plenty to say about that. Let my computer warm up here. Of course, there are some foolish things that people say.
Here's a couple of them. I saw this on a Kennedy toolbox one time. It says this.
We cheat the other guy and pass the savings on to you. Another one said this in the Swiss Alps about the Swiss Alps.
In Switzerland you have the Alps and then you have the Alps behind them and you know what people always say, God helps those who help themselves.
Here's another one. A wise man once told me to always listen carefully. Because I can't remember.
Here's another one, finally. It's not my fault and I never learned to accept responsibility.
You're not. All right, well, let's open with the word of prayer. Our father, we just come before you in Jesus name and we're so grateful.
To delve into the Word of God today, which is our, our guide for life. And it contains so many things, especially descriptions about human behavior.
Which we can learn and apply in our own lives. We thank you Lord that you have created us. You know our frame and for those who are saved we know where we're going we're going to spend an eternity with you in which as Osama says we can inquire of you.
And learn evermore. So we thank you and praise you. And thank you for the reading of the public reading of the Word of God.
And we pray this in Jesus name. Last time I entitled a sermon wisdom living successfully in a treacherous world.
I'm going to do the same today, but this time it's forsaking foolishness.
This is where we're going. As I mentioned last time about wisdom, wisdom is defined as the skillful use of knowledge.
It's not just accumulating knowledge, it's using it skillfully. And I listed 9 points about wisdom.
Point number 5 was this, wisdom is acquired with difficulty. Salman places the responsibility acquire wisdom squarely on the shoulders of each individual.
Moreover, this pursuit is never passive. It requires effort. And finally, it's a quest all of our lives to obtain it.
So when he spoke of what Probers have to say about wisdom, He spoke about the skillful use of knowledge.
And remember that the example here was those artisans that worked on the tabernacle, how they were endured by the Holy Spirit with special gift giftedness or talents to construct the tabernacle, whether it was intricate weaving of the curtains and purple scarlet yarn.
And blue whether it was the creating of the temple furniture. Some of the things in the descriptions, particularly in Exodus, are difficult to understand how they put these things together.
They worked with gold, hammered gold, and they developed threads of gold for weaving into the priest garments and such.
And so they were dude with skill to do a job well. And that's really what Solomon is talking about in Proverbs.
Look at a quote here. How long you simple ones we love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge.
Proverbs one verse 22. And we have a pandemic of foolishness. Not just in our day.
In all of the days really since the beginning of time really after the Adams fall and his being expelled from the garden.
Since the purpose of the book of Probers is to convey wisdom It's also and it's an equal opportunity dispenser wisdom.
It also has a lot of things to say about the opposite of wisdom or its antithesis, which is foolishness.
Proverbs is a very important. Proverbs treats foolishness as mankind's greatest enemy.
It's man's most lethal disease. He's already infected by it by the time he's born.
And wisdom the fear of the God fear of God is the only antidote to this and again this is what Proverbs is saying The pervasiveness of foolishness is shown in many of the terms that Proverbs use to describe it.
It's interesting when you study this that sometimes we have the impression that God doesn't have a opinions about things or something or maybe he's somehow in his graciousness, he doesn't have specific ways of labeling people, but that's not the case.
So there are 5 terms that are found. In problems. Remember last time I mentioned that the most frequent mentioned topic in proverbs is love, sorry, wisdom.
The second one is foolishness. 50 times it makes mention to it in various forms. So the first term is the naive or simple.
Remember how long were naive ones, when you love being simple-minded? Here they the Hebrew term is used 14 times in Proverbs.
It's the mildest of these terms. It describes those who are easily misled and gullible.
And susceptible to influences of every sort. Proverbs 8, 9, 1614 talk about this.
And remember, the New Testament writers are very clear about this. If you're not firmly grounded in the Word of God, even believers can get swayed by various doctrines that come along.
Proverbs is saying, don't be misled. The sayings of problems were aimed directly at those in this category.
Proverbs chapter one verses one through 4, the preamble or the beginning of proverbs says this.
These are the proverbs of Solomon, David's son, King of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline to help them understand the insights of the Wise.
Their purpose is to teach people live disciplined and successful lives. These problems will give insight to the simple knowledge and discernment to the young.
So there's that potential to be successful in life. Wisdom specifically calls out to them as I mentioned last time.
It goes where the people are, just like when we're evangelizing, we want to go to where the fish are.
It goes, it calls out, it's not passive, it has plenty to say. And there is still hope for the naive ones.
This is what Proverbs is saying. The second term is the fool or idiot. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Chap Proverbs chapter one, verse 7. This is a characteristic of fools. Guys, if you could just put the phones down, please.
And just listen. So the fool or idiot, fools despise wisdom and instruction. This is characteristic of the fool.
He hears instruction from the Lord, he just throws it behind him. Not interested, don't have time for it.
I'm too smart for it. The complacency of fools will destroy them, Proverbs one.
2 Hebrew terms here are used for this category and they refer to irrational thinking and moral character.
These are the blockheads because deaf to wisdom. And from their distorted moral vision of which they're so coxure, they delight in twisting values that benefit the community.
Of course, we can see that today. We can see that in every age. Sometimes people feel that the twentieth century somehow was this great century.
Foolishness existed way before that. In England in the 1,007 hundreds it was a very bad time.
There was a time of extreme moral depravity and it was those revivals that drop drew people to turn back to the Lord that the sin is pervasive in every generation and so these proverbs apply to every generation.
So we have, first of all, the naive and then we have the fool or the idiot.
They consciously reject wisdom's invitation. The third term is the wicked. Proverbs says the way of the wicked is like darkness.
They do not know what over what they stumble, proverbs for. The Hebrew term is translated as wicked one.
This is the Hebrew term Russia. And stands in direct opposition to the righteous one. According to Provers, those who are wicked are those who shamelessly promote evil thoughts, words and deeds, and whose actions bring chaos and up people to those around them.
Of course, again, we can think of modern day examples of this. The Lord is what is important here is that the Lord detests these people.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
The heart of the righteous studies how to answer but the mouth of the wicked p pours forth evil.
The Lord detests these people. Then we have the fourth term. We have the naive. We have the fooler idiot, the wicked.
And then we have the treacherous. From the fruit of a man's mouth he enjoys good, but the desire of the treacherous is violence.
The treacherous are the apostates, those who have turned their back on the Lord. One Bible teacher entitled his study in Jude, the Acts of the Apostates because they describe individuals like this.
These people are unfaithful to the relationship, the relationship God has established with his people. They leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness.
Proverbs too. And as a result of their covenant treachery, Properbs describes their way as hard.
This is a very hard way, Proverbs 13 and they will eventually be cast out into strike. I'm talking about apostates now, the group that for instance Hebrews talks about where they have tasted of the things that Christ or in Solomon's day tasted of profound supernatural wisdom and simply just deliberately turned their backs on that.
Finally, the fifth one, which is really a astounding, the fifth term is the mocker or scoffer.
Why sent accepts his father's discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
The Hebrew term, let's transfer this translated scoffer is the most arrogant and hardened of all fools and it's noted numerous times in problems.
The scoffer is antagonistic to reproof. And must only be driven out of the community per what Solomon is saying.
He exhibits open contempt for the ways of God. No man earns more universal detestation or deserves it more than he aware of a perpetual sneer.
Who is himself incapable of deep loyalty and reverence and who suppressed, supposes that it's his mission in life to promote the corrosion of the values by which individuals in society lives.
Professor McCain quoting from his book in Proverbs. By surveying the proverbs in which these terms are used, we can identify at least 9 characteristics of foolishness.
Remember the scoffer goes out of his way to make fun of the things of God. And the Lord doesn't have a whole lot to say to scoffers and we find this all the time.
In other words, foolishness is as much of a path pursued path as wisdom is. It just ends up in a very hardened and corrupt state.
So let's take a look at 9 characteristics. The first one is that foolishness is man's natural inclination.
The desires of his heart from the very beginning are marked by foolishness. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him. This stands in direct opposition to child rearing books that talk about disciplining a child in in without using biblical.
Biblical principles. I remember the story I think I might have mentioned this once before. I was listening to a program on national public radio and this was on a psychologist that was talking about clients of his that were rearing children or issues that came up with raising children.
And one of the individuals that came to his practice had the technique of just simply talking to his child. They were going to share, ask the child's input on everything and they were gonna do everything and this child is 9 years old.
By the time a child was 10, he was in that psychologist's office saying, this has become a disaster.
I'm not able to do anything because I've got to get her permission to do this. Complicated it's become of a relationship.
But Solomon is very direct about that. That discipline is required in raising children. Solomon describes the child's heart the mission control center of life is being bound up or entangled with foolishness.
As foolish as is not mere. Naivete or naiveness or immaturity, it's a moral and intellectual defect that is best described as stupidity.
These are Solomon's words. Solomon debunks conventional wisdom that contends that children are born innocent and only become fools of exposed to a bad environment.
Solomon is very clear on this. Solomon affirms that every child is living proof of the reality of original sin.
And its consequences of radical depravity. Quotes this is a quote from Genesis or I should say it mentioned to Genesis 3 in Genesis 6 So apart from the conscious forsaking of this natural ingrained foolishness and a deliberate turn to embrace the fear of the Lord, a child will remain forever a fool.
And this links back to something I said when we were looking at wisdom. Just because someone advances in age doesn't necessarily mean that they're acquiring wisdom.
That's, that's just not the case. These things have to be pursued.
What a parent when an instructor of children will not bear sad but decisive testimony to the foolishness of a child.
Foolishness is the birthright of all. This is bridges from his book on Proverbs.
So the second principle is that foolishness places confidence in self.
The battle between wisdom and foolishness is a battle over the location of authority. The repentant wise man looks to the Lord as the ultimate authority.
The natural man looks to himself. This is the primary issue here. Proper, Stalvers, 15.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
And there are many many other quotes that probably 8 or 9 quotes related to this. The phrase his own is commonly found describing the attitude of the fool.
He is wise in his own eyes. In his own mind and heart, in his own understanding he's wise, in his own sight.
These things, all aspects of self identify the fool's ultimate authority. Self, the unholy Trinity, me myself and I.
Whether acknowledged or not the fool relies on himself as the ultimate judge. We see this all the time.
Solomon teaches that fools can be identified by their optimistic view of self. Their affirmation of their own opinions.
Their low view of external authorities and their lack of interest in learning from anyone. They're unteachable.
We can contrast this with Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 through 7, trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him. And he will make your path straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes.
Fear of the Lord and turn away from evil.
Third characteristic is foolishness refuses to heed correction or listen to correction. Since the fool is characterized by self-sufficiently, sufficiency, he is extremely difficult to teach.
He habitually reacts to correction with defensiveness, blame shifting in self-justification.
Listen to what Solomon has to say about this. A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than 100 blows to a fool.
Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
Again that hardened state of pursuing, constantly rejecting with a Lord says. Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs to all verse one. Fools are not foolish because they lack in education. Here's another point.
Fools are foolish because they do not recognize the value of wisdom. And they have no desire to pursue it.
They are this the One writer calls him the snowflakes of society, deeply offended when admonished, demanding safe spaces to hear only their own voices.
They are the ones responding to correction with profanity. Aggression and violence. Anybody who has dealt with individuals like this who knows that.
They just won't accept correction. This is what the Holy Spirit has to put up. Day with day by day with an unbelieving world.
Will blast Vimy's son and such and say that the Holy Spirit is wrong about these things.
The Lord is very active in the world drawing people to Christ, but he's met with a lot of these types of reactions.
So if Solomon states they're the stupid ones or the brutish ones. Pools live in self-deception, the illusion of mastery.
They believe they have mastered knowledge and wisdom, but in reality they are blind to their ignorance, calling foolishness wisdom and wisdom foolishness.
Let's read something from the New Testament. This is First Corinthians chapter one verses 18 through 25.
Verse 18 for Corinthians one, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
But to us for being saved, it's the power of God. For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise Paul says? Where is the scribe? Where is the dispute or philosopher of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
He is surely a brute and not a rational creature who has swallowed poison and will rather suffer it to take its course than to admit the necessary relief of medicine lest he should be obliged to confess his foolishness in exposing himself to the need of it.
Proverbs, again, bridges on his book on Proverbs. So, of course, this is a.
Difficult message to give, right? But this is what the Word of God says. And I think by studying these things, we can learn a lot of things in our own life and examine our own behavior.
Certainly also my behaviors too in the study of proverbs. The fourth point is that fools reject cause and effect.
One of the primary characteristics of foolishness is the pursuit of short-term pleasure despite its long-term consequences.
Here we can make a contrast. If we if we make a contrast in the long term, there are deadly consequences with the short-term appeal of the adulteress.
Her house is the way to shield, descending into the chambers of death. Proverbs 7.
We can contrast long-term consequences with the short-term appeal of wine. The last it bites like a Serbon and stings like a viper Proverbs 23 And of course, foolishness is the great deceiver.
It always promises far more than it can deliver. The foolish reject this reality and the cause and effect nature of their decisions.
They mock the virtue of delayed gratification. And instead establish their way according to what brings immediate pleasure, regardless of the cost.
They believe they can delay or evade the payment necessary for this enjoyment. But eventually the bill comes due resulting in material moral and spiritual bankruptcy.
Groucho Marx was asked how he went how someone can go bankrupt and he said well slowly slowly slowly and then all at once.
I mean, he's joking, but it's kind of how this this is. It's also worthy to note that Many were justified by faith before the cross, but all at the cross all the bills came due and Jesus paid them all.
What is the antidote to foolishness, the fear of the Lord? Point number 5, foolishness flaunts and mocks holiness.
Fools are those who take sin out of the shadows and into the mainstream. They promote their sin in public without any sign of embarrassment or shame.
Here's Proverbs stem. Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool. And so is wisdom and so is wisdom to the man of understanding.
Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays foolishness. Fools market sin but among the upright there is goodwill.
This is province 13 and 14. They ridicule the pursuit of holiness and make it their mission to oppose it.
Proper is 13. It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn. From evil to attain them.
A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice. The mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
Foolishness finds entertainment and delight in the expression of foolishness. The greater the number of participants, the better.
Fools delight when wickedness achieves victory, when sin triumphs and laws are broken and when chaos rains.
And at the same time they mock the sensitive conscience, scoff at the confession of sin and ridicule efforts to avoid temptation.
Pretty simple to find examples of this in our world.
Point number 6, foolishness speaks, destructively. Proverbs draws a tight connection between foolishness and speech.
A heart bound with foolishness will display itself through the mouth. The speech of the foolish is particularly shown by speaking rashly or without careful consideration of the consequences.
Speaking a lot. Speaking without listening, using sarcasm, speaking cynically and destructively.
I remember one time I was in Turkey Hill and I'd done a series on Proverbs and one older gentleman probably in the seventys raised his hand he said there is no place for sarcasm in marriage none.
Not, none whatsoever. In the book that Alex Drop did on Eldership, which we were given before we were elders, he made that point, sarcasm has no place in an elders media and thank God I've not seen that.
But it can happen. So there are consequences to speech.
Point number 7, foolishness rushes to anger. Proper's also draws a tight connection between foolishness and anger.
Fools are hotheads, known for their outbursts of anger.
And of course, when Paul is talking about the deeds of the flesh, it's interesting to note that in the deeds of the flesh in Galatians, 5, 19 through 21.
About half of those deeds are associated with various forms of anger. Indeed, anger is the tool of the fool's trade.
Point number 8 of 9, foolishness reaps judgment, the law of cause and effect can't be negated or gotten rid of.
The fool will reap what he sewed. Life dedicated to foolishness and its fruits will receive judgment in return.
Punishment in this life for rejecting the Lord Jesus and at the end of this life. In the next life to come.
The greatest act of foolishness is rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the wages of foolishness is death.
Proverbs 10% says the Wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.
So again, Solomon, who was an incredible observer of men, who had done a lot of judgment in his own time, wrote these principles down for us.
Finally, point 9 of 9 is that foolishness spreads grief. The consequences of foolishness are never limited to the fool himself.
What makes foolishness so destructive and painful is its ability to spread its consequences. Onto those within his circle of life.
Foolishness always results in collateral damage. It brings grief. Even to the innocent. Here's a problem of 17 versus 21.
It's painful to be the parent of a fool. There is no joy for the father of a rebel.
So in conclusion, I'd like to do, take a look at Solomon himself this time.
One of the greatest ironies in the Bible is looking at Solomon's life. Here he is given, he was visited 2 times by the Lord and given profound wisdom about everything really in the world.
And we can see by looking at First Kings, 11. Versus one through 11, these principles applied to his life.
Remember we talked about the what is indicative of the unsaved world is a rebellion against the law of cause and effect.
A rebellion against the need for personal responsibility. And a rebellion against the right of external authority.
The law cause an effect, the need for personal responsibility, the right of external authority. Let's take a look at First Kings 11.
Talking about Solomon.
In verse one it says, Salman loved many foreign women as well as the daughter of Pharaoh.
Women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Cedonians, and Hittites.
From the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, you shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you.
So consequence number one, a rebellion against the law of cause and effect. Solomon, unlike David.
If you compare salt, David, and Solomon, Saul had no heart. David had all heart and Solomon had a half heart for the Lord.
So. Solomon, if we look at David's heart. David was loyal. To the Lord.
Holiness is defined as a loyalty to the scriptures. He was loyal. In his rule. He always knew had given him strength and power where the victories came from.
But the law of causing effect applied in Solomon's life is that he married foreign wives and he reaped their corruption.
John Whitcomb wrote a book called Solomon to the Exile and he used an example like this.
He said when he was in Washington, DC. He went down that avenue with all of the embassies, foreign embassies.
And if you know how an embassy works, We set up an embassy in another foreign country.
That's considered part of American soil. And when, let's say Russia or China sets up an embassy in the US, it's considered part of their soil.
We can't go into their embassies, they can't go into our embassies unless they're invited.
Or call their And as Witcombe was looking at all these embassies, it reminded him of what happened with Solomon.
Solomon. Married these foreign wives and they brought their worship, pagan worship with them.
It wasn't just one little shrine, it was a whole a retinue of priests, they set up shrines, and they brought their pagan religion into Israel.
It wasn't just one pagan religion, it was so many pagan religions. That at 1 point that the amount of olives is described as the amount of corruption.
It's a lot of cause and effect. He pursued their gods, allowed for pagan shrines, reaped this moral corruption or the amount of corruption.
He gave send the sin of causing the people to sin by tolerating this and began the national decline. And this influenced his sons and his household.
So the law of cause and effect. Solomon was lusting after women and it brought this effect.
Whether he knew that or it thought about the consequences or it surprised him, he brought in massive amounts of corruption.
Consequence number 2, the rebellion against the need for personal responsibility. The Lord continues in First Kings.
Chapter 1 11 he says that surely they will turn your hearts after their gods Solomon clung to these.
These in love, these women who loved, verse 3, and he had 700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines and his wife's wives turned away his heart.
Verse 4, for it was so when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God.
As was the heart of his father, David. First 5 for Solomon went after Ashtarith, the goddess of the Cedonians.
And after Milcombe the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father, David.
Verse 7, then Solomon built a high place for Kemosh, the abomination of Moab.
On the hill that is east of Jerusalem, the Madavallas. And from Mollik, the abomination of the people, Damon.
And he did likewise for all his foreign wives and who burned incense and sacrifice to their gods.
Once again, the rebellion against the need for personal responsibility. Solomon just did this. Second Kings, 23 verse 13 says this.
Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, the Montevolves, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption.
Which Solomon King of Israel had built for Ashster at the abomination of the Sedonians for Kemush, the abomination of the Moabites, and Milk on the abomination of people vam.
Solomon did these things and never stopped, never apologized or repented of this defilement.
Nor did he listen to Wise counsel on these things or even when he was governing toward the end as counselors are telling me you're overtaxing these different 12 governors.
Didn't listen to it. Even had rebellion come up in his kingdom toward the end. Jerusalem was one of those.
Terrorist acts that were sort of starting to happen in his nation, which he could not put down and became the seeds of the destruction of the split.
And finally, consequence number 3 are rebellion against the right of external authority. Verse 9. So Solomon became, and so the Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord of Israel.
Who had appeared to him twice. And had commanded him concerning this thing that he should not go after other gods, but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded.
Final verse here, therefore the Lord said to Solomon, because you have done this and have not kept my covenant as statutes which I have commanded to you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
Selman because of his personal disobedience to God brought seen and unseen consequences on himself in the nation of Israel.
He corrupted himself by reaping what he sowed. He refused to stop and repent to these things thus ignoring personal responsibility for his actions.
He chalked God's authority by instituting idolatrous practices. Seen and followed by those he ruled over and it ultimately brought his destruction and ruined his testimony.
He loved God with only half a heart.
In conclusion, folks, let us strive to become wise and not like the fool. And let us take this to heart here.
And let us. Love the Lord with a full heart. Let's pray. Our father, we just give you thanks and praise for this study in Proverbs.
We thank you that Solomon. Opened his mouth in this wisdom. Came out for us to study.
But as Jesus reminded, the Pharisees, one greater than Solomon, was here, and that was Jesus Christ.
Let us follow his wisdom if we don't if someone here doesn't know the Lord let us accept the truth and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and must be saved.
If we know him, let us continue to draw near to him. And we just give you thanks and praise.
For this time in Jesus name.
To him. You're dismissed.
One reason