Monday, September 22, 2008

Proverbs 14

The friends we surround ourselves with are a reflection of who we are or of whom we will become.

I don't know if the above is an actual quote, but I think that it sits well within the proverbs Solomon has presented in the 14th chapter.

Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips. (Proverbs 14:7)

But who are the fools? We can recognize them by their outward appearances and actions:
  1. They will be the demise of their own home (Proverbs 14:1)
  2. They will find themselves in trouble with authority (Proverbs 14:3)
  3. They practice in deception (Proverbs 14:8)
  4. They will not make amends for their wrongs (Proverbs 14:9)
  5. They are hot headed and quick to anger (Proverbs 14:16)
And this list is only from chapter 14. Though we are not all fools, we all display the characteristics listed above on occasion. So then what really makes a fool a fool: They lack the fear of the Lord. But of course we already knew that! (see the first post in this series if you need your memory jogged)

Peace be with you

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like your analysis... Very simple, yet profound.

I would say that the difference is that while we recognize we all suffer from some or all of these characteristics from time to time, what is the larger pattern of our lives? I think the fools we see here are the people who have a pattern of living this way, people who do not have the Holy Spirit. And I think we could go back to the sin of pride from one of your earlier posts, as 1-5 all seem to be likely rooted in pride.
So, I think these are haughty people, and that goes along with what you said about them as people who do not fear the Lord, as they look to themselves as their own gods.

Unknown said...

Thanks for your comments Dave. The theme that seems to keep coming up in my musings is the idea that outward appearances can not only be deceiving, but can distract us from the central message of Jesus Christ: the law has been fulfilled, the kingdom is here, and we all have access to it through grace. Therefore, he who has entered into kingdom living will by default not be a fool; however, he who is not the fool will not necessarily have entered the kingdom.