Worse than a Fool!
Ponder: What could be worse than being a fool?
Scripture: “There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:12 & 29:20 NKJV).
Solomon doesn’t hold out much hope for fools. Yet two verses in Proverbs say it can get even worse!
1. “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:12). Conceit goes hand-in-hand with sin and disrespect for God’s word. “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil” (3:7).
Conceit also keeps company with laziness. “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly” (26:16).
Conceit brings God’s judgment. Isaiah warned, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21). This, along with six other woes, introduced a pronouncement of divine judgment upon the people: “Therefore, as the fire devours stubble . . . so their root will be as rottenness . . . For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still” (5:24, 25).
2. Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 29:20). Sometimes I’ve wished I had said something rather than remaining silent; but far more often I’ve wished I had kept my mouth shut! Here is additional wisdom on the subject: “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking. But he who restrains his lips is wise” (10:19). “He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When  he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive” (17:27, 28). “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
Let us remember the words of Jesus: “For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
Song: “Humble Yourself In The Sight Of The Lord”
Prayer: Father, please help us not to be conceited and not to talk when we ought to be quiet. Make us more like Jesus. We pray in His name, Amen.
Joe Slater (Justin, TX)
jaslater1954@gmail.com