We're introduced to this last category of fool, the mocker. This will be familiar since we live in a very cynical age, where people are doubting any kind of truth. It's fashionable to call everything into question. But this mocking tone can come to rule our lives and push out the humility we need.
The sluggard is yet another kind of fool in Proverbs. Being a sluggard doesn't mean constantly taking naps. The sluggard is apathetic toward life, especially towards spiritual life. We're talking about the person who's unmotivated in their spiritual life. In what ways are you lazy when it comes to the reality of your faith?
What we're experiencing right now is a good test for us to see the foolishness inside of us. Isolation and solitude serve as a gracious mirror so we can see what comes leaking out of our heart in these times. What’s likely to be exposed is frustration, irritability, and despair. And that’s where God can begin to do his work in us.
Proverbs talks a lot about “the simple” and “the fool.” There is a kind of simpleness, a simple person, who loves the big flashy stuff and is impressed with “showy Christianity.” They apply a lot of what they hear - something new all the time - but the application is about an inch deep, and it’s not wisdom.
Because God created the world out of love, he has set forth some boundaries. Let's think of them as laws that the world operates by. In Proverbs, wisdom calls to people to live in accord with those laws. In the gospels, wisdom gets a name and face. It’s Jesu
We really like those experiences in our Christian faith that are exciting and get us pumped. up. And yet, the path to attaining wisdom is going to be rather ordinary. It’s built slowly in us was we live our everyday lives before the Lord.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding. It’s not about being scared of God. It's about being awestruck with how much God loves you. Fear is taking God seriously because he's the most important reality there is in life. But why use the word fear to describe awesome joy? Here's a thought for you: the reason is because we all fear in the direction of what we love.
Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do even when the moral rule doesn't shed enough light on a situation and the facts may not be enough. This starts to make sense when you consider some of the questions we deal in life: What college should I go to? What car should I buy? Should I confront a friend about a certain behavior and what words should I use? Should I post that on Facebook?
Wisdom provides security in the midst of chaos. What does it mean for us to be at ease when the rest of life is swirling around us, when trouble is everywhere? It certainly can't mean that we live an easy life while others are struggling all around us. How can you and I live securely when everything around us is absolutely crumbling?
My hope is this: with so many of us having a bit more time, we want to provide a daily devotional to help people keep the Lord before them. The goal is to give you a short nugget each and every day that not only keeps the Lord before you, but also keeps you before him in the midst of everything.
