Why Be A Fool?

For most people being called a fool would be an insult.To say someone is a fool implies that he/she lacks common intellectual, moral, spiritual, and/or emotional falculties. It also implies that choices have been made by the individual that have deprived him of those falculties.

In the proverbs the word fool and foolish are used numerous times. There are three types of fools of which the proverbs speaks. Understanding the distinctions will give the reader a better grasp of how to apply the message that is given. For simplicity sakes, we will call the three: the simpleton, the scoffer, and the scorner.

First, let's look at the simpleton. This fool is he of whom Proverbs 1:7 speaks when it says he despises wisdom and instuction. This is the naive, inexperienced person. "Foolishness is bound in the heart of " such an one. (Proverbs 22:15) The cure for this kind of fool is listening to the wisdom that is all around him.

Next, there is the scoffer. This fool is of the opinion that his lot will be different from all others. Even though others have done what he is doing with detrimental results, his outcome will be different. He is wiser than his teachers. The cure for this kind of fool is a rod on his back, i.e., the harsh consequences of his behavior.

Last, there is the scorner. This fool has no regard for authority, law, or propriety. Neither his life nor the life of others are of any value to him. He has no boundaries to his desires nor to the means by which he fulfills them. There is little hope for him.

In any case, being a fool can be avoided. Listen to the words of the sage in  Proverbs 9:6, "Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding." There is no profit for the fool, only embarrassment, trouble, and death. Why be a fool?