As a “young and prideful” Christian, Kris Langham of Through the Word started reading through the Book of Proverbs. It was so apparent to him how foolish people were. He said it was almost “laughable” how stupid people acted sometimes. But it was not long before he started to see that God was not just giving him a picture of a fool, but a mirror image of one.
Solomon tells us that, like a dead fly in a bottle of perfume, a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. Some Christians, after conversion, think they know everything, but then reality sets in. We realize that at times we all act like fools.
The Book of Proverbs tells us that fools don’t care about understanding (Ecclesiastes 10:3). They only want to share their opinions. The fool loves to show off knowledge because, as Matthew Henry said, “He loves the sound of his own voice.” Dr. David Jeremiah said that the fool “closes his mind while opening the mouth.”
Humility is the pivotal piece. Humility understands that wisdom is never gained just to promote our own agenda. Self-effort never makes us humble. If we gain a measure of humility and wisdom through our own merit, we will ultimately take pride in our humility. We can seek wisdom and miss God, but we can never miss wisdom if we seek God first.
A fool is always blind to their flaws because deception is a by-product of conceit. If you think you are humble, you probably are not. If pride is operative in your life, you will end up with a dead fly in your ointment.
Ken Barnes has had a twenty-five year career in educational pursuits. He has taught in various public and private schools in Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Virginia. He also worked for seventeen years with Youth With A Mission as a school leader, recruiter, and director. Ken holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places. He currently is a speaker, blogger, and freelance writer. Ken lives with his wife Sharon in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Visit Ken at https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/