By now, as you’ve been reading Proverbs, you may have concluded that TV Personality “Mr. T” isn’t the only one not impressed by fools.
God himself has catalogued a long list of a fool’s behaviors.
I have, so far, skipped commenting on these verses. Almost every chapter has at least one statement about fools, folly, and foolish behavior.
At the end of this post, I have listed the many verses in Proverbs about fools, over 45!
Here are my takeaways:
1. Fools are unwise // 14:33; 23:9
2. Fools are immoral // 10:18; 14:9
3. Fools are prideful // 14:3; 30:32
4. Fools are reckless // 14:16
5. Fools quarrel // 20:30
6. Fools despise parental teaching // 10:1; 15:15; 15:20; 17:21-25
7. Fools run their mouths and their mouths get them in trouble // 10:10; 10:18; 18:6-7; 18:13
8. Fools reject God and what God’s Word teaches // 1:7; 10:8; 12:15
9. Fools cannot restrain themselves // 29:11
10. Fools cannot understand God’s Word // 1:22
11. Foolish thinking deceives and leads sin, destruction, and death // 3:35; 5:23; 10:14, 10:21; 17:28; 26:11
12. Fools and foolish thinking should be avoided // 13:20; 26:5; 29:9
A closer look at the Hebrew shows that the word we read as “fool” is actually five different Hebrew words. You might translate those words as simple, silly, sensual, scorning, and steadfast fools.
There is a progression to becoming a fool.
It is one thing to be silly, and quite another to be a scorning or steadfast fool. You can read a short article hereabout the difference.
The worst, a steadfast fool, might be summarized best by Psalm 14 where God writes: “The (steadfast) fool says in his heart, there is no God!”
Okay, so you are thinking, “I don’t want to be a fool!” Neither do I.
For me, rather than focusing on what “not to do”, it is much more effective to focus on “what I should be doing”.
Step One, from the Bible’s perspective, of not being a fool is to believe in God.
Step Two, realize there is this progression, and there is an antidote.
The Progression: It makes sense. I must move my mind off the path of the simple. If I fail, I will become silly, and then pursue satisfying my sensual desires.
Of course, I will never satisfy them. That will in turn lead to me scorning those who get in my way. Ultimately, I will be an unrepentant, unteachable, unchangeable, steadfast person who denies God’s very existence.
Without getting too detailed…the origin of the word has to do with being “empty headed”, which leads to the antidote.
The Antidote—Get Wisdom: The solution of not having the mind of a fool, is to have the mind of Christ.
Consider 1 Corinthians 2 and 1 Peter 4:1 – 11.
Dr. Michael L. Williams writes, “When we have the mind of Christ, we are armed with everything we need to overcome the lusts of the flesh and live according to the will of God. We no longer are subject to being powerless over the flesh. The old crowd of fools’ notices when we no longer have the desire to do foolish things with them. Instead we grow to love others above our self and use the gift God has given us to speak and minister by the wisdom of God’s Word. This glorifies God through Jesus Christ; whose mind displaces our foolishness. This is proof that praise and dominion belongs to Him forever.”
What is it that I am “foolish” about – where might I go in God’s Word to fill my mind and displace its foolish thoughts?
How about you?
Verses about Fools in Proverbs
1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
3:35 The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.
5:23 He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.
8:5 O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
10:1 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
10:8 The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
10:10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
10:14 The wise lay-up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
10:18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.
10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.
10:23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
11:29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
13:16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.
13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
14:3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,[a] but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
14: 7-9 Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.
9 Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.
14:16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.
14:24 The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.
14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.
15:5 A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.
15:14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15:20 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
16:22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.
17:10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.
17:12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.
17:16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?
17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
17:28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
18:6-7 A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
18:13 If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
19:1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
19:10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.
19:13 A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
20:3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
23:9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
24:7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.
26:1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.
26:3-12 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.
4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
7 Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.[a]
11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
27:3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
29:9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
29:11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
30:32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.