The Fool (Part 1)

The Fool

Erasmus said; Fools are without number.  Certainly all of us at times are foolish. Jean Francois Delavigne said; Ever since Adam fools have been in the majority.  The Bible mentions the word fool 36 times in the book of Proverbs alone.  So, who is a fool, and what does it mean to be a fool? 

In Proverbs three words are rendered fool, kesîl referring to the dull or obstinate one, referring not to mental deficiency, but to a propensity to make wrong choices. ʾewîl refers to moral insolence (rude, arrogant, haughty, prideful), and nābāl to the boorish man of mean disposition.
So who is a fool?  A fool is anyone whose choices, behavior, and attitude are void of God. A fool is anyone living life and making decisions as if there is no God. 
Psalm 14:1 (KJV) ¹ The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
In this study we will see what God teaches in the book of Proverbs concerning the fool and his behavior. 
1.            Fools Commit Immorality
A man choosing adultery with an immoral woman is likened unto a fool bound in chains being taken to prison.
Proverbs 7:21-22 (KJV) ²¹ With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. ²² He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
The same could be said of a woman choosing to get involved with an immoral man.  She would be foolish.

Have you ever thought about how many problems in life are caused by people disobeying God when it comes to their sexual behavior?  Many relationship and financial problems are directly related to immoral acts.  The old adage you cannot win in sin is true.  Sin has consequences. 

Thomas Watson said; What fools are they who, for a drop of pleasure, drink a sea of wrath.  This quote would apply to many wrong choices we make, but specifically to those involving immoral acts. 
It is interesting to note how God chooses to describe people taken in immorality.  He compares them to a dumb animal unaware they are headed towards the slaughterhouse or to a person bound in chains being taken to prison. 

The question this passage leads us to ask ourselves is; Are we immoral?  If we are, what are we going to do about it?  The Bible says in Romans 6:1-2a  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid!

Matthew Henry said; Those that disobey the commandments of God do so foolishly for themselves. Sin is folly, and sinners are the greatest fools.

The first act in Proverbs ascribed to a fool is immorality.