No one wants to be known as a foolish person. We all want to be respected, to be the sort of person whose opinion matters (kind of like the old E.F. Hutton commercial!) But wisdom does not come naturally, while foolishness is quite common. How do we acquire the kind of wisdom that we need?

First, we need some definitions so we can know how to recognize wisdom vs. foolishness. The dictionary definition of “fool” or “foolish” is a lack of good sense, judgment, prudence or discretion. It can also mean absurd or ridiculous. Not very flattering descriptions! By contrast, the dictionary defines “wise” and “wisdom” as someone capable of understanding, discernment, insight and good judgment. That sounds better.

Some fools — of the “hold my beer and watch this” variety — are easily recognized. But some whom the Bible would call a fool are able to gain fame, wealth and prestige. Others have Biblical wisdom but are overlooked, and even mocked as fools, by much of our culture.

That is because the Bible’s definitions go beyond those in the dictionary. They are based on our attitude toward God. The contrast is displayed in two verses: Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” ¹ vs. Psalm 14:1 “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” ²

I’d like to look at this contrast from two directions. One, it is very possible to be intelligent, educated, sophisticated, popular…and still be a fool who thinks that God’s claim on humanity can be dismissed. Two, God’s ways are so foreign to ours that they seem foolish to us…when in reality they are just too far above us for our comprehension.

Intelligent Fools

When we think of someone who should be considered a fool, we lean toward the hold-my-beer types who do something obviously stupid on a dare or as a joke, with predictable consequences. But to God, a life lived without Him — without recognizing Him, without honoring and obeying Him, without accepting correction and learning from Him — is a life foolishly wasted. This can show in several ways, some more visible than others.

First, there are the crooks. These are the ones deliberately doing wrong, cheating or otherwise preying on others to get their own way. Sometimes these crooks get by for a long, long time without being caught. In fact, some never get caught, not by men, anyway. They believe they have gotten away with wrong-doing because no lightning bolts have crashed into them…yet. God’s patience gives them a long leash, so long that they think there is no leash at all. They will learn otherwise.

Then, there are those who wreak havoc by their hubris, arrogance, and inflated egos. They aren’t criminal; they are just hard to live with. These are the folks who are “Often in error, but never in doubt”. Here are a few ways the Bible describes them:

• Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.“
• Proverbs 18:2 “A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind.“
• Proverbs 15:5 “A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but he who regards reproof is sensible.“
• Proverbs 14:16 “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.“
• Proverbs 20:3 “Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel.“
• Proverbs 29:11 “A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.“

Finally, there are the simply complacent. They are law-abiding, hard-working, honest decent people who just ignore God. They live for this life only, with no consideration for the rest of eternity. Some become wealthy or well-known, envied because they apparently have it made and are set for life. Luke describes one of them:

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

Luke 12:16-20

Foolish God

In contrast to the “Rich Fool” above (that’s how this parable is often named), Jesus says to store up treasure in Heaven rather than in barns and bank accounts (Luke 12:33-34). He also says that the kingdom of Heaven is such a treasure that it is worth trading in everything else we have in order to obtain it (Matthew 13:44-46). Martyred missionary Jim Elliott put it as “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” And Paul says that whatever he used to consider as gain, he now counts as loss when compared to Christ (Philippians 3:7-9).

This kind of upside-down thinking seems totally ridiculous — foolish — from a godless human perspective. Why would anyone love their enemies, turn the other cheek, go a second mile, give and lend freely without question? (Matthew 5:38-45) That makes no sense. It is unnatural, ridiculous, absurd. In a word, it is foolish!

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

1 Corinthians 2:14

Even more, why do Christians insist that their God chose to die for them? That’s not how gods behave. We’re supposed to cower in fear as they laugh from Mt. Olympus. For millennia, human beings have bowed and scraped and sacrificed and prayed in hopes of influencing their many gods to be good to them (or, at least, not to harm them). Gods are assumed to be not only powerful, but also arbitrary and vindictive.

The God of the Bible is indeed powerful. His people do pray for His protection, and for His forgiveness when we transgress His laws. And He did instruct the Israelites to offer sacrifices.

Those laws are not arbitrary, though: They flow from His own character of love and justice. They express both the infinite value and the individual responsibility of people created in His own image. Sacrifices were not because He just wanted dead animals. He wants us to understand the reality and seriousness of our sin. We need to be aware of our separation from Him, and our inability to close that gap.

But the God of the Bible goes beyond all other imaginary gods. He showed up in person to became His own “final answer” sacrifice. There’s no earthly reason why He should have done so. The reason is only Heavenly: Because that’s Who He Is.

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (my emphasis)

Which Kind of Foolishness?

The ultimate question that we each must answer is: Will we choose the wisdom of men, or the foolishness of God? The answer warrants careful consideration. It has far-reaching consequences!

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.

Matthew 7:24-27

1. See also Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 1:7.
2. Also Psalm 53:1.