James 1:5–Advice for Fools

James 1:5–"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him."

I have an honest confession to make: I am a fool.

More often than I'd care to share I am utterly and hopelessly foolish.  Be it that one comment I made to my wife, the way I said something that should've never been shared, taking the last bite of cheesecake (not to mention having already eaten the majority of it already), or the way I cut-off the car in the next lane because I wasn't paying attention to anything outside of my vehicle.  The verdict is in: I am a fool.

That is why this verse is so profoundly comforting to me.  If you're anything like me then I highly suggest that you take heed to what this verse is asserting, and that you, like me, would earnestly pray to be granted wisdom so as to no longer be foolish.

But praise be to God and His graciousness, that He would impart wisdom to fools so that they may no longer be fools!

Proverbs 26:10–The Worst Kind of Fool

Proverbs 26:10: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?  There is more hope for a fool than for him."

This verse and those like it have become sort of a rubric for me, a litmus test for gauging foolishness in both myself and the people around me.

It is a simple question: do I think I am wise?

The reality is that there are two kind of fools: the kind that do not know they are fools, and the other, far worse kind.  While it is not a good thing to be foolish, it is far worse to assume that one are not foolish when all the available data may, in fact, say that the person is foolish.  And what's worse, they not only do not know that they are foolish, but they even gloat about how wise they may be in face of their blatant foolishness.  After all, what could be worse than the fool that thinks he is wise?

The Marks of a Fool

Scripture contains three Wisdom books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job.  In these books, wisdom is examined and highlighted as the preferred manner of life for believers.  Although both Job and Ecclesiastes are focused on wisdom's worth, Proverbs employs a method of parallel antithesis in order to define wisdom.  In this, the wise man is held up to the fool.  There is then much to learn about the wise through understanding the foolish.

Proverbs 1:7 defines the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  This verse is really saying those that despise wisdom and instruction are fools.  If we do not seek after wisdom, we will not learn the right way to live.  Moreover, if we do not seek and accept instruction, we will never grow beyond our own preference and proclivity.  Wisdom and instruction require the ability to receive rebuke and admonishment with grace and humility.  If we cannot take on this posture, wisdom will forever remain outside of our reach.

Although foolishness is a character trait, it does not occur within a vacuum, it has external indicators.  The chief among these is the reality that a fool will think and believe foolishly, which ultimately means that a fool will live foolishly.  The most foolish thing a person can think and believe is the most obvious and self-evident truth possible: God exists, and we are not Him.  If we are not rooted in this fundamental truth, we are fools.

Psalm 14:1states that, "The fool says in his heart, 'there is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is no one who does good."  This Psalm is both profound and true.  The root of foolishness is the lie of atheism.  Remember, foolishness is not primarily an intellectual ordeal.  Instead, foolishness is a worldview, a posture of irreverence and transgression.  Inevitably, the life of a fool will be marked by corruption and derision.  This does not mean that a fool cannot be sincere or kind, but, like all unrepentant people, these are a veil that conceals the depraved heart beneath.

Becoming wise and accepting instruction are not passive endeavors.  Growing into the wise people of God that He desires us to be demands active participation and intentional pursuit of Him.  The truth is that we are all fools, every one of us.  Only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit can we cast aside our foolishness in favor of wisdom.  Let us then press in to Him as to put to death our foolishness and be made alive to His wisdom!