(Psa 53:1) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Jesus warned against calling anyone a fool to insult or degrade that person – “whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” God says that anyone who denies there is a God is a fool and Solomon says – “a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” The word destroyed means “broken” as ruined – whether it be physically, financially, relationally or spiritually. Since the fool says there is no God then when things happen in life they attribute them to luck, bad luck, karma or anything else other than the hand of God and thus anyone who keeps company with them and accepts their doctrine, will also believe that those things that God allows or permits in their life to instruct, chasten or turn them around from their sin is simply happenstances and not the hand of a loving, heavenly Father. And in this way the enemy leads the erring child of God deeper into sin and away from God.
The first fool to look at is the “simple fool”. The word simple means “to be opened up” and carries the idea of extreme vulnerability. This person opens his/her mind to all passing thoughts and the open arms of any passing stranger. This fool is very immature because he has not exercised his senses to understand and perceive evil from good. The writer of Hebrews mentions something about this – “every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. {14} But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” He is extremely gullible and very curious. This type of person believes every word without checking it out first – “The simple believeth every word:” This person is easily led astray into false beliefs and false doctrines. Without instruction and consistent discipline, he will easily and quickly digress into greater foolishness.
The book of Proverbs is designed to give instruction to the simple – “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David . . . To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”
A simple fool is especially vulnerable to seductive women and lacks understanding of the irreversible consequences of surrendering to temptations – “I looked through my casement, {7} And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,” The simple fool view life as simple and fails to see the cause-and-effect sequences in everyday life – “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”
Scorning fools (whom we will deal with in another devotional blog) seek to be the heroes of simple fools, so it is important to swiftly and decisively correct a scorning fool – “Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware.”
God loves us so much that He gives us instruction and understanding in order to help us live a peaceful and pleasant life. He gave His Son so we might be free from sin’s penalty and He gave us His Spirit to empower us to live above sin. Let us heed His instructions and go on to maturity and gracious living.