Have you ever been tempted…today? Each of us is guaranteed temptation, so let’s examine it a little more closely. Temptation is not sin; however, pursuing the satisfaction of our desires apart from God in the temptation is sin (1 John 2:16). In fact, it is impossible to be tempted without knowing what is right. That’s […]

The final stage of foolishness is the secular fool who exalts himself rather than God (Proverbs 30:32). The godless fool has hardened his heart with the image of his own handprint impressed so solidly in his inner being that he is unsatisfied by spiritual things (Proverbs 30:22). Consequently, he brings no joy to his earthly […]

The third stage of foolishness is the stubborn fool who is right in his own eyes. Solomon noted, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). The stubborn fool is so sure of himself that he declines sound advice. He is confounded by wisdom (Proverbs […]

The stupid fool represents the second stage of a foolish heart. Solomon observed, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). The stupid fool repeats his patterns of lashing out in anger (Proverbs 29:11), leading to the disruption of family relationships (Proverbs 10:1). He repeats his wickedness (Proverbs […]

The first stage of foolishness is the simple fool. The simple fool is gullible. Solomon advised, “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps” (Proverbs14:15). The simple fool is naïve, but still teachable-able to learn from his circumstances-leaving hope for wisdom (Proverbs 19:25; 21:11). If we are ever going […]

A study of Proverbs shows us five stages of foolish behavior from the Hebrew language. First is the gullible, or simple fool (Proverbs 14:15). The second level of hardening is the stupid fool who repeats his gullible behavior (Proverbs 26:11). The third stage is the stubborn fool who despises wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). Fourth […]

Have you ever played the fool? King Solomon was the wisest mortal to ever live. Many of his wise sayings are captured in the biblical book of Proverbs where he had much to say about the destructiveness of being a fool. Solomon’s work focused more on the fool than, say, the liar, the cheat, or […]