Fools

Read Proverbs 26:1-12

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returns to its vomit,
so fools repeat their folly.

My son had the stomach flu recently and I caught the bug yesterday. Vomit and stomach upset (with the runs) are the symptoms – which led me to think about this verse. I actually have seen a dog eating its own vomit (not my dog thankfully) but it was the most unpleasant sight.

Like snow and summer, honour and fools simply do not go together. It is hard to respect a fool because his actions just do not warrant it. Encouragement will not work on a fool. Encourage him and he will increase only his foolishness. The way to handle a fool is strict correction, according to Proverbs 26:3. Fools only understand through consequences of punishment.

Solomon advises his readers not to trust a fool with words and explanations because it will cause more confusion and trouble (26:4-9). The definition of a fool comes down to verse 11 which compares a fool to a dog who returns to its vomit. A fool is one who is beyond correction and guidance”. He will persist in his own ignorant ways.

The Bible is clear: have nothing to do with a fool because he has decided to stick to his mistakes like a dog licking up his vomit.

Treasures in heaven

January 28, 2011

Read Luke 12:13-34

Luke 12:25
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Worry is a killer. It kills peace and joy. We all have stresses in life but we must not allow these stresses to grow into anxieties and worries.

The modern world capitalises on our fears and turns this preoccupation of ours into a multi-million dollar enterprise. The media is filled with advertisements telling us to get this and that so as not to lose our beauty, youth, health and wealth. This creates a culture where we feel that we must possess more and work for more and before we know it, it becomes greed.

Jesus’ rebuke to those who run after inheritance and possessions is ‘You fool!’ Jesus minces not his words and reminds us of the futility of accumulating treasure on earth.

Jesus is not encouraging us to be laid-back, complacent and lazy. Rather he is warning us against fighting and living for material gains. Greed for material wealth is a sign of worry and a sign of wrong priority.

Jesus challenges his people to put our priority and values on that which will last – his kingdom. One day, heaven will populate earth. God’s people will colonize the world and then our ‘treasure in heaven’ will be revealed as the stock that last for eternity. Having this understanding stems out worries and enable us to believe in a God who loves us and gives us confidence to focus on God’s priorities.