The Foolish and the Wise

[Proverbs 20:3-7]

Dear friends, do you think, as Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 5:16, that the times are evil? I sometimes wonder, when I hear about criminal events in the news, just how far human evil can go. This world is certainly filled with iniquity and sin. In such times, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:15 to “look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise.” Who is the unwise, and who is the wise? The unwise, or foolish person (v. 17), wastes time (v. 16) and does not understand the will of the Lord (v. 17). Therefore, he becomes drunk and leads a reckless life (v. 18). But the wise person is filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 18) and understands the will of the Lord (v. 17). Therefore, he redeems the time (v. 16) and lives according to God's will.

In today's passage, Proverbs 20:3-7, the Bible teaches us about the foolish and the wise. I pray that, through receiving this teaching, we will not become fools but be built up as wise individuals.

First, let us consider the foolish person. Let’s think about two aspects of the foolish person:

1. The foolish person causes strife.

Look at Proverbs 20:3: “It is an honor for a man to cease from strife, but every fool will be meddling.” We have already received a word of counsel in Proverbs 20:1, warning us not to manifest our foolishness through alcohol. There, we learned that the foolishness we can exhibit through alcohol includes arrogance and the tendency to fight. Therefore, the writer of Proverbs, King Solomon, teaches us in Proverbs 17:14: “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore, stop contention before a quarrel starts.” In other words, we must stop disputes before they arise. But why do we not stop disputes before they start? The reason is that we are not slow to anger. Look at Proverbs 15:18: “A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.” Why are we not slow to anger? It is because we are not wise enough to understand (or we ignore) that forgiving others is to our glory. Look at Proverbs 19:11: “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” In today’s passage, Proverbs 20:3, the Bible says, “It is an honor for a man to cease from strife.” Isn’t this interesting? In Proverbs 19:11, it says, “Forgiving transgressions is to one’s glory,” and then in Proverbs 20:3, it says, “Ceasing from strife is to a man’s honor.” When we consider these two verses together, we learn that in order to avoid strife, we must forgive the transgressions of others. But if we do not forgive, we will inevitably cause strife. And the Bible says that those who cause strife are fools (20:3).

Friends, we must not become fools. We must not cause strife. Instead, we must avoid strife, because avoiding strife is to our honor (20:3). In order to avoid strife, we must not be quick to anger and must endure reproach (12:16). We must be slow to anger (19:11). When we are slow to anger, we can stop disputes before they arise (15:18, 17:14, 29:22). Furthermore, we must not forget that forgiving the transgressions of others is our glory (19:11). When we forgive others, we can avoid strife.

Secondly, the fool is lazy.

Let us look at Proverbs 20:4: "The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing." We have already received teachings about laziness as we have meditated on the book of Proverbs. The main point of this teaching is that the lazy become poor (10:4). The reason for this is that the lazy do not work diligently. They are lazy with their hands (10:4) and, therefore, inevitably fall into poverty. The lazy person, while being lazy with his hands, keeps his mind active. This is especially true for an evil and lazy servant. How do we know this? As we have already meditated in Proverbs 15:19, the wicked are full of schemes. Therefore, he does not want to work hard, sweat, or labor. As a result, the life of the wicked and lazy servant will be surrounded by troubles from all directions, like thorns. Additionally, those who neglect their work are "brothers to the destroyer," as we have already learned in Proverbs 18:9. What does that mean? The lazy person is a great waster. This means that the lazy person is like someone who is living in debauchery.

What is the problem? The most serious problem with the lazy person is that he "considers himself wise." Look at Proverbs 26:16: "The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly." Isn't that funny? The lazy person considers himself wise. In reality, the lazy person is a fool (1:32), yet he thinks of himself as wise. Ultimately, we can say that the lazy person is proud. In Proverbs 20:4, the Bible says the lazy person does not plow in the autumn. However, if we look at the original Hebrew, it says "winter," not "autumn" (Swanson). And here, "winter" refers to November or December on the calendar (MacDonald). So, if we translate Proverbs 20:4 again, it would read: "The sluggard does not plow because of the cold, and when it comes time to harvest, he will beg, but get nothing" (Park Yun-seon).

Friends, is it warm or cold in November or December? It is obviously cold, right? And in Israel, during November and December, the winds mostly blow from the north (MacDonald). So, in this cold and windy winter weather, the lazy person will not work the fields. Does that make sense? Would the lazy person go out into the cold weather to work hard in the fields? So, in the end, when harvest time comes, the lazy person will not find anything, no matter how much he looks. Isn’t that obvious? Since he didn’t plow, he couldn’t plant anything (plowing), and since he didn’t plant anything (planting), of course, there is nothing to harvest, right? (MacDonald)

Friends, we must not become lazy. Instead, we must be diligent. Wise Christians who fear God are diligent (Proverbs 12:27, 15:19). We must be wise Christians and work diligently. While working, we must be like the ants, who work diligently and cooperatively even without supervision (6:7). We should also prepare diligently for the future, just like the ants, who prepare for winter by gathering food in the summer (8:8). Just as the ants prepare for the winter by storing food, we should prepare diligently for our future. Specifically, we must diligently prepare for our death and for meeting the Lord. We must also prepare diligently for the second coming of Christ.

First, the wise person brings to the surface the schemes that are hidden in people's hearts.

Let's look at today's passage, Proverbs 20:5: "The purposes in a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out." Personally, whenever I reflect on this verse, I pray to God that He would give me wisdom to become a comforter who draws out the deep schemes hidden in people's hearts. Just as water is drawn from the deep places of a well, I pray for wisdom from God to bring out the wounds and pain deep within the hearts of those seeking counsel. In today's passage, Proverbs 20:5, Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, says that the wise person brings to the surface the schemes that are in people's hearts. In other words, the wise person is able to bring out the thoughts and intentions (or purposes) that are hidden deep within a person's heart. A good example of this is the judgment that King Solomon made in 1 Kings 3. In this case, two prostitutes came to him, arguing over whose living child it was (1 Kings 3:16-22). At that time, the wise King Solomon said, "Bring me a sword" (1 Kings 3:24), and ordered, "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other" (1 Kings 3:25). Why did he say this? The reason was to discern who the true mother of the child was, in order to give a just judgment. The true mother, seeing that her son would be killed, urgently begged Solomon: "My lord, give her the living baby; don't kill him" (1 Kings 3:26). But the false mother said: "Neither I nor you shall have him; divide him" (1 Kings 3:26). After hearing this, King Solomon wisely declared that the living child should be given to the true mother and commanded that the child should not be killed (1 Kings 3:27). In other words, he wisely judged who the true mother was. The Bible records: "When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice" (1 Kings 3:28). The people of Israel saw that "the wisdom of God" was in Solomon, and this was the reason for his judgment (1 Kings 3:28).

Friends, how is it that the wise person can bring to the surface the thoughts and intentions hidden deep in the hearts of others? I found the answer in Proverbs 18:4: "The words of the mouth of a wise person are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook." In other words, the wise person can bring out the thoughts and intentions deep in a person's heart because of the fullness of wisdom in their speech. A wise person, speaking from the fullness of wisdom, like a bubbling brook, is able to draw out from the depths of another person's heart their thoughts and intentions. Friends, shouldn’t we be asking God for this fullness of wisdom? Therefore, I pray that all of us may be filled with God's wisdom and be used as instruments of comfort by Him.

Today, let’s look at Proverbs 20:6: “Many will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”

Friends, as we are well familiar with, the Bible in 1 Corinthians 4:2 says: “Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” The apostle Paul, who said this, also mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:12 that Christ Jesus considered him faithful and entrusted him with a ministry. The same Christ Jesus has considered both you and me faithful, and He has entrusted us with a ministry. And the Bible says that what is required of those who are entrusted with a ministry is faithfulness. Therefore, like the apostle Paul, we must be faithful to the Lord with gratitude (1 Timothy 1:12).

However, in the second part of today’s passage, Proverbs 20:6, the writer, King Solomon, asks, “Who can find a faithful man?” When I try to think about this verse from King Solomon's perspective, I recall the verse we already meditated on, Proverbs 16:13: "Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks what is right." The lesson we have already received from this verse is that the kings who please God are those who listen well to the counsel of faithful servants. In other words, the wise king who fears God, even as he removes the wicked counselors, surrounds himself with faithful servants and listens to their advice. Why? Because the lips of the faithful are “righteous lips,” and they speak with integrity (16:13).

Somehow, when I think of wise King Solomon, I get the impression that he didn’t have many faithful servants. The reason I think this is because, if he had many faithful servants, when he grew older and his foreign wives turned his heart to follow other gods (1 Kings 11:4), those faithful servants would have spoken honestly to him and tried to lead him to repent from his sin of idolatry. And in today’s passage, Proverbs 20:6, as King Solomon says, it seems that there were many people who boasted of their “unfailing love,” but I wonder if they were not really faithful servants, but rather sycophants who only said they loved King Solomon. Therefore, I think King Solomon must have lamented, saying, "Who can find a faithful man?" in the second part of verse 6.

Friends, we must be faithful. We must be faithful workers of Jesus Christ. And as faithful workers of the Lord, we should imitate Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Look at Revelation 1:5: "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth, to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." The apostle John, who wrote these words, was a faithful witness of Jesus Christ. I have once meditated on three aspects of the apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation as a faithful witness of Christ. I hope this serves as an opportunity for each of us to remind ourselves of these three things:

(1) A faithful witness testifies to everything he has seen.

Look at Revelation 1:2: “John testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and to all things that he saw.” Here, the apostle John testifies to everything that he saw, but what exactly did he see? It was, in fact, "the word of God and the testimony of Christ" (v. 2). In other words, what the faithful witness, the apostle John, testified to was the vision of heaven that he saw, which was the revelation of Jesus Christ (v. 1). And this revelation of Jesus Christ is what God gave to John, revealing the things that must take place soon (v. 1). One of the things that will happen soon is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Therefore, as faithful witnesses of the Lord, we must testify about the returning Jesus Christ.

(2) A faithful witness reads, hears, and keeps God's prophetic word.

Look at Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” The Bible says that those who read, hear, and keep the words of this prophecy, which refer to the things that will happen soon, are blessed. As we await the second coming of Jesus, we, as witnesses, must be those who read, hear, and keep the prophetic word about the things that will soon take place.

(3) A faithful witness shares in the tribulation, kingdom, and patience of Jesus.

Look at Revelation 1:9: “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” The apostle John, as a faithful witness of Jesus, shared in Jesus' tribulation, kingdom, and patience. Beloved, tribulation is the way to the kingdom (heaven), and patience is the strength that enables us to walk that way (Park Yun-seon). In Acts 14:22, the apostle Paul encourages us by saying: “... we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God...”. And in James 5:10, the apostle James tells us to "take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of patience in the face of suffering." I pray that all of us, as faithful witnesses of Jesus, may share in Jesus' tribulation, kingdom, and patience.

Finally, thirdly, the wise person walks with integrity.

Look at Proverbs 20:7: “The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him.” The original Hebrew of this verse can be translated as: “The righteous person walks in sincerity, and his descendants will be very blessed after him” (Park Yun-seon). In other words, “the one who walks with integrity” is the one who walks "with sincerity."

Beloved, when you think of someone who walks with sincerity, who comes to mind? I think of Job. The reason is that in Job 1:1, the Bible says that Job was "blameless and upright, a man who feared God and shunned evil" (NKJV). This was a fact that God also acknowledged before Satan. Look at Job 1:8: “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’” Job's integrity was evident in that, even amid suffering, his heart remained unchanged; he trusted in God alone and continued to fear Him while living a life apart from evil. This was Job's resolution and confession: “I will not concede that you are right; I will not deny my integrity until I die” (Job 27:5).

In today's passage, Proverbs 20:7, when it says, “the one who walks with integrity” or "sincerely walks," the meaning of the word "integrity" or "sincerity" is "simplicity." And it points to internal integrity (Park Yun-seon). Furthermore, the term “completely” (or “sincerely”) refers to the purity and integrity of the internal motivation in one's faith or godliness (Park Yun-seon). Dr. Park Yun-seon explained: “Such a person does not act hypocritically nor does he deviate. He is sincere, serving God alone, and does not serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). He does not look back once he has put his hand to the plow (Luke 9:62)” (Park Yun-seon).

Beloved, should we not strive to be such people?

We must be perfect people. We must be pure people. And what must we do for that? We must receive the word of God with sincerity. Look at 2 Corinthians 2:17: “For we do not, like many, meddle in the word of God, but as from sincerity of God, so before God we speak in Christ.” We must never meddle in the word of God. Rather, we must receive the word of God with sincerity (simplicity). Just as the saints of the church in Thessalonica received the word of God from the servants of God, we must not receive it as the word of men, but as the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Why must we do this? Because every word of God is pure (Prov. 30:5). And we must obey the word of God and walk in the right way. Look at Proverbs 10:9: “He who walks uprightly walks securely, but he who takes crooked ways will be found out.” What does this mean? We must live a righteous (pure) life. Therefore, we must have a clear conscience (Acts 24:16). Then we will have peace in our hearts.

I would like to conclude my meditation on the Word. Dear friends, in these evil times, we Christians must become wise rather than foolish. Today, we learned who is foolish and who is wise. A foolish person causes strife and is also lazy. However, a wise person brings out the plots in a person’s heart. And he is faithful. A wise person also acts completely. I pray that God will establish me and you as wise people.