The Fool Needs a Rod

“A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools… As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:3, 11)

Who is a "fool"? What does a fool do? And what does a fool need?

The Hebrew word for “fool” here differs from the ordinary term for a simple or naïve person; it refers to someone who makes sin their profession (Park Yoon Sun). In short, a fool is someone who has been hardened by sin and does not repent (Park Yoon Sun). In other words, a fool is a person whose heart is hardened and proud.

Therefore, the fool not only takes sin lightly (Proverbs 14:9) but also hates correction (Proverbs 1:25). If we refuse to listen to the rebuke of those who love us and are wise, we are fools. If we treat the sins we have committed as insignificant and unimportant, we are fools. If we receive correction and still feel no pang of conscience, do not repent, and instead harden our hearts, we are fools.

If we are such fools, then the bitter root of pride has already taken root, sprouted, grown, and borne fruit in our hearts. Our hearts are hardened, and we have become stiff-necked.

What the fool does is like “a dog returning to its vomit… repeating his folly” (Proverbs 26:11).

The Israelites of the Old Testament come to mind. During the exodus from Egypt, they repeatedly committed the sin of grumbling against Moses and God. Why did they do this? The root cause was dissatisfaction. When the Israelites were dissatisfied, they grumbled and complained. The deeper cause was unbelief. Because they did not trust God, they were dissatisfied; because they were dissatisfied, they complained and grumbled.

In addition to the Israelites of the Exodus, we also recall the Israelites during the time of the Judges. They repeatedly sinned against God. When they sinned, God used foreign nations as tools to judge them. While they were suffering under affliction and hardship from God’s judgment, they cried out to Him. When they did, God raised up judges to save them. But after they enjoyed peace, they forgot the grace of God.

If you look at the book of Judges, you’ll see that this vicious cycle repeated continuously:
Sin → Judgment → Crying Out → Salvation → Forgetfulness

What made them keep repeating their sins?
We can observe that while the judge was alive, the people enjoyed peace, but after the judge died, they once again sinned against God. This shows that the root of their sin was pride that sprouted in times of abundance and peace (Ezekiel 16:49). In times of prosperity and ease, it is easy for us to forget God’s grace. And when we forget, the bitter root of pride within us begins to sprout, grow, and bear fruit.

The Israelites of the New Testament also come to mind. In the Roman church, the Jews, with a sense of spiritual superiority, judged their Gentile brothers. The root cause was pride. Looking at both the Old and New Testaments, the sin the Israelites repeatedly committed before God was idolatry rooted in pride.

Even now, don’t we say with our lips, “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 7:21), but in our hearts, we reject Jesus Christ as Lord because of pride, and try to serve both God and money?

What the fool needs is a “rod” (Proverbs 26:3).
In other words, what the fool needs is punishment and calamity brought by a righteous God. When the Israelites were arrogant and hardened in heart—when they treated sin lightly and hated rebuke—God used foreign nations as His rod to bring punishment and calamity upon them. These punishments and calamities did not only reveal God’s justice; they also revealed His love (Hebrews 12:6).

In other words, God's rod is a rod of justice and also a rod of love.
The fool needs this rod of God.