A fool and a man of understanding
[Proverbs 20:3-7]
Do you think times are evil, as the apostle Paul already said in Ephesians 5:16? Sometimes, when I hear crimes on the news, I think about to what extent the evil of man is. It must be a world filled with sinful things. At this time, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:15, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise.” Who is the unwise and who is the wise? He who isn’t wise that is, a fool (v. 17), wastes his time (v. 16). And he doesn't understand what the Lord's will is (v. 17). That is why he gets drunk and dissipates (v. 18). However, he who is wise is filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 18). And he understands what the Lord's will is (v. 17). Therefore, he saves time (v. 16) and lives according to the will of the Lord.
In Proverbs 20:3-7, the Bible teaches us about the fool and the man of understanding. I hope and pray that all of us who receive this instruction will not become fools, but are raised up as the people of understanding.
The first thing I want to think about is the fool. I would like to think of two things:
First, the fool quarrels.
Look at Proverbs 20:3 – “Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel.” We have already been admonished in Proverbs 20:1 not to show our own foolishness with alcohol. Here we have already learned that our own foolishness that we can manifest with alcohol is our arrogance and fighting. So King Solomon said in Proverbs 17:14, which we have already meditated on, “… So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.” In other words, we must stop arguing before conflict or strife arises. But why do we not stop arguing before conflict or strife arises? The reason is because we aren’t slow to anger. Look at Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.” So why are we not slow to anger? The reason is because we aren’t wise and don’t know (or ignore) that it is our own glory to overlook a transgression. Look at Proverbs 19:11 – “A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.” In Proverbs 20:3, the Bible says “Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man ….” Isn't it interesting that Proverbs 19:11 says, “And it is his glory to overlook a transgression," and then comes to 20:3 and says, “Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man. ....” As I relate these two verses, I am instructed to forgive the other person's transgression in order to avoid strife. However, if we don’t forgive the other person's transgression, it will eventually lead to strife. And the Bible says that “any fool will quarrel” (20:3).
We must not be fools. We must not quarrel. Rather, we must avoid strife. The reason is because keeping away from strife is our honor (20:3). In order for us to keep away from strife, we must stop anger and conceal dishonor (12:16). We must be slow to anger (19:11). When we are slow to anger, we can stop dispute before a fight occurs (15:18, 17:14, 29:22). Also, we must not forget that it is our own honor to forgive the other person's transgression (19:11). When we forgive others, we will not quarrel.
Second, the fool is lazy.
Look at Proverbs 20:4 – “The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.” We have already been meditating on the book of Proverbs and have been taught about laziness. The point of that lesson is that the lazy person becomes poor (10:4). The reason is because the lazy person doesn’t work diligently. Because he works with the negligent hand (10:4), he is bound to become poor. Although he works with the negligent hand, he diligently put his brain to work, especially the evil and lazy slave. How do we know this? As we have already meditated on in Proverbs 15:19, the wicked and lazy man uses a lot of tricks. Therefore, he is lazy and doesn’t think of laboring and sweating. As a result, the Bible says that the life of the evil and lazy slave is surrounded by difficulties such as thorns from east to west and north to south. Also, we have already learned from Proverbs 18:9 that he who is slack in his work is “brother to him who destroys.” What does it mean? It means that the lazy man is a great waster. That means that the lazy man is like a prodigal man. What is the problem? The most serious problem for the lazy man is that he “is wiser in his own eyes”. Look at Proverbs 26:16 – “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer.” Isn’t this funny that the sluggard is wiser in his own eyes? Although the lazy man is a fool (1:32), he considers himself wise. This shows that the lazy man is arrogant. In Proverbs 20:4, the Bible says that the lazy man doesn’t plow after the autumn. However, in the original Hebrew, it is not “autumn” but “winter”. And here, “winter” refers to November or December (Swanson). So, if we translate verse 4 again, it looks like this: ‘The lazy man does not plow because of the cold. When there is reaping, he will beg, but he will not get anything’ (Park). Is November or December warm or cold? Isn't it cold, of course? And it is said that the wind blows mainly from the north in November or December in Israel (MacDonald). In this windy and cold winter weather, the lazy man doesn’t plow. Don't we understand? Will the lazy man go to the field in cold weather and work hard? So in the end, no matter how much the lazy man seeks to reap in the harvest, he can't find anything. Isn't this obvious? Since the fields were not plowed, nothing could be planted. And since nothing could be planted, of course there is nothing to harvest (MacDonald).
We must not be lazy. Rather, we must be diligent. The wise Christians who fear God are diligent (Prov. 12:27, 15:19). We must become wise Christians and work diligently. We must work diligently and cooperate with each other voluntarily, even if there is no supervisor like ants (6:7). And, like ants, we must prepare diligently in advance for the future (v. 8). Just as the ants prepare for winter in the summer harvest, we must diligently prepare things to prepare in advance while thinking about the future. In particular, we must prepare diligently for our death, as well as prepare to meet the Lord. Also, we must diligently prepare for the Lord's Second Coming.
Finally, what we want to think about together is the man of understanding. I would like to think of three things:
First, the man of understanding draws a plan in the heart of a man.
Look at Proverbs 20:5 – “A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it out.” Whenever I personally think of this word, I pray to God that God gives me understanding to become a comforter who draws out deep plans or thoughts or feelings in the hearts of people. I am asking God for wisdom to draw out the wounds and pains that are deep in the heart of the people, as if I am drawing water from the depths of a well. In Proverbs 20:5, King Solomon says that the man of understanding draws a plan in the heart of a man. In other words, the man of understanding draws the thoughts or the intentions (purposes) deep in a person's heart to the surface. A good example is the judgment given by King Solomon in 1 Kings Chapter 3. The judgment was made when “two women who were harlots” came to King Solomon (v. 16) and argued who owned a living child (v. 22). At that time, wise King Solomon said, “Give me a sword … Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other” (vv. 24-25). What was the reason? The reason was to determine the true mother of the baby and to make the right judgment. At that time, the true mother was deeply stirred over her son. So she begged King Solomon, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him” (v. 26). But the fake mother told her real mother, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” (v. 26) Upon hearing these words, King Solomon gave the living child to his true mother and ordered not to kill the child (v. 27). In other words, he wisely ruled who was the real baby's mother. The Bible says this: “When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice” (v. 28). The Bible records that all the Israelites saw King Solomon's judgment and saw that “the wisdom of God” was in him (v. 28).
How can the man of understanding draw the thoughts or the intentions (purposes) that are deep within a person's heart to the surface? I looked for the answer in Proverbs 18:4 – “The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” In other words, it is possible through his full mouth of wisdom that the man of understanding can reveal the thoughts or intentions of the person deep in a person's heart. It is that the man of understanding who speaks in the fullness of wisdom like a bubbling brook draws the thoughts or the intentions deep in the other person's heart to the surface. Should we not ask God for this fulness of wisdom? Therefore, I hope and pray that we can all be filled with God's wisdom and be used as God's comforters.
Second, the man of understanding is trustworthy.
Look at Proverbs 20:6 – “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a trustworthy man?” This is what 1 Corinthians 4:2 says: “In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” The apostle Paul, who said this, said in 1 Timothy 1:12 that Christ Jesus considered him faithful and put him into service. The same Christ Jesus regarded us as faithful and put us into service. And the Bible says that we must be found trustworthy. Therefore, like the apostle Paul, we must be faithful to the Lord with gratitude (v. 12). But in Proverbs 20:6, King Solomon asks, “… But who can find a trustworthy man?” Somehow, when I tried to think about this from the standpoint of King Solomon, I remembered the words of Proverbs 16:13 that we have already meditated on: “Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved.” The lesson we have already received from this verse is that a king who is pleased with God is well advised by his trustworthy servants. In other words, the wise king who fears God puts his trustworthy servants next to him and receives their advice well, even in the midst of abandoning wicked servants. What is the reason? The reason is because the lips of the faithful are righteous lips, and they speak right (16:13). When I think of the wise King Solomon, I don't think there were so many trustworthy servants next to him. The reason I think so is that if he had had many trustworthy servants next to him, then they would have spoken right to King Solomon when he was old and when his Gentile women turned his heart to follow other gods (1 Kgs. 11:4) and would have turned him away from the sin of idolatry. And as King Solomon said in Proverbs 20:6, I think there were many people who proclaim their own loyalty. It seems that these people were never loyal and trustworthy servants, but officials who loved King Solomon only with words. So I think King Solomon groaned in the second half of verse 6, “But who can find a trustworthy man?”
We must be trustworthy people. We are to be faithful workers of Jesus Christ. And as the Lord's faithful workers, we must imitate Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Look at Revelation 1:5 – “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood.” The apostle John, who wrote this word, was a faithful witness of Jesus Christ. At some point, I have meditated on the apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, who was a faithful witness centering on this word. Again, I want to give each of us an opportunity to remind ourselves of these three things:
(1) The faithful witness testifies all that he saw.
Look at Revelation 1:2 – “who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.” Here, the Bible says that the apostle John testifies to all that he saw. What did he see? It was the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (v. 2). That is, what the apostle John, the faithful witness, testified is the vision of heaven he saw and it was “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (v. 1). And this revelation of Jesus Christ points to things that must soo take place, given by God to the Apostle John (v. 1). One of the things that will surely happen soon is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Therefore, as faithful witnesses of the Lord, we must testify of Jesus Christ coming again.
(2) The faithful witness reads, hears and obeys God’s prophetic words.
Look at Revelation 1:3 – “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” The Bible says that things that will surely happen quickly in the future, that is, those who read, hear, and obey the words of this prophecy are blessed. We who testify while waiting for the return of Jesus to come again must become readers, listeners, and keepers of the words of prophecy about things that will happen soon in the future.
(3) The faithful witness is a fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus.
Look at Revelation 1:9 – “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” As a faithful witness of Jesus, the apostle John participated in Jesus' tribulation, Jesus' kingdom, and Jesus' perseverance. Tribulation is the way to heaven (kingdom), and perseverance is the power to walk that way (Park). In Acts 14:22, the apostle Paul exhorts: “… Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” And in James 5:10, the apostle James tells us, “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” I hope and pray that all of us as faithful witnesses of Jesus will be able to partake in Jesus' tribulation, Jesus' kingdom, and Jesus' perseverance.
Third and last, the man of understanding walks in his integrity.
Look at Proverbs 20:7 – “A righteous man who walks in his integrity-- How blessed are his sons after him.” The original Hebrew word for this word is translated as follows: ‘A righteous man walks blamelessly, and after him his descendants are very blessed’ (Park). In other words, “A … man who walks in his integrity” is a man who walks blamelessly. Who do you think of when I say ‘A man who walks blamelessly’? I remember a man named Job. The reason is that in Job 1:1, the Bible says that a man named Job is “man who was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” This is a fact that God also admitted before Satan. Look at Job 1:8 – “The LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’” Job's blamelessness didn’t change his heart for God even in the midst of tribulation, but simply believed in God and continued to fear God, living a life away from evil. This was Job's determination and confession: “"Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (27:5). In Proverbs 20:7, the word ‘integrity’ or ‘to be blameless’ in the word “in his integrity” or ‘in his blamelessness’ means ‘to be simple’. And its meaning internally refers to integrity (Park). And the word “integrity” means that the inner motive of the life of faith (or godliness) is perfect and pure innocence (Park). This is what Dr. Yoon-sun Park said: ‘He who does this isn’t hypocrite and remains faithful. He is a man who simply serves God and doesn’t serve two masters (Mt. 6:24). And he doesn’t look back after he put his hands to the plow (Lk. 9:62)’ (Park). Shouldn't we be like this?
We must walk in our integrity. We must be blameless. In order to do so, what do we have to? We must receive the word of God with integrity. Look at 2 Corinthians 2:17 – “For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” We must never peddle the word of God for profit. Instead, we must receive the word of God in purity (simplicity). Like the Thessalonian church members, we must accept the word of God that we heard from the servants of God, not as the word of men, but for what really is, the word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). Why should we do that? The reason is because “Every word of God is flawless” (Prov. 30:5). And we must obey God's word and walk in the right way. Look at Proverbs 10:9 – “He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.” What does it mean? That is, we must live a righteous (blameless) life. Therefore, we must do our best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before people (Acts 24:16). In doing so, we will enjoy peace in our hearts.
At this time when the times are evil, we Christians should become the people of understanding rather than the fools. Today we have learned who the fool is and who the man of understanding is. The fool quarrels and is lazy. But the man of understanding draws a plan in the heart of a man, is trustworthy and walks in his integrity. I hope and pray that God may raise us up to be the men and the women of understanding.