A Fool And Mischief. Series

“A fool and mischief.

Proverbs 10:23-32

Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. Prov.10:23

“The term ‘living wisely’ is relative. Some may think they are living wisely, even though we might disagree.” That’s true, so to be clear, the wisdom Solomon refers to here is wisdom from above. His point is that there are some who enjoy doing things that are contrary to the will of God (those things outlined in His Word). Solomon calls the man that enjoys doing wrong a “fool.” On the other hand, there are some who enjoy living their lives by God’s wisdom (outlined in His Word). Solomon calls the man that takes pleasure in God’s wisdom “sensible.” To further drive this home, let’s look at this verse from the New International Version. The NIV says: “A foolish person finds pleasure in doing evil things. But a man who has understanding takes delight in wisdom.”

This verse reminds me of something Paul said in the New Testament in his first letter to the church at Corinth. He said: “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things” (1st Cor 13:11). Most (if not all) of all us took pleasure in foolish things at some point in our lives. We did things that were wrong and thought they were cute, funny, or fun. We took pleasure in senseless things. Looking back it all seems so foolish, but at the time, it was enjoyable.

Paul admits that he too partook of childish and foolish things, but when he grew up, he had to leave those childish ways behind. It means that the Father expects you to grow up . He expects you to leave childish ways behind. The King James Version of this text says, “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief.” As you grow in Christ sin should no longer be a laughing matter. Later in Proverbs Solomon said, “Fools don’t care if they are wrong, but God is pleased when people do right” (14:9). Don’t be a fool. You should care when you are wrong and be determined to do all you can (with God’s help) to do right!

As you grow in Christ your desire to want to do God’s will should grow as well. There was a situation in the New Testament where Jesus sent His disciples out to get something to eat. While they were gone He ministered to a woman at a well. When they came back they offered Him some food. He told them, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” He went on to say, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent Me, and from finishing His work” (John 4:32,34). They were offering him natural food, but Jesus had just received a type of nourishment that natural food can never provide. He was satisfied in knowing that He had just ministered to a woman that was hurting. His words had just changed her life forever!

When you grow up in Christ you get a sense of satisfaction from doing His will. You no longer take pleasure in the foolish things you once did, but you rather focus your time, talents, and treasure on things of eternal significance.

The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted. Prov. 10:24

Fear is opposite to faith. Faith is an expression of your confidence in God and in His Word. Faith is based upon the hope that we have in God. When we find Bible Promises that line up with what we are believing God for, it adds substance to our hope (Heb 11:1). This Godly hope enables us to walk in an unrelenting confidence. Fear, on the other hand, is also a form of confidence, but it is a confidence in the negative. When you fear you are actually anticipating the negative to happen. Your confidence is not in God, but rather in what the enemy can/will do in your life. Fear opens the door to defeat; it welcomes it with open arms.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Rome he talked about an overwhelming and overcoming hope. In the 5th chapter he said, “Now this hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (5:5). We see here that part of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to give us a hope that does not disappoint.

In the 15th chapter of the same letter Paul said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (15:13). In this verse Paul calls God the “God of Hope,” and I love that. Furthermore, he tells us that the Holy Spirit can cause us to abound in hope and give us all joy and peace as we trust in Him! That means we can have the excitement that comes from joy and the serenity that comes from peace, while we live every day in complete and total trust, confidence and faith.