Tuesday, July 2, 2024
The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. Psalm 14:1-3
A Fool
The Bible has a lot to say about fools. Proverbs is full of warnings and comparisons and contrasts between the fool and the wise. As the scripture above states, the best description of a fool is, The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.
A fool says there is no God, rejects wisdom, embraces folly, hates knowledge, elevates self and selfish desires over God’s wisdom, and believes they can be their own god.
The Bible warns us against associating with fools. Proverbs 13:20 tells us to not only stay away from fools but spend time with wise people: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Abigail and Nabal –
A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. 1 Samuel 25: 2-3
Abigail was a woman in the Bible who was married to a man named Nabal. He was a horrible man, but she was kind, quick, and intelligent. Nabal’s name literally means “fool”, and he was a fool.
Previously David had shown generous hospitality to Nabal’s shepherds, but when David asked for food and shelter for him and his men, Nabal would not even acknowledge that he knew who David was. He was rude and obnoxious. Sadly this situation showed his true character. David was mad and was coming for Nabal and his whole household.
When one of the servants told Abigail what happened, she quickly gathered food and drink and sent it with the servants to meet David and his men. She followed but did not tell Nabal. She met David and bowed before him, asking for his pardon for her husband’s behavior and asked him to not attack their household. Many words were exchanged but long story short, David told Abigail “Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.” Because of Abigail’s intervention of her husband’s foolish behavior she saved the whole household.
Abigail didn’t tell Nabal that evening about what happened. She told him the next morning, and when he heard, he had a heart attack. The Lord struck him dead about 10 days later.
Nabal was a fool who made a very foolish decision. Abigail was wise and used her wisdom to save herself and her entire household. Galatians 6:8 says, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Nabal lived to please himself but at the end of his life had nothing that would count for eternity – exactly the way a fool lives. A fool does not think about what God wants for their lives, nor do they live to please the Lord at all. They do not walk The Jesus Way, they only walk their way. At the end of their lives, they have nothing to show that is of eternal value.
Are you living your life to please yourself or to please God? Are there actions you are engaging in that will yield eternal value?
We can all make foolish mistakes or even partake in foolish behavior, but we should not settle or excuse away our behaviors. We need to turn away from foolish behavior, stop spending time with people who are fools, and live our lives to glorify God.
