Proverbs 17:21, The Fool Threefold
November 17, Proverbs 17:21
3 John 4; Matt. 15:21-28 “No greater joy than that my children walk in truth.”
The Fool Threefold
The two Hebrew words rendered fool in 17:21 are not the same in Hebrew. The first is kesil, the second nabal. There are many fools in Proverbs, but three words cover them all. Yet, each has its own shade of meaning. Surely the Holy Spirit had a purpose in making these distinctions. Let us consider each in turn.
1. The Secularist: In modern terms, a secularist is one who has ruled God out of His Universe. God is unknowable, and, for him, an unnecessary Being. This fool’s secularism, however, is made evident in the direction of his life rather than by any thought-out philosophy. This word for fool,kesil, is the most common, being used about 50 times. The word is defined as a stupid fellow, a dullard, one who hates knowledge (1:22). He is the fool who delights not in understanding (18:2). He makes a mock of sin (10:23), since he is sure there is no way of knowing good or bad in his world. What is stressed here is not so much his mental state as his moral condition. He has simply chosen to deny God in his way of life (1:29). His trouble is really spiritual. He is like the dog that returns to its own vomit (26:11). He brings grief and bitterness to his parents (10:1; 17:21, 25). Grief (v.25) is vexation, anger, which is stronger than sorrow (21). How sad that many children are the cause of such pains to parents (1 Sm. 2:32-33; 8:3; 2 Sm. 18:33)! What a menace they are to society (13:19)! Don’t company with such fools (13:20).
2. The Sensualist: The second word for fool, ‘ewil, appears 19 times. Again there is the element of stupidity and stubbornness. This fool is always morally bad. He mocks at guilt (14:9). He despises wisdom and instruction. He will not accept discipline (1:7; 15:5). He is active in his pursuit of evil. Lusts and passions control him. It is folly, a waste of breath, to instruct him (16:22; 27:22). This fool is the result, or inevitable outcome, of the fool above. He is almost always labelled foolishness or folly (12:23 – iwwelet), which is from the same root. This shows the close connection that exists between the spiritual and the moral dimensions of life, revealing an even darker aspect of his moral insolence (12:15; 15:5). He will submit to no restraint, and will accept no correction (27:22).
3. The Stupidest: This fool is nabal. He is the typical fool even though the word occurs only 3 times in Proverbs (17:7; 30:22), but 15 times more altogether. Nabal is the simpleton, the senseless one. He is the model boor! He is an unrefined, clumsy, ill-mannered oaf! He is shameless. Like Nabal, Abigail’s husband, his name is descriptive of his character (1 Sam. 25:3, 25). This fool is without any sensitivity, either moral or religious. He is beyond reasoning with (1 Sam. 25:17), and of all the fools, he is surely the stupidest. Let us, however, end this dismal page with a word of hope. Parents, never lose heart. God’s grace saved such a fool called John Newton, the subject of a mother’s prayers.
Thought: “A fool is none the wiser for having a learned father or grandfather.”
Prayer: Lord, keep me faithful in prayer for my family.