It is much easier to identify a fool in terms of what he is not than in terms of what he is. Notice the following characteristics of the fool as the Book of Proverbs describes him. Unless otherwise stated, all quoted verses below are from Proverbs.
1. THE FOOL IS UNRIGHTEOUS. The fool hates what is holy, righteous, and good, and he loves evil.
Desire realized is sweet to the soul, But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil (13:19).
Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool; And so is wisdom to a man of understanding (10:23).
Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will (14:9).
2. THE FOOL IS UNWISE. Throughout Proverbs the fool is the counterpart of the wise. Wisdom is contrasted with folly. The fool does not possess wisdom, cannot obtain wisdom, and would not obtain it if he could.
THE FOOL DOES NOT POSSESS WISDOM;
The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding (10:21; cf. 1:20-33).
THE FOOL IS NOT CAPABLE OF OBTAINING WISDOM:
Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense (17:16).
A scoffer seeks wisdom, and finds none, But knowledge is easy to him who has understanding (14:6).
Wisdom is too high for a fool, He will not open his mouth in the gate (24:7).
The fool has no capacity for wisdom. In the words of 17:16, he has “no heart” for it. He may seem to seek wisdom, but is incapable of recognizing or retaining it.
THE FOOL HAS NO DESIRE FOR WISDOM, AND WOULD REJECT IT EVEN IF HE COULD ACQUIRE IT BECAUSE HE HATES IT:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction (1:7; cf. 1:22).
The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on folly (15:14).
A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind (18:2).
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words (23:9).
The fool is not neutral toward wisdom--he hates it. Wisdom is to the fool what liver is to me: as freely and frequently as it may be offered to me, I will do everything I can to avoid it.
3. THE FOOL IS UNREALISTIC. The fool fails to see things as they are. Reality is distorted by the fool’s distorted outlook on life.
THE FOOL IS UNREALISTIC ABOUT HIMSELF in that he overestimates his knowledge and abilities:
“Proud,” “Haughty,” “Scoffer,” are his names, Who acts with insolent pride (21:24).
THE FOOL IS UNCONCERNED WITH PRESENT REALITIES, and is a wishful thinker. His “ship” is always about to “come in.”
Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth (17:24).
4. THE FOOL IS UNDISCIPLINED. The fool looks upon self-control as a needless and useless denial of present pleasure. Because of this, every area of his life lacks discipline.
THE FOOL IS UNDISCIPLINED WITH HIS MONEY AND MATERIAL RESOURCES:
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man swallows it up (21:30).
THE FOOL IS UNDISCIPLINED WITH HIS TEMPER:
A fool’s vexation is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor (12:16).
A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back (29:11).
THE FOOL IS UNDISCIPLINED WITH HIS MOUTH:
A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly (12:23, cf. 10:14).
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly (15:2; cf. 18:2,7).
It is little wonder that the fool is referred to as a “babbling fool” (literally, the foolish of lips, 10:8,10).
5. THE FOOL IS UNRELIABLE.
HE IS UNRELIABLE IN HIS WORK: The fool is dishonest and evil and cannot be trusted in any area.
He cuts off his own feet, and drinks violence . He sends a message by the hand of a fool (26:6).
Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by (26:10).
HE IS UNRELIABLE IN HIS WORDS. The words of the fool are always to be questioned. He is a liar, a deceiver, and a slanderer.
He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool (10:18).
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit (14:8).
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool (19:1).
Even what the fool believes to be true may be only his worthless opinion. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly (15:2).
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so (15:7, cf. v. 14).
6. THE FOOL IS UNTEACHABLE. Try as you like, attempting to teach a fool is frustrating at best, and often painful. Whenever a fool is faced with wisdom and instruction, he will reject it.
Now that we have seen the characteristics of a fool and have learned the root causes of his folly, we must direct our attention to the treatment of a fool. Proverbs has a good deal to say on this subject, and nearly all of its instruction pertains to what we should not do. Our actions with regard to fools are often more negative than positive.
How to deal with a fool
1. WE SHOULD AVOID THE FOOL IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. While wisdom is not contagious to a fool, folly is to the wise; therefore, the wise man should avoid the fool.
Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge (14:7).
In addition, the fool is dangerous and harmful, and we should avoid him like a bear robbed of her cubs (17:12).
2. THE FOOL SHOULD BE DRIVEN OUT. In those cases where we cannot leave the fool, the fool may need to be sent away.
Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease (22:10).
The New Testament teaches that Christians should not fellowship with professing Christians who are living in sin (I Cor. 5:9-13). The church is instructed to put out those who disregard biblical rebuke and correction (Matt. 18:15-17; I Cor. 5:5). The words of Paul to Titus seem closely related to the teaching of Proverbs that we should avoid the fool:
Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned (Titus 3:10-11).
3. WE SHOULD NOT WASTE OUR INSTRUCTION ON FOOLS. In the New Testament Jesus taught that we should not “cast our pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6). In Proverbs, we are told not to attempt to teach fools:
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words (23:9).
4. WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW THE FOOL TO DRAG US DOWN TO HIS LEVEL. If you don't pay attentionh to anything else, pay attention to this. The fool is exasperating; he is looking for trouble, and he often tempts us to oblige him. Since the fool will spout off and speak his mind, we are tempted to lose our temper with him as well. Proverbs instructs us not to allow him to get the best of us, lest we be lowered to his level.
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you be like him (26:4).
5. WE SHOULD NOT DIGNIFY A FOOL BY GIVING HIM UNDUE HONOR, SO THAT HE WILL-BE FLATTERED AND PUFFED UP EVEN FURTHER. The fool is pompous and proud, and he will take any positive strokes as a compliment. We should avoid giving him any honor.
Like snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool (26:1).
Answer a fool as his folly deserves, Lest he be wise in his own eyes (26:5).
6. WE SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE FOOL, FOR IN SO DOING WE WILL ONLY PUNISH OURSELVES. The fool is never open to rebuke or correction. Any effort to correct a fool by mere verbal rebuke is futile.
He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you, Reprove a wise man, and he will love you (9:7-8).
When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest (29:9).
7. WE SHOULD NOT MAKE LIFE EASY FOR THE FOOL. While verbal rebuke is not effective with fools, we should not seek to cushion the painful effects of their folly. The “way of the transgressor is hard” (13:15) and so the folly of a fool will bring about many difficulties. These painful consequences of sin may be instrumental in bringing the fool to the end of his folly, but regardless, the painful blows of sin should not be softened.
A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul (18:6-7).
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction (1:7).
Because they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, And be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, And the complacency of fools shall destroy them (1:29-32).
Whenever the fool is disciplined, he resists it.
A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who regards reproof is prudent (15:5).
He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who reproves wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you (9:7-8).
A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, He will not go to the wise (15:12).
A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool (17:10).
The folly of a fool is deep-seated. No matter how hard one strives to rid the fool of his folly, such efforts end in failure. A fool and his folly are seemingly inseparable.
Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his folly will not depart from him (27:22).
The fool cannot even learn from his own mistakes. Given the opportunity, he will repeat his folly:
Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly (26:11).
It is ironic, but true, that while the fool refuses to be taught, he is eager to teach others from his abundance of “wisdom.”
A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly (12:23).
A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind (18:2).
8. THE FOOL IS UNPLEASANT, UNLIKED, AND UNDESIRABLE. The fool is a menace, a detriment to society. He is a pain to his parents, for he hates them (15:20) and causes them grief (10:1; 17:21,25; 19:23). He is a disaster wherever he goes (10:14; 17:12).He hinders the understanding of others (14:7).His speech is slanderous (10:18). The fool is quarrelsome (20:3), and he stirs up dissension and anger.
A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows (18:6).
Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease (22:10).
So far as society is concerned, the fool is an abomination.
The devising of folly is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men (24:9).
God loves you and I do too!
