Today, April 1st, is celebrated as April Fools Day. It is an annual custom on April 1st to exercise practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Media can be involved in these pranks, which may be revealed as such the following day. The origin of this day is contested. There are disputations surrounding Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392). In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d'avril (April fool, literally "April's fish"). There are other suggested origins, but these are the more popular.
I suggest that every day is “April fools day” for the fool, which is one who acts and lives contrary to Gods Word, one who lives his life outside of being a true child of God, one that has never been born again.
Yes, the fool is unsaved:
“The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness:” (Ecc 2:14).
Even “April fools day” itself may expose the fool.
“It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.” (Pr 10:23).
The English word "fool" (and its derivatives, such as "fools" and "foolish" and "foolishness") is found 199x in 189 verses in the King James Bible. 147 of those are in the OT, which leaves 42x in the NT. "Fool(s)(ish)" is translated from "kesiyl' 69x and carries the meaning of stupid, silly, simpleton, arrogant. Other adjectives of "fool" translated from different Hebrew and Greek words, carry the same or very similar meaning.
There are many descriptions of the fool in Scripture. Consider some of the ways God’s Word exposes the fool.
The love of money and material fool.
"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Lk 12:15-21)
Will ye covet or live after wealth, for naught?
“For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.” (Ps 49:10).
The latter will perish “as a fool dieth” (2 Sam 3:33).
Hence,
"Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." (Pr 23:4-5)
The religious, false professing unsaved fool.
"Ye fools and blind: . . . Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Matt 23:17, 24-28)
The religious fool is a hypocrite. They are concerned about the outward appearance, the externals, how man percieves their religious state and reputation, while inwardly they are dead in sin, dead man's bones, the inside of a grave, unclean and full of sin, carefully concealed from the ever inspecting eyes (but not God's eyes). They are of the type referenced by Christ in Matt 7:22,
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
And these are the last words they will ever hear from God the Son:
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt 7:23)
So these go down to their grave and further down to the furnace of fire, all because of their faux humility which is actually religious pride, unconverted with a seared conscience concerning their sinful estate.
Sad. Very sad.
The slandering fool.
“He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.” (Pr 10:18).
The “foolishness of fools is folly.” (Pr 14:24b).
The blaspheming fool.
“Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.” (Ps 74:18).
Blaspheming by the way includes “OMG.”
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Ex 20:7).
The satisfied in my foolish, simple, scornful unconverted state fool.
“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” (Pr 1:22).
The follow-after-my-own-heart fool.
“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” (Pr 28:26).
“A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” (Pr 18:2).
The unrebukable fool.
The person that does not hear reproof, so hates reproof, is "brutish." Brutish is another word for stupid.
"Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish." (Pr 12:1)
“A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.” (Ps 92:6).
“Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?” (Ps 94:8).
“O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.” (Pr 8:5).
“The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” (Pr 10:21).
The hater of Biblical reproof, correction and instruction fool.
“Fools make a mock at sin” (Pr 14:9a)
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Pr 1:7).
“A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.” (Pr 15:5).
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” (Pr 12:15).
“A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.” (Pr 17:10).
“Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” (Pr 23:9).
“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.” (Ecc 7:5).
The clamorous simple-woman fool.
“A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. . . . Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” (Pr 9:13; 14:1)
The afflicted (mentally depressed and oppressed) fool.
“Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.”(Ps 107:17).
True conversion through true repentance and faith will cleanse from all sin and affliction,
“Who [the Lord Jesus Christ] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Pet 2:24).
The non-God fearing fool.
“A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil [such as worldliness, ungodly music including CCM and country, Neo-evangelicalism, false teachings, etc]: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” (Pr 14:16).
The false professing “Christian” fool.
“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” (Pr 26:11).
Matt 25:1-13 gives us an example of false professing “Christian” fools, who are without the Spirit of God and under deception, while professing to belong to God.
“They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. . . . And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” (Matt 25:3, 8-12).
The pleasure-loving fool.
“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth [pleasure].” (Ecc 7:4).
The proud fool.
“In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.” (Pr 14:3).
The God-rejecting fool.
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Ps 14:1).
There are more but we’ll leave it at that.
The true born again believer will separate himself from the companionship of fools:
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Pr 13:20).
Are you a fool?
“A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.” (Pr 26:3).
And then we read Pr 27:22,
“Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.”
Neither chastisement of rod or reproof will change the fool's foolish nature, though it be necessary. Thankfully the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ can permanently deliver the fool from his folly. Read here How the True Gospel of Jesus Christ Makes the Fool, Wise.
Here ye the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and don't reject His reproof (for that keep reading, Pr 1:24-32),
"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." (Pr 1:20-23)
Comments