Today is April Fool’s Day, a day to have fun and play practical jokes. I’ve carried out a few and been the recipient of even more … all in fun. But being a true fool is no laughing matter. Biblically, a fool is a man who fails to heed God’s warnings or refuses to live according to God’s wise principles.

Ironically, some who don’t know the Lord believe the opposite. They call us foolish for forgiving those who have hurt us, keeping God’s moral laws, and refusing to lie, cheat, or steal. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be called a fool for God than foolishly live in ways that will be displeasing to God and bring about His discipline.

Today’s Readings:

Deuteronomy 25 & 26
Psalm 39.7-11
Proverbs 13.4-6
Luke 6.1-26

A Fool or a Fool for God

Proverbs 13.4-6:

Wise or Foolish

As I’ve talked about before, much of Proverbs is a study in contrasts. This portion and many others, compare the fool or the one who is acting foolishly to a wise man.

In verse 4, the character qualities compared are the foolish man’s laziness and the diligence of the wise man or woman. Verse 5 compares foolish liars to those who love truth.

Few of us really want to be fools but we will be foolish by default if we don’t seek to know and understand God’s truth.

Psalm 111.10 says:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

So wisdom starts with the “fear” of the Lord. This is not a cowering fear, but a reverential respect for the God of the universe and creator of all things.

One way we live out the fear of the Lord is found in the middle of that verse, “a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.”

Hebrews 5.14 says it this way:

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

“Solid food,” the deeper things of God belong to those who have matured by “reason of use.” The New American Standard Bible says “practice.” By practicing what we know to do or obeying the commandments as Psalm 111 said, we gain the ability to “discern good and evil.'” We become wise rather than foolish.

Foolishness to Those Who Are Perishing

But, as I said in the introduction, those who are in the world often see us as fools. Many see it as foolish to believe in the biblical creation account, to forgive when we’ve been sinned against, to show love to the unloving, to stand up for what God says is right, or to believe the gospel.

1 Corinthians 1:

¹⁸ For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Keeping an Eternal Perspective

So, if the world sees God and His Word as foolish, why should we be surprised if they see us as fools for believing it? Instead, like the psalmist in Psalm 73 when he thought the wicked were getting away with murder, we need to keep an eternal perspective. He had this to say:

Today’s Other Readings:

Deuteronomy 25 & 26:

Law of the Kinsman Redeemer

Deuteronomy 25.5-10 covers the “Law of the Kinsman Redeemer.” The kinsman-redeemer was a male relative who would act on behalf of a widowed woman, usually by marrying her and providing an heir for her deceased husband.

If you have read the book of Ruth, you see this law lived out in the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. Their beautiful story is part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Also, if you remember reading about Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38, you will recall that Judah had promised his youngest son would marry twice widowed Tamar when he was old enough. So, this was apparently a common practice even before the law was instituted.

According to Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary, this was done partly out of respect for the widow who had left her family and her own inheritance. Remember, this was a time when there was no Social Security, only the security of having children to care for you in your old age. It was also done out of respect for the deceased brother so that his name would not be forgotten and his lineage not lost.

This seems so strange in our culture today where we think we must be “in love” to have a good, faithful, committed marriage. In reality, we can choose to love biblically and when we do, right feelings, generally, follow. Many couples have married under less-than-perfect circumstances, and yet, have grown to love one another and have solid marriages.

Just as many who once thought of themselves as “in love” have allowed selfishness, bitterness, and pride to destroy their marriages.

Psalm 39.7-11:

The Sovereignty of God

I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it (v. 9).

David understood that God had either caused or allowed the circumstances in which he found himself. He willingly accepted them as coming from a sovereign, holy, loving God.

We would do well to remember the same as we deal with the tests and trials in our lives.

Luke 6.1-26:

Praying Before Decisions

Here in verses 2-16, Jesus was about to choose His twelve Apostles. And what did He do first? He spent the whole night in prayer. May the Lord help us to understand the value of seeking Him in all of our decisions. How many fewer mistakes would we make if we followed Christ’s example?

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about the downward spiral sin can take us on, becoming bored with God, facing storms, fear, and responding when friends betray us.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. 

If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.