Reading The Proverbs With Timothy And Kathy KellerSample

 The opposite of wisdom?

Throughout the book of Proverbs the opposite of wisdom is called foolishness. In English the word “fool” is little more than an insult. In Proverbs, however, fools are people so habitually out of touch with reality that they make life miserable for themselves and all around them. We can’t treat our body any way we want without consequences. We can’t treat people any way we want and expect to have good friends and a strong family. We can’t all live selfish lives and expect the social fabric to remain intact. Fools, however, do all these things and therefore sow and reap discord and destruction.

There are various forms of foolishness, as we will see. But the ultimate foolishness is to make anything the center of our lives besides God. That will always lead to disappointment and breakdown. Jesus describes the “foolish man” whose home is built on sand instead of on the solid rock of Christ’s word and wisdom (Matthew 7:24–26). Fools fail to see these boundaries embedded in reality—physical, psychological, relational, and spiritual. They step outside them and wonder why they sink.

Where have you seen most recently—either in your life or someone else’s—the bitter fruit of foolishness?

Prayer: Lord, my heart so often wants to deny reality, but that is foolish. Reality in this fallen world is both wonderful and terrible. Help me see it for what it is, and teach me to walk wisely in it. Amen.

Excerpt from God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller

Reprinted by arrangement with Viking Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017 by Timothy and Kathy Keller