The Day of Fools

New month. New book of the Bible. And this couldn’t be any more appropriate if I had planned it. Starting the Book of Proverbs on April Fools’ Day is making me smile. Because Proverbs is as much about fools and their ways as it is about wisdom.

I’m hoping to avoid any April Fools’ pranks today, although with my oldest son in the house, I’m not sure I’ll get away with it. We all know plenty of fools though and manage to act like fools ourselves on a regular basis. Here are a few of my descriptions of fools: –

1. Fools believe everything they read on Facebook
2. Fools take themselves and their opinions far too seriously
3. Fools believe that buying things will make them happy
4. Fools know the right things to do to make them healthy and happy and then find every reason not to do them.
5. Fools take those they love for granted
6. Fools think chocolate is the answer
7. Fools always look for someone else to blame
8. Fools live to please other people

Your list would look a little different, I guess, but we all have a notion of what it is to live and act as a fool. Proverbs will enlighten us further on that. The first few verses of Proverbs 1 set out the point of the Book of Proverbs, which is a collection of thoughts and sayings by Solomon, David’s son who succeeded him as King.

These are the wise sayings of Solomon,
David’s son, Israel’s king—
Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right,
to understand what life means and where it’s going;
A manual for living,
for learning what’s right and just and fair;
To teach the inexperienced the ropes
and give our young people a grasp on reality.
There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,
still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—
Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,
the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. Proverbs 1:1-6 (The Message)

Sounds good, doesn’t it? I feels excited now. Because I really want to know how to live well and right. I only have one life and I want it to be the best it can be. I definitely want to understand what life means and where it is going, because I often struggle with the futility of life. Learning what’s right and just and fair is right up there in terms of what I need – what we all need – to learn about in this world as it is today. Teaching the inexperienced the ropes….yes….and giving our young people a grasp on reality…definitely. I have a few young people very special to me who could do with this.

So remind me again – who thinks the Bible is boring and irrelevant? Because all of this seems pretty relevant and interesting to me. There’s plenty of life coaches out there all over the internet trying to do this!

So where do we start? It’s very simple.

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;
only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. v7 (The Message)

Start with God. The Creator of all living things. Your Creator who knows you far better than you know yourself. The source of all wisdom and knowledge.

And then?

Listen to your father and mother. Hopefully they will have taught you well. ‘The Nights’ by Avicii is a great reminder of some of the ideas a father can pass onto his child.

And then don’t listen too closely to your friends. Especially your so-called friends who try to lead you into stuff you don’t really want to do. Sounds childish, but believe me, it happens to us adults too all the time.

Join us for the time of your life!

It doesn’t have to be hell-raising and violence and stealing and drugs etc etc etc. It could be spending far too much money on cream teas or joining the latest fad diet craze or cosmetic surgery or working all the hours of the day and night or slagging off a colleague…..our peer pressure is different for each one of us, but we will all be facing it somehow, somewhere.

the more you get, the less you are. v19

Oh yes, I like that. I really like that. Because I see that danger of becoming defined by your possessions. And the vicious circle that that becomes. Stripping it all back to basics, decluttering, living a more simple life….I’m all for that.

And I love that in the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom is portrayed as a woman – Lady Wisdom. Which in those days must have been even more revolutionary than it is today. We don’t have to look to men for all our wisdom. We can trust ourselves. So Lady Wisdom stands on the street corner – every street corner – and shouts. She has to shout to be heard above all the foolish chat and adverts and messages we are bombarded with every day.

Lady Wisdom wants us to stop and think. To reflect on the way we’re living our lives. To turn our lives around and listen to her. She’s waiting to pour her wisdom into each one of us. But we keep refusing to listen. We keep ignoring her. We disregard all her advice. Until it all goes pear-shaped and we cry out for help and understanding and knowledge – when it’s too late. When the damage is already done. When there are consequences to be lived with. Complacency is the enemy here – feeling that we’re doing OK as we are. Until we’re not.

The last verse of Proverbs 1 is this –

First pay attention to me, and then relax.
Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands. v33 (The Message)

Giving Lady Wisdom the attention she requires may feel harder in the short term. It’s definitely easier to drift along being influenced by everyone in the world around you, doing exactly the same as everyone else without giving it a second thought. But when you learn to live with Lady Wisdom by your side, you’re in good hands. You can relax. You can take it easy.

This is living life to the full. This is the best way. This is how we were created to live. And the rest of the Book of Proverbs will show us how.