Wise + Foolish = No Rest
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- Paul Sudbrock
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If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he (the evil fool) rage or laugh, there is no rest. Proverbs 29:9
This verse is like a universal shotgun blast. There are so many aspects to what wise and foolish are. The text is an analysis of the reaction of the foolish to wise. The reaction is generally dissension. You cannot convince the unwilling.
In a specific application, consider the hardened Atheist. Romans 1 is clear that rejecting God as creator results in chaos as the absolute moral mooring of God’s authority in the individuals life is rejected.
The Hebrew word for “foolish” is אויל, pronounced ‘ev-eel’. It means perverse. I don’t believe it to be a simple coincidence that our word evil sounds like this Hebrew word. I believe etymologist should search beyond Germanic, Latin and Greek to consider Hebrew more often as the original language. That brings a ton of clarity to the subject. This evil can be expressed in the foolishness of one who despises wisdom, mocks when confronted about guilt, is quarrelsome when being apprehended, believing that there is an absolute enfettered freedom to do what ever they want to do.
“Who are you and your God to tell me what to do!”
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto (Godly) counsel is wise.
It is interesting that we have words for the abnormal, but often normality is left unlabeled. For instance, we have a word for baldness, but we have no such term for having a full head of hair. We describe normality, but we term the extraordinary. This often leads to archaic words as our culture alters what was an exception to be a normality. Labels for these exceptions, which have become normal, are unnecessary and fall out of use.
Here are two examples:
Licentious comes from the latin word licentia meaning ‘freedom.’ The sense of “freedom” here, is to be dissolute, dissipated, debauched, degenerate, salacious, immoral, wanton, decadent, depraved, profligate, impure, sinful, wicked, corrupt, indecent, and/or libertine. A more simple definition is found in it’s antonyms; moral or virtuous. In essence, Licentious is freedom from all moralality and virtue. Licentious is another aspect of the Hebrew word “Eveel”.
Depending on the “age” of your vocabulary, you may have been a bit lost in the synonyms of Licentious as many have fallen out of use being that they are terms of the norm as well.
Lasciviousness is similarly archaic. It is also from the Latin, lascivious, meaning ‘lustful, wanton’.
Both are unnecessary today as they label the norm. As it is rare to find a truth in the mouth of a Politian, so is it rare to find a virtuous person.
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10
The more man rejects God, the less we understand how “evil” looks, as it is camouflaged in the archives of normality. It hides in plain site.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23
This is also why our preaching of repentance is seen as foolish.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
As they have changed good to evil and evil to good. They see themselves as righteous and see no reason to repent.
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
This is the cause for the lack of “rest.” From the fall until now God has called us into His rest. What does that “rest” look like? It is a restful quiet attitude of reflection so that we can understand the reality as it truly is from the perspective of the all seeing and all compassing mind of the creator. He continually knocks and invites all man to repent and through faith in Christ to reason with the Father in such “rest”.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Acts 17:30
Our Job is to announce the gospel, intercede in prayer and with all meekness teach. God’s job is salvation.
Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:43-44
Until, there is a change of the will, there is not a chance in helping the foolish find redemption.
You can communicate the truth, argue the truth, publish the truth all to no avail until God’s hand changes the heart. It is paramount, as we spread the gospel, that we earnestly pave the way through meekness, love and prayer.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalms 126:6