Walking with the Wise #444: Nothing to Offer

“Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.”
—Proverbs 24:7

Nowadays, everybody has the means of making their voice heard—for good or bad, we can all air our opinion for the world to hear. We only need to look at the comments at the end of any news article to see that. Reading the news and gossip columns, hearing about the lives and sins of various athletes, politicians, and celebrities only adds to the cesspool of godless ignorance, creating a gallery of fools. Out of wedlock pregnancies, casual sexual encounters, perverse sexual practices, laissez-faire attitudes toward morality and a total disregard for God are being touted as the “new normal,” “advances in morality,” and a sign of progress. But God’s Word will always be true and stand the test of time, while sin will always be destructive and deadly, no matter what the schemes and plots of man.

As Christians in today’s world, we have a plethora of voices vying for our attention and adherence—begging to show us how to live. However, there are only a select few who are worthy of our consideration. And those voices are the wise, who through adversity and hardship have stayed true to the Word of God and proven themselves trustworthy and valuable in the sight of God. If we want to be wise, then we must surround ourselves with such people who love God and will tell us the truth—even when it hurts. Such endeavors have a profound affect; as the Proverb says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”—Proverbs 13:20. Contact with the wise sharpens our character, making us better equipped for the Master’s use (cf. Proverbs 27:17), but contact with the gallery of fools will inevitably bring pain, frustration, and eventually—death.

Today’s proverb reminds us that fools have nothing to offer. Wisdom is too far from their unregenerate and reprobate minds. The city gate was where the city’s leaders sat—presumably wise and experienced, where decisions were made and wisdom sought. But the fool isn’t even worthy to open his mouth, because he doesn’t possess the wisdom so earnestly valued.

Let us turn a deaf ear to the sinful opinions of fools, realizing that they have nothing to offer. Rather, let us seek the wisdom that comes from above (cf. James 3:17), knowing that it leads to a life blessed by the hand of God—filled with peace and joy—both in the present time and in eternity. Amen.