One of the ways that I like to study a scripture verse is
to take the words that stand out to me most of all, and find their meaning.
Incorporating the definition into the verse this way gives me a greater
picture of what the Word of God is saying. Perhaps you like to study the
Bible this same way too... How can anyone be satisfied with not completely
understanding what they are reading?? I am afraid of what I will miss,
which is why I want to know the meaning behind every word! In fact, why
don't we work on this verse together today...
Proverbs 15:21, "Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but
a man of understanding walketh uprightly."
Can you accurately define the word "folly"? In Webster's 1828 Dictionary,
I found that it had a few degrees of definition. First off, it said, "weakness
of intellect, imbecility of mind, want of understanding." Secondly it
said, "a weak or absurd act not highly criminal; an act which is inconsistent
with the dictates of reason." Lastly it said, "an absurd act which is
highly sinful; any conduct contrary to the laws of God or man; scandalous,
sin; that which violates moral precepts and dishonors the offender." In
summary, folly is the weakness of mind that leads to weakness of behavior...
Now, as you put that thought behind our verse, can you see the bigger
picture? "Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom..." Stupidity
is a fool's joy, absurdity literally flows through his veins, and scandal
is sheer delight to the fool's heart! He is an imbecile at best! How could
this be so? Because such a one is destitute of wisdom! Destitute is another
word to study out so you can get the bigger picture here. I found the
definition interesting. It differs from the word "deprived" which you
would think to be similar in meaning to destitute. Deprived, if applied
here, would mean that you could have once had wisdom, and lost it, while
destitute means here that wisdom was never possessed to begin with! Destitute
is total absence of virtue, being in want of; needy. It is very much like
poverty in that virtue is something that was never owned. Now, as you
add that thought to your understanding of this verse, you can really see
how easily folly is found filling a person's life, can't you? No wonder
stupidity prevails in the life of one destitute of wisdom! It fills the
place in a fool's heart that wisdom never filled to begin with!
Proverbs 10:21b, "....fools die for want of wisdom."
Oh, how important it is to get the Word of God into ourselves, and into
our children! Ladies, if we don't fill their hearts with wisdom from the
Bible, then folly will take over and become something they actually find
joy in for lack of not knowing any better!! Do you really want to see
your children choose folly, to actually enjoy foolishness as a way of
life, to be as an imbecile, to become completely stupid in behavior??
Parents, if our children are destitute of wisdom, it is our fault, for
God has given us the responsibility of training them and teaching them
diligently from His Holy Word! There should be no area of their lives
where they are void of understanding - nor ours! You can't live right,
walk right, talk right, think right, act right, choose right, without
wisdom! Yet, there are actually people across America, young and old alike,
that are destitute of wisdom, poverty-stricken souls void of the Word
of God because this nation has spit upon it and refused to uphold it and
reverence it as we should!! Folly has taken over this country, even our
churches, and especially the lives of God's people... We're experiencing
extreme weakness of mind. Nobody, it seems, takes the time to study their
thoughts, words or actions to see to it that they are holy! It's simply
not a priority anymore and because of it, many other countries are starting
to look at America as a mission field desperately in need of the truth
when we used to be the ones sending out missionaries to other countries!!
Yes, folly has filled our land and has become this nation's reputation
and the reputation of those within it. Many of our leaders lives are filled
with folly, including many spiritual leaders who have fallen into sin.
Folly has a stench to it, and this country has an odor to it that isn't
pleasant anymore, an odor of unrighteousness....
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:1, "Dead flies cause the ointment of
the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly
him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour."
James 1:15 says, "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
There is alot of death going on in America these days, alot of "dead flies"
in our ointment, so to speak. Innocent babies are killed every day in
abortion clinics, children are being killed in schools by their classmates,
marriages are dying, and most of all, there is the death of the truth
- the saddest funeral of all in the Lord's eyes, and the stench that rises
up heavenward must be unbearable! With these "dead flies" all around us,
folly rises and permeates the atmosphere of our nation, churches, homes,
and individual lives. Daily we dive into our sinful ways of living without
a thought given to whether it is upright in God's eyes or not! We are
void of understanding and cannot see the path we should take simply because
we love our sin!
Proverbs 26:11 says, "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth
to his folly."
What are your daily choices, dear lady? Are your actions inconsistent
with the dictates of reason, with the Word of God? Are you repeating your
sin day in and day out? Returning to your folly as the dog to his vomit?
If you are a Christian, you are bringing death to your reputation as a
child of the King! If you are in a position of wisdom and honour, then
you must learn to restrain yourself, for it is the name of your Savior
you are bearing about in your body! The wise person keeps himself on the
pathway of uprightness; he doesn't stray off of it to taste of sin, for
he knows it to be but folly! A person who recognizes his own foolishness
is already a little wise... Wisdom, when compared with folly, has some
striking advantages, amen ladies? Why not fill up those places in your
heart with God's wisdom every day so that folly doesn't permeate your
soul and cause you to become unprofitable!
Eccles. 2:13, "Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light
excelleth darkness."
God
Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000
Pamela A. Iannello