Feb 01 2009
The Eyes of a Fool
“Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
but the eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth.”
Proverbs 17:24.
We are very much affected by the tendency to chase after the ends of the earth while completely ignoring wisdom. Often times, we think ourselves too wise to heed the true wisdom which is laid squarely before us. We set out goals and ambitions that we think will do us good and then ask God to meet us in that which we are doing, never stopping to consider that we may simply be the victims of our own foolishness. We say ridiculous things like, “If God really knew my need, He would act in such-and such a manner.” Or, “God knows I need this-or-that.”
What distinguishes the wise from the fool; what is wisdom and, do we invariably begin the quest by shooting ourselves in the foot? The idea that we have the ability to decide the basis of wisdom in this life may stem all the way back to the garden when the thought of having the knowledge of good and evil, of attempting to know as God knows, was first presented to Adam. The Serpent knew our weakness. Satan knows the very things that will pique our self serving lusts and cater to our vain glory, the things that we ourselves are far too often blinded to. We tend to focus on the short view and disregard the end game.
“The eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth.”… The fool thinks no further than the physicality of this tenuous life. He does not understand that life itself is the providence of our Holy God and that it will last well past this existence; into the limitlessness of eternity. The fool wants no more than to be reasonably comfortable in the chaos of earthly mire, a retirement account to sustain his worldly ambitions to the grave, and a nice home in which to raise a family. If all goes well, perhaps even a bit set aside to pass the curse of the love of money on to the next, uncaring generation. These may all seem to be noble and worthwhile goals, but to go through life unaware of the consequences of such a limited view is to be truly foolish. The, “ends of the earth,” end, at the ends of the earth, but eternity begins at the very same point. As an example; it would be as though a person packs for a vacation trip, but not for the actual vacation or the events that are hoped to be enjoyed upon arrival at the resort.
This life is a journey much like the family vacation. To travel across the country to a destination, say an amusement park, with a car full of children is not fun, or pretty. This life is hard. And why not? This is a fallen world that we need to go through. We cannot hope to travel the freeway of bliss, no; here we must face the bumps and ruts of the daily grind, the life the fool is trying to cushion in order to make the trip tolerable. What he fails to see is that once he arrives at his destination, once the river Jordan has been crossed, then the end game is before him and he is wholly unprepared. Having given no though to the eternal necessities, all that is left for him is to hear, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” But not so with wisdom.
I am not claiming a wisdom of my own design, wisdom exists and it is of God. “Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding…” Understanding the things of God, being able to allow our Lord Jesus’ Holy Spirit to instruct us; this is how it must begin. When the ferryman brings your battered ‘68 Buick to the shores of paradise it may pale in comparison to the Ferrari and Mercedes Benz that shared the voyage, but those earthly prizes will only be seen from behind as they turn to the left, carrying their occupants to Hell. Your Buick will get you to the showroom floor of the celestial city and then you will trade up to a glory untold. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 111:10. To hold the reverence of God is the fear which is the beginning of Wisdom. Understanding that life is not about the riches amassed, the accomplishments achieved or the esteem that your associates hold you in; starting to rightly fear the Lord God of Heaven and earth, this is only the beginning.
We must never lose sight of the prize, that this life is merely preparatory for our eternal destiny, that this is our proving ground where we are allowed, by the grace of God Almighty, to empty ourselves of self, and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with the fear which brings, on its heels, the seeds of wisdom. I am reminded of the story of the rich tycoon who lay dying with his greedy heirs standing about in the hall outside the bed chamber. At his last, the man’s lawyer was ushered in to receive the death bequests and upon returning to those pacing in the hall was hungrily asked, “How much did he leave?” The lawyer answered, “All of it.” That is the finale. We can take nothing with us, indeed, were we allowed to do so; the best of our earthly riches would shrink in the glory of the worst of Heaven’s gifts.
I am not saying that we should strive hard to assure poverty! Even the sluggard can do that and with no effort whatsoever. We are to be good stewards of the riches that God provides, wasting nothing, lifting up others in higher esteem than we maintain for ourselves. Will we struggle? Of Course. Will we fall? Occasionally. But when we struggle and when we fall, we have the promises of the Word of God to comfort us knowing that we are never alone in the struggle, nor without a friend to help right us after a fall. Christians, we have the end game to look forward to and we take our strength from the Creator who gave into us His breath of life, who promises that He will never leave nor forsake us. We used to be like the world, longing for an easy path paved with riches. “Oh, if I could only hit the lottery, my worries would be over.” And , friends, they would be - for the time being. Most would squander the windfall in this lifetime but worse, it would do nothing but lead us farther away from the only source of salvation which is found in Christ Jesus.
It is far better to receive only our daily bread, our single serving of manna. In glory we will feast with the Lord and sit at His table and that will far surpass the gorging of ourselves today at the lustful banquets of Satan only to find that at the end, we will forever hunger. Hunger in eternal torment having already received our share in this life. We are to be as innocent as the dove but as wise as the serpent. Wisdom, given from above, is the goal we must seek regardless of how well the neighbors seem to be faring, regardless of how rocky the road might become, and regardless of the constant insults of those trapped in a worldly straight-jacket who cannot understand that we care more for the things of God than the things of earth. As we were once blind, so they are now. We must stand as the lamp upon its stand and shine before the world so that they may ask why we act in the ways we do, what motivates us beyond the treasures of this life, what gives us the surety of an existence that surpasses all human understanding. Stand fast through the hard times, be the witness to the world that we are not shaken because ours is a faith grounded on the rock of ages, the strong tower that we can run to for our protection and provision.
Some will never understand but as many as are called by the Father unto the Son, we may be the beacon that guides their ships safely through the storm. We do not have the right to do anything less. We have been bought at a price, the death and resurrection of the Son of God. When we gave ourselves to Him we surrendered all, if we now hold back claiming an imagined right to do so; then we never came to the cross at all. You can not ask the Lord Jesus Christ into your life saying, “I give up everything for your sake, except…” Take your eyes off the ends of the earth and do not be a fool. Seek rather the kingdom of God and begin with the understanding that wisdom, the Wisdom of God is to be prized above all this world can offer.
The pursuit of Godly things, wisdom, the knowing of His ways; this is the path that will lead you to a true appreciation of the sacrifice made by God in surrendering His only begotten Son. This is the love we have received and not for ourselves only, but for us to share among a dark and frightened world. The lost world needs Christ but if we do not show the example of the fruit of grace in our lives, if we can not stand for the truth of God and deny our worldly desires, what advantage will the lost realize? We know the difference that accepting Jesus has forged in our lives but we are called to show it to the world. When we do this this we become the ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom and are able to hold the door for the lost who will see that ours, are lives lived…
All for the Glory of Christ