1st Corinthians 1: 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.
In preparing for this Bible study, we made a pretty grim discovery, that many of the individuals who the scriptures describe as being foolish are actually very well-respected and intelligent persons, to whom the world often looks up to, and have in veneration.
According to the Bible, having a very high I.Q. does not necessarily mean that a person is not a fool and being able to rub shoulders with many intellectuals, philosophers and the worldly wise may not translate always into having the wisdom that is born of God.
The Bible teaches us that the fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise instruction. And therefore, in the evaluation of fools, and wise men, the acknowledgement of God must be taken into consideration.
When persons deliberately reject the revealed truth about God, and turn to man-made philosophies and suppositions, the mind becomes darkened, and to a great extent contracted in its ability to expand so as to comprehend and evaluate spiritual things.
This deliberate turning away from God and His word then leads individuals to reason things along strictly logical modes of thought, so that the Divine and the supernatural are not taken into consideration in the planning and execution of duty.
Therefore, because of these grim discoveries, we’re prompted to examine from the word of God, those descriptions of what makes a man a fool, for there seems to be an inverted understanding of the wise and the foolish in our day which is causing persons to be led astray.
The following examples are therefore given in God’s word not only so that folks might tell the difference, but that we may understand why on certain, specific occasions, God might need, or choose to use foolish men for the accomplishment of His purposes.
[1] A foolish man is one who says there is no God. It includes, but is not limited to Atheists, and involves persons who deliberately reject the testimonies of the Scriptures, in favor of evolution. In the Scripture such individuals are described as being fools. Let’s read:
Psalms 14:1 The fool has said in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shews his handywork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shews knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run a race.
In our day we have rockets that head into space, we have telescopes which bring back images from the milky way with myriads of galaxies, moons, and suns together with millions of white dwarfs, and yet still man comes back down to earth to teach the theory of evolution?
Hence the reason why the Bible designates such as a fool, for in many cases, there is a deliberate effort to reject the light streaming from the word of God, as to the origin of species, and the creation of all things. In other words, all these discoveries should naturally lead us to conclude that there must be A God somewhere.
After Darwin visited the Galapagos islands, he used his so-called intelligence to conclude that the world we live in came about by chance evolution, and, no doubt, he is venerated in most of the higher schools of learning as an intelligent man and one who made a significant contribution to science.
But if the truth, revealed through God’s handiwork leads folks to Darwinism, and evolutionary theories, then the designation of a fool becomes appropriate. And if a change of heart, and perspective does not occur, the books of record in heaven will have the designation of “fool” written beside the names of such persons.
If all the billions and trillions of other planets, suns, and stars can be spinning, and moving out there in outer space without accident, then the only logical and sensible conclusion is that there must be Godly intelligence involved. Let’s read:
Isaiah 40: 26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails.
Romans 1: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
[2] A foolish man, according to the Scriptures is one who has gotten rich, by using his intelligence, and God’s resources to become wealthy and successful in life, yet there is neither a thought or care about God or man, in that man’s reckonings, and planning.
Many persons living on our planet have done very well financially, for they have carefully thought out their monetary strategies and some have made solid investments over the years, while others have used intelligence, thrift, patience and hard work, so that over a period of time they have accumulated great wealth.
And, having become successful financially they now can look forward to a comfortable, and well-funded retirement which often evades the poorer classes in their golden years. Such persons are usually looked up to by the masses of people, as being wise. This may be true on a temporal level.
Yet, in spite of their apparent worldly success, if the God- factor is never brought into the equation, such a person is designated as a fool in the Bible. It is not what people are accustomed to hearing, but it is the truth. In other words, the fact that a person may be doing well financially is not unmistakable evidence that such a person is not a fool. Let’s read:
Luke 12: 16 And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.
17 And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, this will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
[3] A fool in the Bible is one who is stupid enough to pick a fight with God, something that we as mortals should never, ever do. If folks have to fight, let it be against another human being like ourselves, or even satan, but try your very best to avoid picking a fight with God.
In other words, when mortals deliberately decide to set themselves in array against the revealed will of God, they can lose their minds, and become like the king of Babylon, whose stubborn resistance drove him to insanity for seven long years. Let’s read:
Psalms 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Acts 5: 34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel, or this work be of men, it will come to nought.
39 But if it be of God, ye Cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
All three of the previous descriptions of a fool were to be found in the pharaoh of Egypt during the time when the children of Israel were then enslaved by the one, who is generally believed to be Amenhotep or Ramses 2.
He regarded himself as being divine and history tells us that he accepted worship from his subjects, and therefore, when Moses and Aaron came in with the command from Yahweh to let the children of Israel go, he viewed the command as coming from a much inferior god, and he became deeply offended.
Pharaoh claimed not to believe in, nor recognize the God of heaven and for this reason, Egypt became an atheistic nation. They did, however retain a host of false gods in their pantheon, but the One and only true God was rejected outright, by both king and his citizens. Thus, on this first count he became a fool.
Pharaoh was also a fool on the level of the worldly wise, having riches laid up in store for many years, flush with education, architectural advancement, and knowledge in medicines and pharmaceuticals, while at the same time, he denied the power, and existence of God.
We should pay close attention to the characteristics of a fool, as mentioned in the scripture, because this pharaoh mirrors the rich fool mentioned by Christ in the New Testament, who had much goods laid up in store for many years. The question is: How was this pharaoh able to accumulate his vast wealth?
It can be traced right back to the very same God of heaven, whom he currently despised, for it was the wisdom, and genius given by God to Joseph, during the devastating seven-year famine, which caused a tremendous amount of wealth to fall by default into the hands of the pharaohs. Let the sacred record speak for itself:
Genesis 41:46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
54 And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
Not only did Rameses 2 become extremely wealthy through the providence of God, sacred history also confirms that he was a great builder, and came into possession of tremendous amounts of real estate by the providence of God.
These observations are very important for they will guide us as we search for any replicas that might be occurring in our day. The vast wealth and real estate of Rameses 2 required the building of treasure cities and according to the scriptures, almost all privately held lands, ultimately became his. Let’s read:
Exodus 1: 11 Therefore they did set over them task- masters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
Genesis 47: 11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt in the best of the land in the land of Rameses as Pharaoh had commanded.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money fails.
16 And Joseph said, give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, we will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also has our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so, the land became Pharaoh's.
So yes, Rameses became an extremely wealthy man who accumulated extensive real estate through the providence of God, so when he says “I know not The Lord” he was just telling a flat out, blatant lie.
It was a deliberate, conscious decision that he made to totally reject the undeniable evidences of God’s kindness toward himself and the nation as a whole.
At that time, as far as advancement in knowledge, sciences, art, education, and military prowess, Egypt had become the equivalent of the United States, in our day, and no doubt was the bread basket of the world under the wise leadership of Joseph, who was led by God Himself.
But, as was stated before, Rameses 2 was a fool, for not only denying the existence of God, but also for accepting praise and worship which belongs to God alone. All pharaohs considered themselves the sons of Ra, which they embraced in their titulary.
Carrying the title “son of Osiris” he was worshipped as a god, and to his poor subjects he was the zenith of both religious and political leadership. But what is particularly troubling is that the ordinary citizens of his realm did not have a problem in addressing him, and worshipping him as the “good god”.
It's one thing for the leader of any nation to think of himself as a god, but whenever the citizens begin to worship him as such, they will enter into the twilight zone of spiritual darkness, which in most cases ends in national destruction. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 759] The king, was considered to be Horus, the son of Osiris. As the ruler of the Nile country, he was addressed by his subjects as “the good god.”
Thus, his ideologies and his philosophies ultimately filtered down to the Egyptians, for they embraced the same warped perspectives as their king. When any mortal man, aspires to lead out in religious and political matters without God, the end of that nation will ultimately draw near, sooner or later.
But Rameses 2 was also a fool, because he picked a fight with the God of heaven, something which we as mortals must never, ever do. When God through Moses commanded the king to let His people go, he then went on the offensive, and instead increased in large measure, the already heavy burdens of God’s people.
This is significant because it was the law of God that pharaoh picked a fight with God on. In other words, he forced the Hebrews to work on the Sabbath day, contrary to the fourth commandment, which says: “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of The Lord thy God. In it thou shall not do any work”. Let’s read:
Exodus 5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.
6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall not give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 And the quota of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, you shall lay upon them; you shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore, they cry, saying, let us go and sacrifice to our God.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 258] In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowledge of God's law, and they had departed from its precepts. The Sabbath had been generally disregarded.
And the exactions of their taskmasters made its observance apparently impossible. But Moses had shown his people that obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance; and the efforts made to restore the observance of the Sabbath had come to the notice of their oppressors.
Thus, he went to war against The God of heaven by requiring the Hebrews to violate the Sabbath, and he did not stop there, for once any mortal man sets himself in array against God, he can go on to run the entire gamut of rebellion, which ultimately ends in destruction, if there isn’t any repentance.
He would set himself against God on all levels, and by so doing, he would run the country of Egypt into the ground, until by his foolishness, he would look upon the cold, dead face of his firstborn, and yet he still would not surrender.
The religious leaders of his realm, as well those who were in positions of influence would complain unto him that Egypt was being brought to ruins by his so-called intelligence but yet, because they viewed him as being the good god they continued to throw their support behind whatsoever he did.
Thus, those who were under his jurisdiction were worshipping him, because their decision to blindly obey the dictates of their dear leader, regardless of what God says, is what actually constituted worship, even if those who were obeying might privately be upset, and even if they vented their feelings about the stupidity of the king. Let’s read:
Exodus 10: 7 And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?
28 And Pharaoh said unto Moses get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.
29 And Moses said, thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.
Thus, on all the previous three levels of a fool that the Bible mentions, Rameses 2 became a real fool as is delineated in the following:
[1] Rameses was a fool, for he denied the existence of the God of Heaven.
[2] He was a fool for accumulating to himself vast treasures of wealth and real estate, with absolutely
no acknowledgement, or thought of God or man.
[3] He was a fool for picking a fight against God, by forcing the Hebrews to violate conscience and work over the sacred hours of the Sabbath.
However, for the fulfillment of God’s good purposes towards His people, believe it or not, this was the exact type of person God was looking for. He would fit the bill for what God was going to do and thus he was chosen by God, not because The Lord foresaw his willingness to obey, but because He foresaw his sheer stupidity.
It is worthy of note that this particular pharaoh was brought upon the stage of action by God in order, to facilitate the deliverance of His people and from this experience, and others like it in the Bible, we could safely conclude that there are times when The Lord indeed needs foolish men. Let’s read:
Exodus 9: 16 And indeed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 267] And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power.” Not that God had given him an existence for this purpose, but His providence had overruled events to place him upon the throne at the very time appointed for Israel's deliverance.
Though this haughty tyrant had by his crimes forfeited the mercy of God, yet his life had been preserved that through his stubbornness the Lord might manifest His wonders in the land of Egypt. The disposing of events is of God's providence.
He could have placed upon the throne a more merciful king, who would not have dared to withstand the mighty manifestations of divine power. But in that case the Lord's purposes would not have been accomplished.
History has a way of repeating itself, and therefore those of us who have been informed about what is coming must be on high alert for any characteristics, and patterns in one, that do seem similar in nature to those which were observed in the pharaoh of old.
One who manifests the same characteristics, one who is heavily invested in real estate, one who is a builder, one who has great wealth, one who might oppress God’s people, as it pertains to the Sabbath, one who is unusually stubborn, and one who seems to be obsessed with adoration and praise of men.
If at any time someone fitting this bill is brought by God upon the stage of action, then all the remnant people of God should have their eyes wide open to see what might, or may not transpire under such a person.
And we are never to believe that God is far removed from the processes that bring heads of nations upon the stage of action. God is closely intertwined in the most extensive way, in all that takes place upon the earth and especially will this be the case as the time for our final redemption draws near. Let’s read:
Proverbs 21: The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water, he turns it whithersoever he will.
Revelation 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
[Prophets & Kings pp 499] In the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice.
But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.
Therefore, as we look forward to the new year, it is with great urgency that we’re to seek to understand the shaping of events, in the light of what God has told us will be coming upon the face of the earth.
Indeed, it might be that all of the actors are already on the stage, only waiting for the curtains of last day events to be drawn aside. The world has become a decidedly more dangerous place, and who knows what will transpire with the changing of the guards.
Therefore, like Stephen, we are to keep our heads lifted to the skies, seeking God for direction in every decision of life, and trusting Him to take us through the flood, the storm or the fire, whichever might be headed our way.
While the Christian is not to go into panic mode, we are counseled by Christ to look for the signs and the waymarks that would herald His return, and this we must do, because in every reference to the second coming of Christ, the Bible infers that it would occur suddenly. Let’s read:
Luke 21: 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Mark 13: 35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning.
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all Watch.
[The Great Controversy pp 491] The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state—men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above.
“Watch ye therefore; ... lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping.” While the man of business is absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure-lover is seeking indulgence;
While the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments, it may be in that hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
Thus, as we look forward to a new year, we must be ready to adapt and make changes as The Lord would direct. The life of ease and peace isn’t guaranteed to last forever, and because of this, we will encourage everyone to hope and pray for the best, but prepare for the worst, just in case things begin to deteriorate more rapidly than some expect.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which should help us to keep in view the blessed hope, for it is quite possible that we might see with our own two eyes, many of the end time prophecies being fulfilled. Let’s read:
Romans 13: 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
God Bless!