Sermon for Sunday morning, July 14, 2024 at Unionville Presbyterian Church, BPC
Old Testament reading:
[Pro 18:1-8 ESV] 1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. 2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. 3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. 4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. 5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. 6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. 7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. 8 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
New Testament reading:
[Tit 3:1-11 ESV] 1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Gospel reading:
[Luk 12:13-21 ESV] 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”‘ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Scripture reading:
[1Sa 25:1-13 ESV] 1 Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.'” 9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. 10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. 13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
Introduction
We have an intermission of a sort with chapter 25 of 1st Samuel. It is a break from hearing about the evil King Saul. But our lead character David is not without an adversary. Now we have the foolish Nabal. [REPEAT: The Foolish Nabal] In fact, in Hebrew “Nabal” means “fool.”
Looking at this text and others we will find the answers to the questions:
I. What is a fool?
II. How can we avoid being a fool?
and
III. How are we to respond to a fool?
as we look to the wisdom of Christ.
But first, there is a surprisingly short comment in verse 1 of our text. It tells us that Samuel died. Just that, and then “all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.” This is the man, the prophet, who has played such a large role in our book. It is even named after him. 1st Samuel. And the next book, even though he is dead, is named after him. 2nd Samuel. This is explained by understanding that 1st and 2nd Samuel were originally written as a single book. And when the Hebrews were looking for a scroll to read they would look at the first words. So Genesis is called “bereshit” for the words “in the beginning.” And the Scroll of Samuel is so-called because you find the story starting off with an account of the birth of Samuel. In our Western, English minds, we would likely title these books “David” for he is the more major character overall.
Anyways, Samuel’s death only gets 1 verse.
The death of Abraham gets at least a paragraph in Genesis.
The death of Moses gets a full chapter in Deuteronomy.
The coverage of Samuel’s death and funeral is quite short, much like Joshua.
It is only speculation on my part, but perhaps the short note of Samuel’s death is indicative of the fact that he is no longer the central figure in the narrative; David is.
But we see Samuel honored.
Let us move on then.
I. What is a fool?
In the account now following David, we come to his latest adversary Nabal the fool. This gives us a chance to look into the question “what is a fool?” That is, BIBLICALLY, what is a fool?
The scriptures notes three characteristics of the fool which I want to emphasize in particular.
1. The fool is an atheist.
2. The fool is stingy with food and money.
3. The fool talks too much.
This is why I title the sermon “Anatomy of a Fool.” We want to know what a fool is, so we can NOT be one, and so we can respond rightly to them.
Now, “anatomy” may refer to the study of the body, the internal organs, etc. Or “anatomy” can be used more generally, as I am using it today, to refer to “study of the structure of internal working of something.” So we will look at how a fool works. How a fool operates.
1. The fool is an atheist.
First, the fool is an atheist.
This isn’t me being a mean Christian. This is what the Bible itself says:
In two of the Psalms, 14:1 and 53:1.
“THE FOOL says in heart, ‘There is no God.’”
Why is it foolish to say “there is no God.”
Well, for one, God is really powerful!
But, also, WE ALL KNOW there is a God.
Paul says in Romans 1:20:
[Rom 1:20 ESV] 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
We know there is a God, and we see his eternal power and divine nature in the world.
Therefore, you have to be a fool to reject what is known to you.
The atheist is a fool.
And the fool is an atheist.
2. The fool is stingy with food and money.
Then, we see another Biblical characteristic in the anatomy of the fool.
The fool is stingy with food and money.
He loves food; he loves money.
Naturally, the fool, because he is an atheist, must find a new god. And that god is himself; it is power; it is control; it is money, and it is his belly. He’s all for himself.
Look at our Gospel reading from Luke 12.
A man asked Jesus to tell his the man’s brother to divide the inheritance with him.
The man wants the money.
So what does Jesus say?
First, he basically says “I’m not the one in position to tell your brother such a thing.”
And then he says “BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST ALL COVETOUSNESS.”
Jesus turns it around. The man said “my brother is stingy.” He says “don’t be coveting.” “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possession.”
And so Jesus tells a parable about a fool.
And the fool cares about his goods, and eating, and drinking, and being merry MORE THAN he cares about God.
The FOOL cares for FOOD.
He cares for things that rust and moths destroy.
But the wise man stores up treasures in heaven.
This idea of the selfish belly-focused fool is also in Isaiah. The fool there is stingy, not sharing with the hungry.
[Isa 32:6 ESV] 6 For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
So the fool is an atheist and the food is stingy with food and money. Then, third, “the fool talks to much.”
3. The fool talks too much.
This is probably the most frequently addressed element of the anatomy of the fool in the Bible. He talks TOO much!
[Pro 10:8 ESV] 8 The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Babbling fool. Too busy talking to even consider doing right according to the commandments of God. He’s own direction in life is his own direction. He makes the commandments; putting himself in the place of God.
Then,
[Pro 18:2 ESV] 2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
The fool has lots of opinions. And he wants everyone to know them. He takes no pleasure in understanding, in listening and knowing truth, but only desires to express his opinion.
Just the other day, I heard a person say “I like to do religion my own way.”
That person is a fool.
We are to “do religion” God’s way. We are to do all things “his way.” Your own way is chaos and error and foolishness.
That is the way of the fool. An unbelieving atheist, who puts puts money and food in the place of God, and endlessly gives his opinion. Always “learning” but never coming to a knowledge the truth; and “the truth” is Jesus Christ and His written Word. While they say they are “open minded” they are actually “empty minded.”
Now, for the example of Nabal, the consummate fool.
The Example of Nabal
It’s not actually till verse 25 that we hear his wife call him out. Abigail says he is a “worthless fellow.” And she says “for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.”
In our text we find that David has him men ask Nabal to join in on the feast he is having. David figures that he has helped guard Nabal’s sheep and goats in the wilderness, and so as the custom goes, he would be allowed to join in on the feast.
But Nabal is stingy.
And this is his response to David’s servants.
“Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”
All this when David’s servants had said to Nabal, nicely per David’s instructions, “’Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.”
So David gives a greeting.
Nabal returns it with insults.
He is certainly “a crude dude in a rude mood.”
Later we find that Nabal dies, perhaps from drinking himself to death.
So when, in the beginning of the chapter you hear about his 3000 sheep and 1000 goats, you must not think he is a great man like Job (who also had much livestock). Nabal isn’t a great man; he just has a bunch of stuff. And he’s not going to share.
You know its pretty bad when he own wife calls him essentially a fool.
We will, Lord willing, look at her (Abigial) as a positive role model next week.
But for now we have Nabal, who, much like Saul, returns evil for good.
Who, when his neighbor says “hello” returns with a “go away?” Nabal does.
II. How can we avoid being a fool?
So how can we avoid being a fool?
Well, for one, DON’T BE LIKE NABAL!
Don’t be stingy, but be generous.
Focus on the eternal more than the temporal.
And then, SEEK WISDOM.
Don’t chatter so much that you’re like a 1-way street.
God made us for communication. You listen, you talk, you listen, you talk.
What is the cliché, “God made you with two ears and only one mouth.”
And what are we to listen to? It is the word of God. Because there we hear true wisdom; we learn to trust in the Lord and not in ourselves or money or anything that is fleeting.
Now, consider this proverb:
[Pro 17:24 ESV] 24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
The eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. He’s not looking at what is in front of him. His mind wanders on to “far off” things. That’s a recipe for disaster. There are many jobs where if you are not focused on the task at hand, you can seriously hurt yourself.
But the wise, the discerning, by contrast, “sets his face toward wisdom.” The believer is ready to catch the ball that is coming towards him. And he embraces the word of God, for “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is strong than man.”
So we are to embrace the word of God. To seek first His Kingdom.
III. How are we to respond to a fool?
But how do we deal with fools in our life!?!
We can avoid being one ourselves, but we can’t stop there from being fools in the world.
How do we respond to a fool?
And, I think this could be a great surprise to many. How do we respond to a fool? WE DON’T.
DON’T RESPOND TO A FOOL
Proverbs 26:4a “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.”
Proverbs 23:9 “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool for he will despise the hearing of your words”
So we don’t try to “fix a fool” for they will not be fixed.
[Pro 29:9 ESV] 9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
Don’t respond to a fool.
This is why Jesus, when is before the Sanhedrin and before Pilate, says virtually nothing. He is following the wisdom of Scripture.
But what about evangelism, apologetics? If they are willing to listen, by all means preach. But for the true fool, you are not spending your time wisely in debating them.
Paul says to Titus that Christians must “avoid quarreling” and “avoid FOOLISH controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” And, after warning a person who stirs up division [a fool], have nothing more to do with him.
You see, fools quarrel.
[Pro 20:3 NIV] 3 It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
That is why we avoid responding to the fool. For they love to quarrel, but we are about living at peace with all men.
For many, this is hard to do. There is a tendency to want to “win” an argument. But against a fool, the best way to win is to not fight.
Conclusion
While the idea of “not responding to a fool” might be a disappointment to some who want to “change the world” for many of us this is a relief. It takes a great burden off of you to know that it is not your job to change the mind of the foolish world.
Let us focus instead on the truth of God, learning and growing in His word, and being blessed by wisdom.
Let us pray.