Our dear friend Jasmine Baucham has just written something that complements our last post beautifully. In our previous post, we admonished girls to choose their friends carefully; particularly, to avoid friendships with fools. Avoiding fools certainly does not mean turning a deaf ear to the spiritually needy — the ignorant but teachable — but rather means not casting our pearls before those who stubbornly reject teaching (one of the defining characteristics of a fool).
What is so deplorable to God about the fool, that He would command us to “forsake the foolish” (Pro. 9:6), “go from the presence of a foolish man” (Pro. 14:7), and rather meet “a bear robbed of her whelps…than a fool in his folly” (Pro. 17:12)?
Jasmine has written an excellent post on identifying the characteristics of a fool. Quoting from her blog, a fool is:
one who despises wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7; 10:21)
one who lacks sense (Proverbs 8:5)
one who utters slander (Proverbs 10:8)
one who does not heed advice (Proverbs 12:15)
one who does not control his feelings (Proverbs 12:16; 29:11)
one who flaunts his folly (Proverbs 12:32)
one who is reckless and careless (Proverbs 14:16)
one who has a quick temper (Proverbs 14:17)
one who despises his father’s instruction (Proverbs 15:5)
one who despises his mother (Proverbs 15:20)
one who does not accept reproof (Proverbs 17: 10)
is bitterness to his parents (Proverbs 17:21, 25)
one who would rather express his own opinion than gain understanding (Proverbs 18:2)
one who loves quarreling (Proverbs 20:3)
one who despises good sense (Proverbs 23:9)
one for whom honor is not fitting (Proverbs 26:1)
one who trusts in his own mind (Proverbs 28:26)
and the list goes on…
….We live in a culture that expects teenagers to behave foolishly, and to seek friends who will behave likewise. Anyone who strives for a higher standard is often considered a holier-than-thou joy-killer. And most of us, instead of rising to the standard laid forth clearly in the Bible, accept the low expectations of the culture around us and act accordingly.
But the Bible is clear:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ~Ephesians 4:15-17
Go here to read the whole thing.
