Beware of the Fools’ Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 4:4
And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:5
Fools fold their hands
and ruin themselves.

Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.

If someone has some great achievements he or she cannot be referred to as a fool. Yet the Bible tells us that such a person can be an absolute fool. Actually from what the Bible teaches, a fool can be successful. There is a fool’s wisdom that leads them to success. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

Luke 12:16-21 tells us a parable Jesus gave about a rich fool. The rich man worked very hard and had a bumper harvest. The rich man had great achievements more than anyone else in that area, yet Jesus called him a fool. Achievements and success are not evidence of being right, doing right, or even having God’s favor. He was a fool because he was rich materially but poor spiritually. He was a fool because he only thought about himself and never others. He was a fool because he believed that achievements were enough to guarantee a good life and future. On the day of his great achievements the God he had ignored killed him and the foolishness of a successful life without God was exposed. Is it possible we are now succeeding but using fool’s wisdom? Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

Our text today tells us that you can work very hard because you are envious of someone else. Our text today tells us that you can excel in life because you are driven by jealousy. Envy and jealousy have driven many people to great achievements and success. The success that is driven by jealousy and envy is the fool’s wisdom. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

The Bible tells us success driven by envy and jealousy is meaningless. It is like chasing the wind. Jealousy will never be satisfied. Once you have what your neighbor has, you will live in fear that he may have more. Once you have what your neighbor has you may look for another neighbor to be better than. Once you have what your neighbor has you won’t find happiness because it wasn’t your original goal but a copied goal. It will be an empty tasteless success. You will find no peace or pleasure. You actually chased the wind. You succeeded through the fool’s wisdom. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

Don’t start a business because your neighbor started a business. Don’t go to school because your neighbor went to school. Do not pursue an academic program because your neighbor is pursuing it. Do not plant a crop because your neighbor planted it. Do not rush into marriage because your neighbor just had a colorful wedding. Do not buy property, build a house, buy a car or even change a car because your neighbor did. You may out of jealousy and envy get what your neighbor has but find no joy or fun in it. It may leave you in debt and feeling empty and unhappy. You succeeded using fool’s wisdom. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

Another wisdom from fools is that they don’t work hard. They convince themselves that it is better to have less with less labor than much with too much struggle. The fool is avoiding hard work. The Bible warns against much without peace, but the Bible doesn’t warn against much from hardworking. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

Proverbs 17:1
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Proverbs 21:9
Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 21:19
Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

Less with peace is better than much in strife. The fool twists this wisdom to permit his or her laziness. The fool twists it to suggest that less with less work is better than much with hard work. That is the fool’s wisdom. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

The fool’s wisdom is the reason why many students with potential are having low and poor grades. The fool’s wisdom stops us from going for great things. The fool’s wisdom convinces us that mediocrity is good. The fool’s wisdom convinces us that low achievements are good. Yet God wants us to work hard and achieve more. Are you satisfied with low pay? It could be a fool’s wisdom guiding you. Are you satisfied with your life of ever being low and in need of moving from debt to deeper debt? It could be a fool’s wisdom guiding you. Do you know your life can be better than this if you made changes and worked harder? Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

Fool’s wisdom is the reason why many make no changes and they remain single. It is the reason why marriage doesn’t improve because we have accepted low results of happiness and have concluded that nothing can change. It is the reason why we quit the gym and exercise. It is the reason why we could be going through abuse and are ok with it. It could be the reason why we are not venturing into job searching or starting a business. It could be contentment based on fool’s wisdom that less with less work is better than much with much work. Beware of the fool’s wisdom.

I am now examining myself and I realize I could be operating on fool’s wisdom. Maybe I am working so hard based on jealousy. Maybe I am doing so little comforted by fool’s wisdom. May God save me from being guided and held hostage by fool’s wisdom. Set me free, dear God, set me free from fool’s wisdom, in Jesus’ name, Amen!