163. Learning From Empty Pursuits, Friendless Folly, And Dangerous Pledges (Proverbs 17:16-18)

Learning From The Way Of The Fool, Part 5

5/5/2024

Turn with me to Proverbs 17:16-18. These are our verses to study and memorize this week.

Proverbs 17:16-18 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense? 17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. 18 A man lacking in sense pledges And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

Introduction

Here in Proverbs 17:7-26 we are looking at lessons from the ways of fools. Within these verses there are three main sections. With verse 15 we concluded the first section. It dealt with the fool’s unjust behavior. Now in Proverbs 17:16-20 we are looking at the crooked mind of the fool. Then in verses 21-26 we will see the effects of the fool on family and society. In all of these sections we are looking at foolish behaviors for us to avoid. We are supposed to learn how not to live, and thus by contrast how to live. Though they were written three thousand years ago, these proverbs are very relevant for our lives today.

Do you find your days slipping by without accomplishing anything truly worthwhile? Do you find yourself looking to TV shows, the news, or the internet for how to live, what to think, or what hobbies and entertainments to pursue? Apart from our time at church, how many of us listen to audio messages, read articles or books, or watch trustworthy videos each and every week to intentionally grow in our knowledge and application of God’s wisdom to our lives? If we are honest, some of us might not even be personally reading God’s Word every day. To help us deal with this issue, in verse 16 we will see the foolishness of the empty pursuits of fools.

Have you had times in your life where you did not have any friends or family to help you? Have you had times where you yourself cut out the very people from your life that you really needed? Have you ever been too proud to ask for help and ended up making a much bigger problem out of a situation? To help us deal with these kinds of issues, in verse 17 we will see the foolishness of living alone without friends or family to help.

On the other side of things, do you sometimes want to help other people out so much that you make foolish choices and make things worse for them or yourself? Have you ever offered to help or do something when you did not really have the time or money to be able to do so? Have you co-signed for someone else or over-committed your time or finances and ended up hurting yourself or your family? To help us deal with this issue, in verse 18 we will see the foolishness of becoming a guarantor for someone else.

Let’s take a look more closely now at these three proverbs to see what God would have us learn.

16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense?

Fools pursue emptiness instead of wisdom.

This is one of the 30 proverbs in the whole book of Proverbs which actually has a question (or questions) in it.¹ So it is a rare proverb which stands out for its relative uniqueness. Most proverbs do not ask a question. They make a statement. They give a contrast. They make a comparison. Like other proverbs, though, it is designed to make us think and to communicate truth to us.

Within our current major section of synonymous/synthetic proverbs in Proverbs 16-22:16 only 5 such verses occur. In all of these the presence of the question highlights the extreme nature of the situation or contrast that is being expressed. For instance:

 In Proverbs 18:14 the question highlights how much worse a sick spirit is than simply being physically sick. It is extremely worse. Rest, good food, and medicine will not fix it.

 In Proverbs 20:6 a question reveals that despite many people’s verbal claims, few are actually loyal. People are extremely disloyal. They often lie to save face, or think they mean it. Yet when push comes to shove they are nowhere to be found.

 In Proverbs 20:9 a question lays bare the sinfulness of every single person on earth. Sin is extremely ingrained in everyone. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

 In Proverbs 20:24 a rhetorical question highlights the impossibility of knowing our future apart from God since He is involved in ordaining our circumstances and future. Despite our best efforts to control our lives our specific future is extremely unknown.

In the case of our current proverb here in Proverbs 17:16 the question pushes us to consider an extreme irony. It pushes us to consider a sad, ludicrous reality about fools. So much of the time they have all the advantages and opportunities to get wisdom, but they do not have enough sense to pursue it. They do not have the mind, heart, or will to get it, carry it out, or understand it. What they don’t have enough of (sense) keeps them from getting what they need the most (wisdom).

Many people think that what they lack is money or time to get what they need. In reality, they do not realize that they have enough money and time. What they lack is wisdom to use what they have and to really pursue what they actually need in life. They do not see their actual need, so they live for empty and destructive pursuits. They do not see the value of God’s wisdom, so they make up and pursue their own.

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this with the Gadarenes in Matthew 8:28-34. Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and encountered two violent, demon possessed men living in tombs. They prevented people from passing by. Jesus restored them by casting out the demons. He allowed the demons to go into a herd of pigs which then stampeded over a cliff and drowned. The whole city that was nearby came out and begged Jesus to leave their region. Instead of marveling at and appreciating Jesus’ dealing with these demon possessed men all they could focus on was the lost pigs and their fear of the unknown of what Jesus would do. They valued their pigs more than they did these healed men or having back their freedom to travel. They did not see their real need. They did not have the sense to see how He could heal their other sicknesses, meet their other needs, or give them wisdom from God. All they could see was their fear of Jesus’ power and what they could lose. It blinded them to what they needed.

Similarly, the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus (Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18:18-23) shows how foolishness prevents one from pursuing the wisdom that is truly needed. He said he wanted eternal life. However, when confronted with the reality of his sin which he would need to give up he simply went away sorrowfully. His love of things was greater than his love for God. He had been invited to come and follow Jesus. Think of that amazing opportunity lost! He did not have the sense to see that his need for God, his need for eternal life, his need for Jesus’ wisdom, was more important than all the wealth or things that could ever exist in this world.

This foolishness, though, does not just apply to unbelievers. Think of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. They valued the praise of people and money over the praise of God. So they lied about the reality of their situation and how much they had given to the church. They did not have the sense to pursue what was right in their situation even though they were part of the church and hearing God’s Word taught.

Similarly, John Mark left being a helper to Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5, 13). He gave up. He left. Here he was apprenticed as a helper to Paul and Barnabas! He had one of the greatest opportunities in the world to learn from a couple of the best teachers that the world has ever known. But he did not have the sense to persevere through hardships to stick with it and learn God’s wisdom from them. Thankfully, while that opportunity was squandered, he did afterwards learn his lesson. Later on he was again a helper to Barnabas (Acts 15:39) and eventually ended up being a help to Paul in ministry as well (2 Timothy 4:11).

On the other hand, in 2 Timothy 4:10 we learn of Demas who “having loved this present world” deserted Paul. Sadly, in Scripture we do not hear of any recovery for him. Though he had amazing opportunities to serve and work with Paul he did not have the sense to learn from him the wisdom to overcome temptations and truly have abundant life. He did not learn from him what truly mattered.

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see that this lacking sense is often the result of a self-deceived pride. All to often people focuses more on what they personally think, feel, want, and supposedly know rather than on pursuing true wisdom. 1 Corinthians 3:18-21a warns against this.

1 Corinthians 3:18-21a Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; 20 and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.” 21 So then let no one boast in men.

People do not have the sense to realize that their trust in their psychology, their philosophy, their materialism, their hedonism, their evolutionism, their pseudo-scientism, their religion, their political correctness, or their government is preventing them from gaining true wisdom. It blinds them.

Where then is true wisdom found? According to Colossians 2:3 in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” If we lack wisdom James 1:5 instructs us to ask God for it. In 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul reminded Timothy it is “the sacred writings [Scripture] which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” In Colossians 3:16 we are commanded “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom.” Wisdom is found in Jesus.

In contrast James 3:15 warns of a wisdom that does not come from above. It is earthly, natural, and demonic. Professing to be wise it is all to easy to become fools as we look in all the wrong places for wisdom (Romans 1:22). We do not have enough sense to pursue wisdom when we look anywhere other than Jesus for it. Whenever we look inward to ourselves, or whenever we look outward to the world we just find “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body” which Colossians 2:23 tells us is “of no value against fleshly indulgence.” It will not help.

Unless we continue to look to Jesus for wisdom we are fools pursuing emptiness and destruction. We have the truth in front of us, but we do not have enough sense to look to God’s Word for wisdom on how to live day by day and in each new situation that we face. May we learn from the ways of fools and have enough sense to pursue God’s wisdom for every area of our lives as Proverbs 3:5-6 talk about.

Truth in Connection: Think about your own situation as we apply this to our lives. We have the opportunity before us to listen to ten’s of thousands, if not hundred’s of thousands, of carefully studied and well preached audio messages. We have the opportunity to read thousands upon thousands of quality books on the Bible and Christian living if we but made the effort to access them and read them. We have ten’s of thousands of free quality Bible study articles and resources on Bible.org alone—not to mention on websites such as Grace To You, Ligonier, Desiring God, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, SpurgeonsGems, etc. We have an embarrassment of options when it comes to translations of the Bible in English to read and study. We even have the ability to freely study Greek and Hebrew should we desire it and be up for it. We have free video seminary courses available, and a host of other quality video resources should we be interested in expanding our understanding of God’s Word. There are also numerous paid seminaries with on site and distance learning options where one can more directly interact with teachers and other students. In most cities around America one can find a local evangelical church, if not multiple, that focuses on teaching God’s Word expositionally week by week. We have pastors, elders, and other church members to talk to.

And yet, where do we routinely go for wisdom? Do we have enough sense to seek Jesus and His Word for wisdom? Do we truly trust in the Lord with all our heart, acknowledge Him in all our ways and lean not unto our own understanding? Or are we fools following the world’s way of doing things where everyone does what is right in their own eyes?

Whose examples do we follow? Who are our heroes, our influencers? Are they heroes of the faith? Or heroes and influencers of Tiktok, sports, movies, music, business, or politics? Do we read Christian biographies to ourselves and our children to have good examples? Or do we encourage ourselves and them to follow what’s popular in this world? We will not find God’s wisdom there. May we not be among those who do not have enough sense to seek God’s wisdom. It is right here in front of us in His Word. Are we living like we know and believe it? Or not? We need to routinely examine our lives and see what wisdom we are living by to see whether it is God’s wisdom or the world’s. Will you examine your life?

Living this way starts by turning from our sin and personally trusting Jesus as the only Lord and Savior. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, to redeem us, and to bring us eternal life. If you have not done this, then surrender and trust Him today. But it does not stop there! Since He is the one and only Lord and Savior, since He is the one and only Creator, since He is perfectly righteous, good, omnipotent, and omniscient then following anyone else is the height of foolishness. Anything not in line with His wisdom will not be best for us. It will not be right. It will be wrong and destructive. The only wise thing is to go to Him in everything for wisdom and guidance. That is precisely why He gave us His Word and has preserved it down through the millennia! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:3-11 declare it’s sufficiency. Let’s learn from the senseless way of the fool. Run to God’s Word for wisdom in everything.

Our second proverb highlights the foolishness of being friendless and alone.

17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Those who truly care for us are there to help in time of need.

This proverb seems to break the pattern of the proverbs here which are looking at foolish ways of living to avoid. However, it actually provides the contrast to be able to see the truth of the next proverb even more clearly. They are closely connected. It is a good thing to have a friend who loves and helps us through thick and thin. It is a huge blessing to have brothers who do not abandon us but are there to help us in our worst of times. Yet, the reality is that as important as this is, it too can be taken in a foolish or dangerous direction. The next verse will take a look at that.

Before we go there, though, we need to learn from this verse. If we reverse it we see another foolish way of living that we should avoid. We should avoid going through life without true friends and family. It is foolish to live as if we never needed help. It is foolish to live without friends or family to help in our times of need. Positively speaking, we need trustworthy, loyal friends. We need family to help us.

Even before sin entered the world in Genesis 2:18 God declared that it was not good for man to be alone. Thus God created woman and the family. God created us to need one another and to help one another. Similarly, when God calls people out of their sin and saves them He makes them part of His family. He instituted the church and gave us each spiritual gifts. We are to help one another as we live in this new life as disciples of Jesus. He makes us brother and sisters to one another with God as our eternal Father. Thus in all adversity and in all circumstances as Christians we have family—whether physical or not—in one another.

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see a number of examples of this proverb. David and Jonathan stand out in this regard. Jonathan helped David through quite a number of his trials. He gave him gifts to help him in battle. He warned him of dangers. He did what was best, right, and truly needed even when it cost him his father’s favor, the prospect of being king himself, and even put his life in jeopardy. Through it all he was a true friend who helped David in his adversity.

Ruth likewise was the most loyal of daughter-in-laws who gave up everything to help Naomi. She left her family, her nation, her gods, and everything she knew to stick with Naomi and follow God. She did not abandon Naomi in her sorrow, bitterness, and complaining. She trusted God. She worked hard. She supported them financially. She indeed loved at all times and stuck with Naomi through adversity.

We find another example of this when David was run out of Jerusalem by Absalom’s coup. With some others a man named Barzillai, who was 80 years old, came and brought all kinds of food and provisions to David in the wilderness (2 Samuel 17:27). He was no fair weather friend. He was there when David and his people needed help the most. He sustained them in the wilderness. He was not in it for what he could get out of it. He was a true friend.

Ultimately Jesus is the greatest example of this. In our greatest adversity, while we were yet sinners and the enemies of God, Jesus came, adding on humanity to His deity. He went to the cross to do what we could not. He paid for our sin and reconciled to the Father all those who trust in Him as Lord and Savior. We were adopted as children of God and become co-inheritors with Jesus of all things. As our brother, Lord, and Savior He has taken away our sin, given us His righteousness, and promised to never leave us or forsake us. He is with us to give us everything that we need for faithfully carrying out God’s good purposes for our lives. He is truly the best friend and brother that anyone could ever have!

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see these truths reiterated in Ecclesiastes 4:11-12.

Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

God made us to need one another and help one another. And, in this sinful, broken world we also need each other for protection from the situations that can occur. Together—with friends, brothers and sisters, and church family—we will have the help that we need for the adversities that come upon us all.

Truth in Connection: If we are wise we will live in light of this wisdom. We will pursue having trustworthy, loyal friends. We will pursue being a trustworthy loyal friend who loves at all times. We will pursue God’s plan for the family. We will pursue being a full part of a local body of believers where we aid one another, where we use our spiritual gifts to build one another up, and where we together pursue serving and obeying God. We will work past the disagreements, frustrations, and annoyances that occur to truly love one another through thick and thin. We will be there to do what is truly best for each other.

If we are foolish and lacking sense we will try to live life on our own without the help and friendship of others. We will avoid asking for help. We will be proud and attempt to be self-sufficient. We will not help others—or will just do it to exalt ourselves. We will be self-focused. Then, when our trouble comes we will have no one to help us. We will want to run and hide. We will be ashamed of our needs, rather than knowing how much we are loved by loyal friends who truly care. May we not live this way.

May we live following Jesus’ earthly example. He had complete dependence upon the Father’s perfect provisions while at the same time showing faithful loyal love to those He came to save. To do this we too will need to depend on God for the strength that He provides through His Spirit, through His Word, through our families, and through His church. As we do that we will then be enabled to faithfully serve God and rightly love one another. As we know God’s love through those ways we will learn how to love others in those same ways.

Our third proverb highlights the foolishness of being a guarantor for someone else.

18 A man lacking in sense pledges And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

A fool pledges what he has as a guarantee for someone else.

This provides the other side of our previous proverb. A friend loves at all times, but wisdom must guide on what that love looks like. A brother is born for adversity, but discernment reveals the best way through the adversity. Throwing money at problems is not always the best answer. Fixing the immediate problem likewise is not always what is most needed. There are wise limits on what can and should be done. Likewise, discernment is needed to determine what is truly best in a specific situation. In this proverb we see that the senseless do not realize this. They think they are being a good friend by always financially helping out, but that is not always the case. They think they are being a loyal brother by undertaking the full responsibility of a situation, but sometimes that just makes things worse. This proverb warns us of that reality.

One should extend help to one’s friends and relatives, but one should not undertake ruinous, unnecessary legal obligations. It is one thing to help out in a time of need and another thing to foolishly enable someone to free load off of others or ruin you and your family. Providing food and shelter as someone gets through a health issue or challenging hardship is much different than allowing oneself to be ruinously taken advantage of or hurt by their unnecessary, foolish, sinful, or manipulative behavior. Getting them on their feet when they are working to take care of issues is good. Taking on their debt wholesale when they are not being responsible is not.

People lacking in sense just go ahead and pledge themselves to take care of issues without proper consideration of whether it is truly best or how it will affect them, their own family, their own ministry, or other aspects of what they are responsible to God for.

The wise do not live this way. They are truly loyal friends. They are truly there for their brother or sister in adversity. In truly loving them they consider more than just the immediate problem but also what the individual really needs. They look to see what truly will help them.

If there are sin issues involved or irresponsibility they will not condone or overlook that. They will love their friend or brother enough to confront it and deal with it. They will not enable sinful behavior by their help, they will look for ways for the sin to be dealt with and repentance to occur. They will lead those they love to true, abundant life found only in Jesus Christ. They will lead those they love to true wisdom on how to live life which is found only in Jesus Christ. They will do what is truly best for the other person physically and spiritually. That is wisdom.

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this with Paul’s instructions for giving in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. This was in a situation where the churches were collecting money for the famine hit believers in Israel. Clearly this was a worthwhile cause. The apostles were advocating for it. Other churches had given very generously and sacrificially (2 Corinthians. 8:1-5). Thus Paul exhorted the Corinthians to sow bountifully as they had purposed in their heart—not grudgingly, but cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

But even here in the most worthy of causes Paul had some reservations and considerations which were not to be ignored in their decision. He mentions these in 2 Corinthians 8:12-15.

2 Corinthians 8:12-15 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality— 14 at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; 15 as it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK.”

We are to give generously to the needs of others, yet that is not for the purpose of impoverishing us and making us needful of help ourselves. No, we need to be wise stewards of our situations. Our lack of giving should most definitely not be because of our foolishness with our finances or because of stinginess and greed. If that is the case we need to deal with those sins. Yet the reality is that even with the importance of giving there are wise limitations so that we do not default on our obligations or become a burden to others. Since that is the case with our financial giving to more official church needs in the most clear of cases, then the same is undoubtedly true with other individual family and friend situations where other issues may be present. Discernment needs to occur to see what truly is wise and best. Do not rashly commit yourself to financial responsibilities for other people. If we undertake other people’s obligations without consideration of our other responsibilities to our own immediate family and to God we may foolishly get ourselves into ruinous situations. We are to be generous. We are not to be stingy or selfish. We are to be there for our family in adversity and love at all times. But it must not be done in a senseless, foolish way.

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this with the rest of Scripture we see the strong words that Scripture has for becoming a surety for someone else and taking on their responsibility in Proverbs 6:1-5.

Proverbs 6:1-5 My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, Have given a pledge for a stranger, 2 If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth, 3 Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; 5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

Helping other people is important, and should be part of our DNA as Christians. But it does no good if we ruin ourselves and our own families in order to try to help someone else. Instead of giving someone else fish every day sometimes we need to teach them to fish. Sometimes the real need that other people have is not actually our money. Sometimes it is our time. Sometimes it is a specific truth about life, such as 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” Sometimes they frankly need to be called to repent of sin and trust in Jesus for salvation and His way of redeemed living. Until they learn the core truths needed for their situation and grow there all of the money in the world will not change the real issue.

Truth in Connection: As we apply this to our lives then, we need to be careful not to walk in foolishness and take on responsibilities that we are incapable of bearing. Instead, we are to do the harder thing. Learn God’s wisdom so that we can actually help people and truly love them. We should find out the reality of someone’s situation so that we can speak the truth of God’s Word to what they are dealing with. Then we have to know God’s Word well enough to be able to apply it to that situation. We will grow in this by striving to apply it to every situation in our own lives, by watching others apply God’s Word, and by seeking for wisdom and guidance from others with experience in those areas.

Conclusion

In all three of these proverbs which we have looked at today we see our need for God’s wisdom. If we do not pursue God’s wisdom through the abundant opportunities that He has given to us we will be just like the fool who has opportunities but not enough sense to use them. Seek God’s way of doing things, not the world’s foolish, empty, destructive pursuits. Daily, weekly, routinely prioritize pursuing God’s wisdom in His Word, through audio messages, articles, books, music, Christian fellowship, and other ways. Then apply its wisdom to your thinking and actions in life continuously. Will you be senseless, or wise?

In our second proverb we saw our need for true, loyal, godly friends and a church family to help us in all the varied circumstances and adversities of our lives. We saw our need to not live our lives on our own without the friendship and help of others. Are you pursuing having true, loyal, godly friends in your life? Is this the kind of friend you are growing in becoming? If we are wise it will be what we pursue and become.

In our third proverb we saw that a very important element of being a true, loyal, godly friend is knowing how to do what is truly loving and best for them. The desire to help others is highly important, but without discernment of true needs and what being a good steward looks like we can get ourselves into risky and dangerous situations. Will you continue to learn God’s Word yourself so that you can both apply it to your own life as well as to love others in the right and best way?

These are essential things for us to intentionally pursue if we are going to love God and love people as true disciples of Jesus. Will you? Let us not live senselessly and foolishly in this world. Let us daily run to God for His wisdom.

If you have not trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then that is the first piece of God’s wisdom that you need. All of us are sinners. We have ruined and corrupted our lives and God’s good world by our defiance of what is right and by our pursuit of what is wrong. Because of that God’s eternal judgment is upon us. Yet, in His great love He made a way that we could be justly forgiven while our sin was also justly paid in full.

Jesus came and willingly went to the cross to bear our sin and punishment upon Himself through His death. Then after three days He conquered that sin and death and rose again. He now gives eternal life to all those who see their sin for what it is and turn from it by trusting in Him as Lord and Savior. The most senseless, foolish thing that anyone has ever done is to ignore these truths and to continue to defy God. May that not be your situation. Turn to Him today for forgiveness and life. And then continue trusting Him day by day for what is right and best. May we not be like the rich young ruler who turned away from the truth and ruined his life and eternity.

If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.

© 2024, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible^® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org