Psalm 14:1; Prov. 1:7-12:15; Prov. 14:9-Eccles. 7:6; Prov. 13:19-14:16-Eccles. 7:9
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction—The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
Fools make a mock at sin—as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool.
It is abomination to fools to depart from evil—A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident—Anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): An Atheist, strictly speaking, is one who does not believe, and who absolutely ridicules, the being of a God.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): The Atheist is the fool pre-eminently, and a fool universally―to say there is no God is to belie the plainest evidence, which is obstinacy; to oppose the common consent of mankind, which is stupidity; to stifle consciousness, which is madness. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork,” Psalm 19:1.
THOMAS BROOKS (1608-1680): The name of God is written in such full, fair and shining characters upon the whole creation, that all men may run and read that there is a God.
JEREMY TAYLOR (1613-1667): Can anything in this world be more foolish than to think that all this rare fabric of heaven and earth can come by chance, when all the skill of art is not able to make an oyster?
WILLIAM GURNALL (1617-1679): Of all fools the conceited fool is the worst.
CHARLES BRIDGES (1794-1869): The tongue shows the man. The wise commands his tongue. The fool—his tongue commands him. He may have a mass of knowledge in possession. But from the want of the right use, it runs to waste. Wisdom is proved, not by the quantity of knowledge, but by its right application. “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness,” Proverbs 15:2.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN (1863-1945): The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The facts of God, and man’s relation to Him, must be taken for granted and answered if there is to be any true wisdom.
JOHN WESLEY (1703-1791): Fools—that is, wicked men, are so far from attaining true wisdom, that they despise it, and all the means of getting it.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): It is the character of a wicked man that he takes pleasure in sin; “Folly is joy to him,” Proverbs 15:21. The folly of others is so, and his own much more. He sins, not only without regret, but with delight, not only repents not of it, but makes his boast of it.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief,” Proverbs 10:23. He is then merriest when he hath the devil for his playfellow.
ROBERT HAWKER (1753-1827): “Fools make a mock at sin.” This verse of fools making a mock at sin, is very expressive: for surely none but fools can do so; to laugh at that which offends God, ruins men, and which nothing but the blood of Christ can expiate; this must be supreme folly indeed.
WILLIAM ARNOT (1808-1875): It is emphatically the part of a fool to mock at sin. Those who make a mock at sin are obliged also to mock at holiness. To laugh at sin and to laugh at holiness are two sides of one thing. They cannot be separated. Those who make mirth of goodness persuade themselves that they are only getting amusement from a brother’s weakness. Let them take care. If that in a Christian which you make sport of, be a feature of his Redeemer’s likeness, He whose likeness it is, is looking on, and will require it—God is not mocked.
MATTHEW HENRY: There are some that will make a jest of every thing, though it be ever so prudently and pertinently spoken, that will not only despise a wise man’s words, but despise even the wisdom of them, which is most improvable for their own edification; they will particularly reproach that, as if it had an ill design upon them, which they must guard against. Those that do so forfeit the benefit of good advice and instruction, and a wise man is not only allowed, but advised, not to speak in the ears of such fools; let them be foolish still, and let not precious breath be thrown away upon them. If what a wise man says in his wisdom will not be heard, let him hold his peace, and try whether the wisdom of that will be regarded.
H. A. IRONSIDE (1876-1951): When it becomes evident a man is bent on folly with no concern about righteousness, it is best to leave him to himself. To argue or reason with such a one is useless. It is defiling to the wise and only gratifying to the pride of the fool. “From such turn away,” 2 Timothy 3:5…To seek to instruct him whose heart is set on folly and waywardness is wasting one’s breath. When there is no desire for wisdom, but knowledge and understanding have been deliberately trampled under foot, it is useless to waste words.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): “Don’t reprove a scoffer,” says Solomon, “lest he hate you,” Proverbs 9:8…There are many, who from violent tempers, or openly profligate habits, are utterly incapable of valuing the things of the Gospel. They will even fly into a passion, and run into greater excesses of sin, if you try to do good to their souls. To name the name of Christ to such people, is truly to “cast pearls before swine.” It rouses all their corruption, and makes them angry. In short, they are like the Jews at Corinth, Acts 18:6, or like Nabal, of whom it is written, that he was “such a worthless fellow, that a man could not speak to him,” 1 Samuel 25:17.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): “The fool rageth, and is confident;” he fears neither God nor men—he “rages” in heart, if not with his mouth, against God and His law, which forbids the practice of such sins he delights in; and against all good men, that admonish and rebuke him for them, or dissuade him; and “is confident” that no evil shall befall him; he has no concern about a future state, and is fearless of hell and damnation, though upon the precipice of ruin; yet, as the words may be rendered, “he goes on confidently,” nothing can stop him; he pushes on, regardless of the laws of God or men, of the advice and counsels of his friends.
CHARLES BRIDGES: “Cast not your pearls before swine,” Matthew 7:6. This caution extends further, Proverbs 23:9—“Speak not in the ears of a fool,” instead of being thankful for instruction, “he will despise the wisdom of thy words,” and take occasion from them only to scoff and blaspheme more.
JOHN TRAPP: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge,” Proverbs 14:7. If he be a proud fool, a scorner and derider of good counsel, and one that knows not how to lisp out the least syllable of savoury language, break off society with such as soon as may be; for what good can be gotten by their company?
C. H. SPURGEON: You are not to judge, but you are not to act without judgment. Count not men to be dogs or swine; but when they avow themselves to be such, or by their conduct act as if they were such, do not put occasions in their way for displaying their evil character. Saints are not to be simpletons; they are not to be judges, but, also, they are not to be fools.
ROBERT HAWKER: Wisdom is not to be wasted on a fool.
