Posted on 07/26/2021 12:52:37 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him” (Proverbs 26:12).
So, as bad as the fool is; and we've seen that over the previous 11 verses, in verse 12 we see that a man full of conceit can be worse. We are told that there is “more hope of a fool than of him.” A man who is wise in his own conceit thinks he's better looking than just about anybody else in the world, he thinks that he is more talented, and that he is smarter than just about anybody else in the universe. This guy has a serious problem.
“Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Proverbs 27:22).
Now, this one of those verses where you need some of the words explained. Braying is not what a donkey does. In this case, braying is taking grain and crushing it. The mortar is a little flat rock that's kind of in the shape of a bowl, that you put the grain in, and then you take a pestle and you crush the grain in it, throw it up in the air, and the hull is blown away and you're left with grain. Then you can grind that grain down into flour. He says, “though thou shouldest bray a fool,” so, there comes a point where the fool can be literally put through the ringer, and ground down by life and judgment, and he still just a fool.
Now, we have access to the word of God, the oil of gladness, poured over us all the time. If the average believer in America doesn't avail himself of it anymore, by God’s grace you do.
In Precious Stones, Robert Barr wrote:
In a modern dictionary the amethyst is described as being too common to be worth much. But why should the mere abundance of anything write down its true value? This is the folly of men. Because a thing is abundant, because it is common, it is thought little of.
The stranger whom we see once in many years is given a great welcome, while the people with whom we live day by day—well, they are Just common.
The stars flood the sky every night, and few people give them more than a passing thought. Were they to shine but once in six months, even though they might be precisely the same stars, people would give more attention to them than they do now in a whole lifetime.
So it is with the most wonderful things in life. The common things are the best. Jesus thought so about people. Wherever He went there were people, and never did He for one moment suggest that the least of them was anything other than precious to God.
The brave affirmation of Psalm 40 found its triumphant confirmation in Jesus, “I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me” (vs. 17).
If anyone would like to be added to the ping list, please let me know either by post or by p.m.
For more books on all topics of the Bible, visit my web site at:
True.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.