A Fool's Wage

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Prov. 1:7, NASB)

I began to take a real close look at the book of Proverbs today.  In a crazy, mixed up world like ours, with a crazy, mixed up life like mine, it seemed like the right place to look for those kinds of answers that help settle a heart in the midst of some significant challenges.

One of the things that’s echoed in my head is the phrase “a fool’s wage”.  It’s something of a personal statement on the way some things have turned out in life.  I can’t say for sure how intimately a statement like this applies to me but there’s little doubt that some of the things in my life would be positively different had I been a man of wisdom and instruction.

So it is that I turn to the book of wisdom for instruction.

Now, a study of Proverbs is no small undertaking.  If you’re smart, such a study should cause trepidation if for no other reason except that it will show you how foolish you probably are.  After all, this book isn’t called the book of wisdom for nothing.  And honestly, how wise do you really consider yourself anyway?
Well, if you’re like me, you probably don’t consider yourself very wise at all.  And again, if you’re like me, your life seems pretty crazy and mixed up.  So, if you are like me, then perhaps a study of Proverbs would be just the calming instruction you need.

But there’s a price.

First, you have to concede that, to at least some degree, you’re a fool.  You may even have to take it a step further and consider the current conditions of your life as the wages of a fool.

Next, you have to concede that, if the above verse is correct, only a relationship with God can hope to bring you true wisdom.

So there it is – start with God, then begin to gain wisdom and instruction from the One who knows best how to grant it.  And yeah, I’m pretty sure that some of that earning will require a study of the book attributed to Him – the bible.

Why not give Proverbs a try?

Of course, there is an alternative – leave God out of it and strike out on your own.  But then, what would be the return on investment there?  Believing the quoted verse above, it seems pretty clear it would be a fool’s wage.