Three Great Tragedies of Western Civilization

Want to know what's wrong with the world? Look for a moment at the warnings of Proverbs 26:

Proverbs 26:1 (ESV) Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 26:3 (ESV) A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

Proverbs 26:6 (ESV) Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Proverbs 26:9–11 (ESV) Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. 11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Proverbs is a book of wisdom. And it is constantly reminding us of the damage fools and foolishness can do. We have developed an appetite for foolishness to our own detriment. Today school children learn about gender instead of history, about sexual abnormalities instead of science, and today's universities carefully censor content that may be too "dangerous" to some soft-spirited students. 

The folly of our age is advancing at a rapid pace. And as Proverbs makes plain in Proverbs 26, almost anything is better than being a fool. Consider, a fool doesn't know he's a fool and everything in his life is the fruit of his foolishness. 

But perhaps the ultimate definition of a fool comes from this chapter in verse 12. 

Proverbs 26:12 (ESV) Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

How would you define foolishness better than that? The person who thinks he's not a fool is the words more ringing endorsement. Which sheds great light on a key to wisdom - believe you don't have it. When you know you need wisdom you are able to get it. It is those who think they are wise who have no hope for it. 

Second in danger to the foolish life is the slothful life. 

Proverbs 26:13–15 (ESV) The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” 14 As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. 15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

I think sloth is a sin we tend to overlook in our society. We think, "Who's it hurting?" But there is tremendous evil in sloth. The world is a productive place when people produce. When they don't, society crumbles, prices escalate and the poor suffer. The sluggard is always making an excuse (a lion), sleeping late (turning on his bed), and starting but not following through (Hand in the dish). A sluggard will destroy his own life and rob others of the benefit his life could be to them. 

Perhaps that is why the more foolish a society becomes, the more they enable sloth. "Let the government do it for me, I'm a victim!", says the foolish sluggard. And perhaps now more than ever, we are seeing the damage of such values to a society. When everyone is a victim, no one takes initiative and all will suffer. 

Thirdly in Proverbs 26, we hear of the man of strife. 

Proverbs 26:20–21 (ESV) For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. 21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

When you have foolish sluggards who have nothing to do, you inevitably create a society of quarrelers. What a description of 21st Century America and the West! We have so many technological advancements, endless entertainment options from fools, and phones at our fingertips to give us pulpits from which to preach. But nothing gets done, no one gets wise and everyone is the enemy. 

More now than ever we need to heed the warnings of scripture. We must seek wisdom, earnestly work with our hands and serve one another in love. The life of Christ must flow through us to accomplish this now or we will be the end of ourselves.