FOOL'S GOLD
7Wisdom is too high for a fool: .... 9The thought of foolishness is sin:and the scorner is an abomination to men. (Prov 24:)
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. (Psalms 14:)
"The world is flat!"
"There's no such thing as electricity!"
"Man can't fly!"
"Man can't fly!"
Mockers jeer at those who have set themselves to prove something worthwhile for mankind. The mocker opens his mouth and thrusts out a few puffs of air in effort to prove himself wise, while the "fool" works through the rebuff and accomplishes that which is deemed "impossible."
If the mockers of the world had their way, we would still be using pit toilets and traveling on square wheels.
"Man can't fly!"
Now I don't know about electricity or airplanes; because all I do is flip a switch and a lightbulb comes on, and I get on a airplane and in a short while I get off and find I am in a different place.
There's hardly a thing about either that I understand. And as far as I know, those mockers may have been absolutely correct in saying that there is no such thing as electricity or that man can't fly.
I don't know if there are errors in the theories or not. Nor does it matter to me. All I know, or that I care about is that when I flip the switch, a lightbulb comes on; and when I get off the airplane I am in a different place.
"That blanket has flaws. Just look at it; it's got stains and moth holes in it. It's not the color I like and I don't want it, so don't try to give it to me!"
Isn't it nice when we can receive just what we want? I don't find that in my life I get just what I want, at least not very often.
If I refuse to get on the plane because it isn't the color I like; I won't get to where I want to go. If I had to understand how electricity works in order to turn on the light; I would still be in darkness.
All I have to do is believe that the light switch works in order to turn on the lightbulb; and all I have to do is believe that the airplane can fly in order to get from one place to another.
If I don't believe, that is have faith in either of these, I wouldn't bother to flip the switch, nor certainly would I get on the plane that I believe can't fly.
Moth holes and stains on the blanket. Maybe; maybe not. For all I know the stains and holes are just a part of the blanket-makers intended design. I know I have seen some paintings that sell for a fortune that look like they were painted by a psychotic monkey.
But this I know; whether perfect or not, if I accept the blanket I will be kept warm; while the one who rejected it will be out in the cold, no matter how right he may be.
"The Bible is full of errors and lies!"
I'm sure you knew that this study was not about lightbulbs and airplanes, which I know nothing about.
Those who mock the Bible, as far as I am concerned, are mocking the Word of God. Is the Bible full of lies and mistakes? I really can't say, because, unlike those "wise" mockers, I don't pretend to understand the mind or the intentions of a God so vast that He can create all I see, or that I am.
All I can say for sure is that in my own investigation of the Bible, which I consider fairly extensive, I have found no errors. And if the Bible has lies or parables in the form of history they certainly are well done and "fit jointly together" to illustrate an important Truth that I am able to use in my life.
Two men were walking along the road. Both were poor and hungry. One spotted a rock beside the road that caught his attention.
"See this rock," he said to the other man. "It looks like gold, but it's really nothing but fool's gold. It's worthless, nothing more than all the other rocks laying out here on the ground."
"Is that so?" said the other man. "Then can I have it?"
"What do you want with this old rock? It won't do nothing but weight you down."
"Maybe so, but can I have it?"
"What will you give me for it?"
"Well, all I got in this world is this here pocket knife with a broke off blade. You can have that, if you want it."
"I'll take it. Here's your rock, but you're a fool for the swap."
Wise-in-our-own-eyes keeps us from investigating any farther than that which we already believe to be true.
You know what happened in the story above - the gold turns out to be real, and the wise man remained poor while the fool became rich.
"I like the frame, but I don't want the picture in it."
I am looking at a picture that I painted years ago. It is a nicely framed picture of Jesus. The frame and the picture are a single unit, one expressly intended to compliment the other.
As an artist and framer I have had occasions whereby a potential customer liked a picture I painted but wanted the colors changed to go with their sofa.
Such a request is particularly foolish when it involves a portrait of someone. The painting was intended to bring out particular aspects of the person, not a sofa.
The Bible is a portrait. Most people consider it a portrait of the Jews. And in a fashion, it certainly is. But it is far more than that. The Bible is a portrait of God and His dealing with His main creation - Man.
"In the beginning, God...."
Man was the very last thing mentioned in the Creation story.
And there wasn't a hint of anything Jewish until Abraham (who wasn't a Jew because 'Jew' is a term used for the tribe of Judah, which was Abraham's great, great grandson). And in actuality, the history of the Jewish people didn't begin until coming out of Egypt, which was far into the Old Testament.
It is pretty well acknowledged that the entirety of the Bible is in fact a portrait of one aspect of God, which is Jesus. The Old Testament prophesies His coming and His intentions; and the New Testament tells us what He expects of us, and His further intentions.
"I want the frame, but not the Portrait."
You can't have one without the other. That is what I tell potential customers, who often refuse to accept either; and that is what God tells those who try leave out the portrait of the One the Book is about, or tries to color Him differently than God painted Him.
The frame without the Portrait is worthless.
If the Bible is full of errors - or if it has very few errors but is not the Word of God, then you are wise to avoid it.
And if you are not prepared to do all that is required of you in the Bible, then, again, it will serve no purpose for you to investigate it.
If you are studying the Bible in an effort to find the errors and holes; wouldn't it be wise to spend your energies in a more worth-while endeavor; like, maybe, studying ants?
A fool is someone who does not recognize that he is a fool, but thinks he is wise. We are all fools in God's eyes; but those fools who seek God are given wisdom.
