Proverbs 14:7 "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge."
Everyone is picky about something and for some reason. Many of us are picky with what we put in our mouths and for good reason. Some things don’t sit well on our taste buds while other things don’t sit well in our bellies. Some of us are picky because we have to be for health concerns. Personally, I’m picky with what I eat because I can only eat so many calories and I prefer to reserve those calories for the things I like. We can be the same way with vacation time or time off of work. Because we only get so much time off or can only afford to take so much time off, we tend to be picky about what we do or where we go. Let’s approach this proverb in the same way.
We only have so many days to be PRESENT in this world. Even though this is arguably life’s most obvious truth, God made sure we learned it when He inspired Moses to write these words in Psalm 90:9-10, “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” In light of that sobering reality, Moses prayed these words in two verses later, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto WISDOM.” We only have so many days to be PRESENT in this world and we should be wise with what we do with our PRESENCE. We only have so many hours to be PRESENT with our loved ones and we should be wise with who we spend our PRESENCE on. We only have so many minutes to be PRESENT with people and for that reason, we should be picky with our presence. The fact that we can’t eat everything forces us to be selective with what we eat. The fact that we can’t go everywhere forces us to be selective with where we go. Because we can’t do everything, we’re selective with what we do. Because we can’t be with everyone, we should be selective with whom we’re PRESENT.
When Solomon instructs his readers to “go from the presence of a foolish man,” he’s not suggesting that we refuse to be in the presence of a foolish man. If he were, we would quit every job, leave every store and discharge ourselves from every hospital. Fools wander our world, occupy our offices, function in our factories, sit in our schools and even live in our living rooms. If this proverb was meant to prohibit being in the presence of a foolish soul, we would never share the gospel with the majority of the world. Furthermore, if God would have us avoid being in the presence of a foolish person, we would have to give up our children for adoption as soon as they said their first words. This proverb is less about who is around us and more about who we are around. It’s less about how others spend their presence and more about how we spend our presence. It’s not about who lives next to us, who works with us or who attends the same institutions we do – it’s about who we choose to spend our limited presence on.
Because we have only so much time to be present, we should be present with those who will best influence us. Because we have only so many opportunities to be present, we shouldn’t waste those opportunities on people who have nothing to offer us by means of wisdom. More importantly, we shouldn’t spend these precious opportunities on those who have no intentions of becoming wise. This is why Solomon refers to a particular time when we need to choose to leave the presence of a foolish man – “when we perceive not in him the lips of knowledge.” We can’t tell if a person is truly foolish or just innocently ignorant until we hear them speak. We can’t discern if a person is helplessly foolish or simply simple until they open their mouth. We can’t really determine a person’s character until they give us enough verbal evidence to determine the content of their heart for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Mt. 12:34). To assume a person is a fool based only on appearance would be foolish. To assume a man is a fool based only on the family he comes from would be foolish. To assume a woman is a fool based only on the music she listens to would be foolish. To even assume a person is a fool based on the religion they ascribe to would be foolish. Many people are merely deceived or ignorant or just uninformed. We should be willing to meet people, invest in people, share truth with people and find new friends but the moment we perceive a lack of any knowledge or a lack of interest in any knowledge outside their present knowledge, we should reserve our presence for someone else.
Life is too short to spend our presence on people who have no interest in truth, wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Life will be shorter if we spend our presence on foolish people for their foolishness will influence us over time and could easily lead to decisions that shorten our life and reduce the opportunity for presence with people that really matter. How many young women in our world have had their precious lives cut short simply because they refused to leave a foolish man? How many young men in our world have had their family relationships cut off simply because they refused to leave a foolish woman? How many believers in our churches have we seen disappear from our presence because they couldn’t walk away from the presence of foolish drinking buddies or foolish fishing friends? Fools can be very appealing. Foolish women can be beautiful and foolish men can be handsome. Foolish men can be wealthy and foolish women can be popular. Foolish guys can be very fun and foolish women can be hilarious. Foolish people can be incredibly welcoming and hospitable. Fools can dress very trendy and can produce viral videos. Fools can promote and accrue millions of followers on social media. Fools can be void of any spiritual knowledge but still come across very spiritual. Fools can be entirely uninterested in learning but come across very curious. Perhaps the most dangerous reality about foolish people is that they can be extraordinarily caring. A foolish man can still care deeply about his wife and kids. A foolish man can care greatly about his country. A foolish woman can care a lot about her family and friends. This makes it hard to “go from the presence of a foolish man.”
When inspired by an All-Knowing God, the wisest man our world has ever seen still instructed his readers to reserve their presence for those who are not foolish. No matter how fun that foolish coworker may be, don’t spend your presence after work on him. No matter how hilarious that foolish classmate may be, don’t spend your presence after school on him. No matter how popular that foolish woman may be, don’t spend your presence on her. No matter how good-looking that foolish woman is, don’t waste your presence on her. No matter how financially-secure that foolish man is, don’t waste your presence on him. Time is short and foolishness wastes it. Reserve your presence for men and women who either have wisdom or are open to getting it. Young lady, reserve your pretty presence for a man who has wisdom and is actively seeking it. Young man, reserve your powerful presence for a woman who has wisdom and is actively seeking it. Young people and old people alike, don’t waste your presence in front of a screen promoting one fool after another. Be picky with your presence as you only have so much of it to give.
Some of us use our tastebuds to guide our picky eating habits while others of us use the scale to direct our picky diets. When it comes to being picky with our presence, Solomon would have us use our ears. If you don’t hear any words of knowledge or any hunger for truth, don’t waste your relational calories. If you don’t hear any wisdom or any interest in true wisdom, don’t spend any more of your presence on that person. It’s not cold, unkind or condescending – it’s wise. Again, Moses prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto WISDOM.” Be picky with your presence.
We only have so many days to be PRESENT in this world. Even though this is arguably life’s most obvious truth, God made sure we learned it when He inspired Moses to write these words in Psalm 90:9-10, “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” In light of that sobering reality, Moses prayed these words in two verses later, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto WISDOM.” We only have so many days to be PRESENT in this world and we should be wise with what we do with our PRESENCE. We only have so many hours to be PRESENT with our loved ones and we should be wise with who we spend our PRESENCE on. We only have so many minutes to be PRESENT with people and for that reason, we should be picky with our presence. The fact that we can’t eat everything forces us to be selective with what we eat. The fact that we can’t go everywhere forces us to be selective with where we go. Because we can’t do everything, we’re selective with what we do. Because we can’t be with everyone, we should be selective with whom we’re PRESENT.
When Solomon instructs his readers to “go from the presence of a foolish man,” he’s not suggesting that we refuse to be in the presence of a foolish man. If he were, we would quit every job, leave every store and discharge ourselves from every hospital. Fools wander our world, occupy our offices, function in our factories, sit in our schools and even live in our living rooms. If this proverb was meant to prohibit being in the presence of a foolish soul, we would never share the gospel with the majority of the world. Furthermore, if God would have us avoid being in the presence of a foolish person, we would have to give up our children for adoption as soon as they said their first words. This proverb is less about who is around us and more about who we are around. It’s less about how others spend their presence and more about how we spend our presence. It’s not about who lives next to us, who works with us or who attends the same institutions we do – it’s about who we choose to spend our limited presence on.
Because we have only so much time to be present, we should be present with those who will best influence us. Because we have only so many opportunities to be present, we shouldn’t waste those opportunities on people who have nothing to offer us by means of wisdom. More importantly, we shouldn’t spend these precious opportunities on those who have no intentions of becoming wise. This is why Solomon refers to a particular time when we need to choose to leave the presence of a foolish man – “when we perceive not in him the lips of knowledge.” We can’t tell if a person is truly foolish or just innocently ignorant until we hear them speak. We can’t discern if a person is helplessly foolish or simply simple until they open their mouth. We can’t really determine a person’s character until they give us enough verbal evidence to determine the content of their heart for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Mt. 12:34). To assume a person is a fool based only on appearance would be foolish. To assume a man is a fool based only on the family he comes from would be foolish. To assume a woman is a fool based only on the music she listens to would be foolish. To even assume a person is a fool based on the religion they ascribe to would be foolish. Many people are merely deceived or ignorant or just uninformed. We should be willing to meet people, invest in people, share truth with people and find new friends but the moment we perceive a lack of any knowledge or a lack of interest in any knowledge outside their present knowledge, we should reserve our presence for someone else.
Life is too short to spend our presence on people who have no interest in truth, wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Life will be shorter if we spend our presence on foolish people for their foolishness will influence us over time and could easily lead to decisions that shorten our life and reduce the opportunity for presence with people that really matter. How many young women in our world have had their precious lives cut short simply because they refused to leave a foolish man? How many young men in our world have had their family relationships cut off simply because they refused to leave a foolish woman? How many believers in our churches have we seen disappear from our presence because they couldn’t walk away from the presence of foolish drinking buddies or foolish fishing friends? Fools can be very appealing. Foolish women can be beautiful and foolish men can be handsome. Foolish men can be wealthy and foolish women can be popular. Foolish guys can be very fun and foolish women can be hilarious. Foolish people can be incredibly welcoming and hospitable. Fools can dress very trendy and can produce viral videos. Fools can promote and accrue millions of followers on social media. Fools can be void of any spiritual knowledge but still come across very spiritual. Fools can be entirely uninterested in learning but come across very curious. Perhaps the most dangerous reality about foolish people is that they can be extraordinarily caring. A foolish man can still care deeply about his wife and kids. A foolish man can care greatly about his country. A foolish woman can care a lot about her family and friends. This makes it hard to “go from the presence of a foolish man.”
When inspired by an All-Knowing God, the wisest man our world has ever seen still instructed his readers to reserve their presence for those who are not foolish. No matter how fun that foolish coworker may be, don’t spend your presence after work on him. No matter how hilarious that foolish classmate may be, don’t spend your presence after school on him. No matter how popular that foolish woman may be, don’t spend your presence on her. No matter how good-looking that foolish woman is, don’t waste your presence on her. No matter how financially-secure that foolish man is, don’t waste your presence on him. Time is short and foolishness wastes it. Reserve your presence for men and women who either have wisdom or are open to getting it. Young lady, reserve your pretty presence for a man who has wisdom and is actively seeking it. Young man, reserve your powerful presence for a woman who has wisdom and is actively seeking it. Young people and old people alike, don’t waste your presence in front of a screen promoting one fool after another. Be picky with your presence as you only have so much of it to give.
Some of us use our tastebuds to guide our picky eating habits while others of us use the scale to direct our picky diets. When it comes to being picky with our presence, Solomon would have us use our ears. If you don’t hear any words of knowledge or any hunger for truth, don’t waste your relational calories. If you don’t hear any wisdom or any interest in true wisdom, don’t spend any more of your presence on that person. It’s not cold, unkind or condescending – it’s wise. Again, Moses prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto WISDOM.” Be picky with your presence.
Posted in Proverbs Commentary
Posted in time, Presence, Present, relationships, Relational, fools, foolishness, Dating, family, friends, Coworkers, Classmates, discernment, Perception, Diet, Traveling, Vacation, knowledge, Fun, Funny, Social, Attraction
Posted in time, Presence, Present, relationships, Relational, fools, foolishness, Dating, family, friends, Coworkers, Classmates, discernment, Perception, Diet, Traveling, Vacation, knowledge, Fun, Funny, Social, Attraction
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