Prv:18:2 A Fool Receiveth Not The Words Of Prudence: Unless Thou Say Those Things Which Are In His Heart So what does that say about us? We all like to be told were right. We all like to hear how smart we are. We all want confirmation. Most of us hate it when someone points out when were wrong. If you pick up the Bible, and dont come away thinking yourself a fool, youre not paying attention. Because every book of the Bible is full of passages that show us how foolish we are. The book of proverbs particularly points out our intellectual limitations. Does God really have a fetish for identifying our flaws? Like a father who can never admit his son turned out all right? Yes and no. It all hangs on that quote from Christ: Mk:10:15 Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter into it. A lot of people misinterpret that to mean learning and understanding our faith is fruitless. They confuse the word childlike for simplistic, but the two have very different meanings. Anyone who has children realizes that they arent simple at all. But what about them are we suppose to imitate? The Father / Son Relationship Remember that Christ compares Gods relationship with us to the relationship between a father and son. In this case, the son would be a child. And a child has to rely on the wisdom and knowledge of his father for everything he has (remember that when Jesus is speaking, the father was the common provider in the household). Providing is only one of the fathers functions. A good father guides his son to safety, and sometimes forces him there. Why? Because a child doesnt always know what will harm him and what wont. The child thinks he wants cookies for supperthe father knows that this would harm him. The obedient son accepts his fathers authority, even if he doesnt understand it. But the ignorance doesnt release the child from responsibility. The father might use his authority to lay a foundation, but expects the son to some day understand the reasons behind his actions. The father expects his son to grow and maturebut always realize his own inferiority to the father. Always ready to accept his fathers direction. Its the same with God and us. Were not so much commanded to accept our foolishness (or simplicity) but to realize it and accept the Christs authority when we disagree. Sometimes this means accepting the rule of Christs Church, and is an act of will. Sometimes, its forced upon us. Like when we face some disaster and wonder How could God let this happen to me? This is what it means to have child-like faith. This is how well enter into heaven. And this is why the Bible constantly points out our foolishness. Because in the shadow of God, our own intellect and knowledge of whats good for us isnt always focused. And the more we realize it, the more it becomes our duty to gain that understanding, but accept authority until we do. |
