“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
September 16, 2026
Finding an old report card can be personally deflating or inflating. The book of Proverbs gives us the way to have a good report card throughout life. It is God’s way for us to live in a sinfully twisted world. We will start with the way of the fool. Looking at the entire book of Proverbs from 30,000 feet up here’s what we can see. (1) The fool does not think wisdom is important. He chases mirages, godless, unattainable goals. The fool can’t imagine he is wrong (Prov. 17:10, “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.”). Suffering and pain is wasted on a fool.
Understand that there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. Having a high IQ is not equivalent to knowing how to engage in skillful, God-honoring living.
(2) The fool brings pain and suffering to those who love him (Prov. 10:1b, “But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.”). Have you been a joy to your parents?
(3) The fool is a danger to people around him (Prov. 17:12, “Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.”). Are you a reliable person (Prov. 26:6)? Are you spending a lot of time with people who keep on making bad decisions?
At this point stop and ask God to enable you to do your divinely given homework, obeying God’s commandments.
H
Reflection:
Start thinking about how the book of Proverbs should impact artificial intelligence (AI).