Broken Fools
21
It is painful to be the parent of a fool;
there is no joy for the father of a rebel.
22
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
Verse 21
A fool hates God, and hates wisdom. By ‘fool’, Solomon means someone who is evil. Because the son is evil, the father suffers. The father might suffer, because the son makes evil plans against his father. Or the father might be sad because he sees his son’s evil actions.
People might become wealthy, if they do evil things. Their evil deeds might make them famous or important. But, in the end, an evil person will suffer because of his evil actions. And other people will suffer too.
Verse 22
Happiness is like a medicine for our spirits and for our bodies. We feel stronger and healthier, when we are content. Our emotions are powerful, so we should try to control them. We can be content even when we are poor. This is because God has forgiven us. If we have God’s gift of wisdom, then our troubles will not upset us. Instead, we shall trust God to help us. See Philippians 4:11-12, Hebrews 13:5, and 1 Timothy 6:6-8.
The first proverb reminds us that a fool, who mocks and disobeys God's instructions, brings trouble. If a parent has a foolish child, it would be hard for them to stay positive unless they are also foolish.
Verse 22 is illustrated with three stories:
- A man asks God, "God, how long is a million years?" God replies, "To me, it's about a minute." The man asks, "God, how much is a million dollars?" God says, "To me, it's a penny." The man then asks, "God, may I have a penny?" God answers, "Wait a minute."
- A Sunday school teacher asks her children, "Why do we need to be quiet in church?" A little girl responds, "Because people are sleeping."
- A drunk man enters a Catholic Church and sits in a confessional booth but says nothing. The priest coughs to get his attention, but the drunk man doesn't respond. Finally, the priest knocks on the wall three times. The drunk mumbles, "No use knocking, there's no paper on this side either!"
Let me ask you: Did you laugh out loud at something yesterday? Will you look for something to laugh at tomorrow? Did these three stories at least make you smile?
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