April 22 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Folly is a term we don’t use very often, but it is a word that shows up frequently in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Folly is a lack of good sense and foresight, failing to realize the consequences of an act before it happens. Folly is the opposite of wisdom. A wise person knows the purpose of life—where he has come from and where he is going—but a fool has no direction and no sense of where he is going.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 cautions us to watch out for folly in our everyday life. “As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” (NIV) Perfume in the society of the ancient Near East was a highly valued commodity because of its pleasant aroma. But it wouldn’t take much to spoil the fragrance. A few flies dropping into the ointment would ruin the smell. Just as it does not take much to wreck a beautiful fragrance, it only takes a small amount of folly to ruin wisdom and honour. Folly makes you lose sense of where you are and where you are heading. You can build up a reputation and be known in the church and in the community as a wise and honourable citizen, but in a moment of foolishness you can severely damage or destroy that reputation. Folly is able to destroy a family, break up a relationship, bring heartache to a marriage, and damage a person for the rest of his or her life.

Giving in to foolish impulses for a few minutes can spoil something beautiful. Let every young person heed this warning. If you are preparing yourself for marriage make sure you keep the fragrance of love smelling pretty! Be careful that you do not follow the foolish inclinations of your heart! When the forces of evil desire and seduction break out against you, disguised with a friendly face, remember the instruction of him who observed the foolishness of life under the sun. Be sensible and be wise. Watch out for unguarded and careless moments. Be aware of the damage that is done by a gossipy tongue, the flare-up of anger or one drink too many.

Our sinful hearts are attracted to foolishness. That’s why we need to cry out, “O Lord, give me the grace to embrace your wisdom. Turn my heart away from foolish encounters to follow the Lord Jesus, who is the wisdom of God.”