A fool and his money

Tuesday May 23, 2006
Proverbs 17:16

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom
when he has no sense?

Sometimes our maxims match up very nicely with the scriptures, as is the case with "A fool and his money are soon parted"

But here the emphasis is not on how the fool wastes money, but on his foolish heart. Even a good thing like money is useless to the fool, for he lacks the heart and sense to make use of the blessings and benefits that he does have.

We can think of the revelation of God in Romans 1, where all the attributes of God are on full display, but the fool runs off after that which is not God.

Why should the fool have any blessings?

It shows the mercy and love of God, who sends rain on the just and unjust, and loves his enemies as we also ought to do.

It shows the wickedness of man, who rejects the grace of God, and like a stone is impervious to the water poured out upon it.

The proverb ponders a mystery: why does a fool have a good thing, when he doesn't know the purpose of it.

The wisdom of God pushes us to consider this riddle, and we can trust in the answer of God that "even that which he has shall be taken from him".