Everybody Plays the Fool

“Everybody plays the fool, sometimes
There’s no exception to the rule.

Listen baby, it may be factual, it may be cruel
I ain’t lying, everybody plays the fool.”

You, no doubt, have heard this Aaron Neville’s song.  Contemplating what the Bible says about a fool is an enormous task for there are 189 occurrences of the word ‘fool, fools,  foolish, foolishly’. A large number of these (78 in fact) can be found in the book Proverbs.

How are we to make sense of this vast number of references?  I, of course,  suggest you do an in depth study for yourselves (it may take quite awhile).

To get you started, I’ve posted some questions to ask yourself.  Remember, ‘Everybody plays the fool, sometimes‘ – so use this quick check to identify a few things about yourself.  And, just so you know, I can admit to playing the fool on almost every count listed below.

You might be acting foolishly if…
— Your parents offer some advice and you despise them for it (Proverbs 15:5)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You have a short temper (Proverbs 14:17 and Ecclesiastes 7:9)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You brag about your immoral or unrighteous adventures (Proverbs 13:16)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You don’t manage your money very well (Proverbs 1:32)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You gossip and tell those ‘white lies’ from time to time (Proverbs 10:18)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You notice wise people avoiding you (Proverbs 13:20)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You attempt to impress others with wise words and glib talk (Proverbs 17:7)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— Your words incite others to mischief (Proverbs 18:6)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You can’t seem to mind your own business (Proverbs 20:3)

You might be acting foolishly if…
— You find people disengaging from conversations with you (Proverbs 26:4)