In the Holy Scriptures the Holy God has caused to be written some very negative things about people He calls “fools.” Many of His descriptive words and statements were mentioned in the previous posting. In this segment I will concentrate on a characteristic found without fail among those about whom He has so much to say. THEY TALK TOO MUCH, THEREBY REVEALING THE THOUGHTS OF THEIR HEARTS. In their much talk they invariably mock their Maker. This posting will prove the following quote to be true: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, so shall he also reap (Gal: 6:7). And what He says in Hosea 8:7 is equally true: man sows the wind, then reaps the whirlwind. As the Almighty says, no one is more “windy” than a fool. And sooner or later, the whirlwind will arrive. It is written that some men’s sins are made evident in this life (through God’s curses on them) while others will not be made known until judgment day. The latter are addressed by Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23.

As the Lord tells us, the fool’s most deadly body part is his tongue. He warns fools about their pratting and their folly, both of which they proclaim through their much speaking (Prov. 10:8,10; 13:16; 17:12). In Proverbs 18:7 we find perhaps the best description of a fool’s basic problem: “A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul.” In other words, what we say reflects what we think about. Now we will examine the talk of specific fools, some of whom lived in Bible times while others live in this age. Due to today’s messaging technology, the fool’s folly can be heard instantly by the masses, thereby announcing to others that he does not fear the God Who must not be mocked, but must be feared. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 1:7). The fool, the Scriptures tell us, has no fear of God. Let us now return to Biblical history where we find some prime examples of God’s attitude toward specific fearless speakers from that era.

In Daniel chapter four we find Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar ignoring the prophet’s warning not to be proud of his position as the most powerful man on earth. It was Daniel’s God, he tells the king, Who placed him in that exalted position. The king soon forgot Daniel’s warning. After saying that it was by his own power that such majesty had come his way, Nebuchadnezzar was given the mind of an animal and spent seven years in the fields with cattle where he lived as they did, including eating the same food and enduring the same weather conditions as did they. Needless to say, at the end of his seven year curse, the king had different words to say relative to his kingship (4:17).

In Daniel chapter five we find Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson who had become Babylon’s king, holding a party in which he bragged about using dedicated vessels taken from God’s Temple in Jerusalem. Daniel had warned him not to do so. Because he ignored the prophet’s warning, God spoke to him using a message written on a wall by a visible hand. That night Babylon was attacked by the Medes and Persians who defeated the Babylonians and killed their king.

In Acts twelve we find King Herod being hailed by the Jews as a great leader. Instead of being humbled and giving God credit for his success, he exalted himself by agreeing with them. God immediately struck him down and he was eaten by worms.

In First Samuel chapter 15 Saul ignored the words of the prophet Samuel concerning some cattle the Israelites had captured during a battle. He then lied to Samuel, claiming that he had saved them to be used as sacrifices to God, Who had ordered that they be slaughtered. Because he had elevated himself above God, then lied to Samuel about it, he and his army were defeated and his body was nailed to a city wall along with that of his son.

In First Kings, we find Solomon, whom God had made king of the greatest nation on earth, defying his Creator by making covenants with heathen kings and marrying their daughters and allowing them to bring their gods into Israel. Having asked God for wisdom, the much blessed king declared his allegiance to his heathen wives and their gods, one of whom–Baal–required them to sacrifice their children to him, which they did by the thousands. Solomon died in disgrace.

First Kings chapter 12 holds the story of Rehoboam, son of former Israelite king Solomon. Solomon had taxed the people heavily. Ignoring the words of the nation’s elders, Rehoboam declared that he would be even greater than his father and would show his power by taxing the people even heavier than had his father. As a result, the nation of Israel split into two parts and went to war against each other. Over time both parts were defeated and scattered throughout the world.

In First Samuel chapter 17 we find the heavily armed giant Goliath verbally defying the God of the Israelites. He was killed by a shepherd boy named David using only a sling and a rock.

Jezebel, the wife of wicked king Ahab, threatened God’s prophet Elijah and was eaten by dogs, exactly as the prophet had predicted (First Kings).

“Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall” (Prov. 16:18). The following events will prove that those words are as true today as they were when they were written. In the following episodes we will learn who said what and the outcome of each statement.

JOHN LENNON of Beatles fame: During an interview with an American magazine he said: “Christianity will end; it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that for I am certain. Jesus was okay, but his subjects were too simple. Today we (the Beatles) are more famous than He is.” Lennon was shot six times and killed by a stranger for no apparent reason.

TANCREDO NEVES, president of Brazil: During his presidential campaign he boasted that if he garnered 500,000 votes, not even God could remove him from the presidency. He received the votes he needed and was declared the new leader of the nation. He became ill the day before taking office and died soon thereafter.

CAZUZA, bi-sexual Brazilian composer, musician and poet: During a performance in Rio de Janeiro while smoking a cigarette, he blew some smoke skyward and said: “God, that’s for you.” He died at age 32 following a terrible battle with AIDS.

MARILYN MONROE, famous actress: Miss Monroe was visited by a famous preacher who talked to her about her soul. After hearing his message, she said, “I don’t need your Jesus.” A week later she was found dead in her apartment.

BON SCOTT, a singer with the famous band named AC/DC: In the lyrics of one of his songs were these words: “Don’t stop me; I’m going all the way, down the highway to hell.” He was later found dead, having chocked to death on his own vomit.

CAMPINAS, BRAZIL: A group of friends went to pick up another friend at her home. The mother of the girl accompanied her to the car where she noticed that everyone was drunk. She said to her daughter who was now sitting in the car, “May God go with you and protect you.” To which her daughter replied: “Only if He (God) travels in the trunk, because there is no more room in here; it’s already full.” Later the car was found wrecked with all passengers dead. The car had been demolished, except for the trunk which contained a crate of eggs, not one of which was cracked.

CHRIS HEWITT, a Jamaican journalist and entertainer, declared that the Bible was the worst book ever written. She was later found burned beyond recognition in her automobile.

Enough said. L.J.