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It is good to be foolish.
"It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 1 Corinthians 1:21
"If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." 1 Corinthians 3:18
"We are fools for Christ's sake." 1 Corinthians 4:10
It is not good to be foolish.
"The foolish shall not stand in thy sight." Psalm 5:5
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Explanation
One fact must be realized here: there are two types of wisdom-- worldly wisdom and godly wisdom.
Worldly wisdom is gained through philosophical pursuits, often at the expense of gaining godly wisdom. Vanity is usually
the end of those carnal endeavors. In fact, the two types of wisdom are almost always in conflict with one another. For
example, the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross is foolishness in the world’s eyes, although that death and resurrection
is central to a Christian’s belief system. Preaching Christ made no sense to the philosophers of Jesus’ day.
Hence, Paul says: "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
Because men and women who are wise in the world tend to become puffed up with big egos, they lack the necessary humility to
acquire a substantial amount of the wisdom of God. To become a “fool” in a person’s own eyes is to admit
that help is needed. That is why Paul says: "If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool,
that he may be wise." Jesus wants us to come as little children for His sake. Only by humbling ourselves like children will
we be able to be instructed and sanctified by our Savior. (Matthew 18:3-4)
The foolish, in God’s eyes, are those that reject the practical, beneficial wisdom that can be obtained in the Bible
and by a relationship with Him. This is the kind of fool that the psalmist is referring to. This verse from Psalms shows
the importance of not remaining as “babes” (1 Corinthians 3) in our knowledge of God; we must strive for increase
and thereby gain the fruits of wisdom that God desires in us.
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