The Italian Memorandum

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?”

(Proverbs 1:22, ESV)

The local weather forecast is not the only place where dense fog shows up. According to the Proverb writer, the simple the scoffer and the fool all live in the same dense fog (Proverbs 1:22). This fog is the way of darkness in which the simple walk (Proverbs 2:13). In fact, one of the premier purposes of the book of Proverbs is: “…to give prudence to the simple” (Proverbs 1:4).

A. Who are these “simple” ones of the book of Proverbs?

1. They are actually in love with being simpletons (1:22).
2. They are digging their own grave by rejecting biblical counsel (1:32).
3. They are equated with children who never grew up (7:7).
4. They thrive on immediate gratification and are easily duped (7:8,18,21).
5. They fail to prepare for the future and suffer because of it (27:12).

B. How may the “simple” rise above the denseness of this personal fog?

1. They must commit themselves to biblical understanding (Psalm 119:130).
2. They must understand that the LORD can preserve the simple (Ps. 116:6).
3. They must learn prudence (Proverbs 8:5).
4. They must become more thoughtful and less gullible (Proverbs 14:15).
5. They should realize they are virtually folly magnets (Proverbs 14: 18).
6. They must learn some hard lessons (Proverbs 19:25; 21:11).

“There it is fog, atmospheric moisture still uncertain in destination, not quite weather and not altogether mood, yet partaking of both” (Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons, 1964). There is a possibility of a dense fog ahead. So, how’s the weather where you live?

–Robert M. Housby