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Vol. XIX No. 9
28 November 2021

RICH BUT FOOLISH

Rev Nguyen Gia Hien

How foolish we are not to know our Creator, to fear Him, love Him, worship Him, serve Him, and obey His Word; how foolish not to have the Holy Spirit whom God has given to be our Comforter, Helper, and our Seal until the day of redemption, even the Rapture, when the Lord comes.

Jeremiah 17:11 says, “As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.” The Hebrew dâgar (partridge) is a masculine noun and refers to a relatively small bird with an orange-brown head, grayish neck, and rust-colored tail. Such a bird is difficult to spot and hunt (The Complete Word Study Dictionary). The partridge is mentioned only twice in the Holy Bible (1 Sam 26:20; Jer 17:11). It is a shy and harmless bird, quickly running or flying away when it hears a loud noise or sees someone or something approaching. That is why David chose this kind of bird to describe himself as he fled from King Saul who was hunting for his life. David wanted to tell Saul that he did not have any intention to harm him or to take away his life and kingdom. Like a partridge, David only ran when Saul chased him. 1 Samuel 26:20 says, “Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.”

Note that “the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not”. The word “sit” in Hebrew is qôrê, a verb meaning “incubate”. “Hatch” in Hebrew is yâlad, a verb meaning “bear” or “give birth” (Dictionary of Classical Hebrew). The noun “partridge” as noted above is in the masculine singular. The verbs “sit” and “hatch” are also in the masculine singular too. The partridge here is male. A male partridge wants to incubate the eggs but cannot hatch or give birth to the chicks. It is interesting to read about partridges from the National Geographic, “When it’s time to nest, females will scrape a depression in the ground and line it with plant material, while males will often stay close by to guard the nest. Some species, like Europe’s rock partridges and red-legged partridges, occasionally lay two clutches of eggs in separate nests, possibly as insurance against predation. The male incubates one clutch, while the female guards the other.” In light of this, we can see that some English Bibles do not translate this verse correctly: ESV: “Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch,...”, NIV: “As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid...” CEB: “Like a partridge gathering a brood that is not its own...”, CEV: “... like birds hatched from stolen eggs”, ISV: “As a partridge gathers together eggs that it didn’t lay...”, TLB: “Like a bird that fills her nest with young she has not hatched and which will soon desert her and fly away”, The Message: “Like a cowbird that cheats by laying its eggs in another bird’s nest...”. The KJV on the hand is accurate and true.

Warning

What is Jeremiah 17:11 trying to teach? It is a warning to the rich. Jeremiah 5:27–28 says, “As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.” Jeremiah 6:13, “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.” Those who want to be rich but do not do so in the right ways or with righteous means will one day have to leave everything behind and be judged by God. To the godless and ungodly rich, the Lord Jesus said, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20–21). What is the use of riches without God?

A Fool before God

Many think that they are wise in this world, but are actually very foolish because their worldly wisdom cannot save them from their sins. Who then is a fool before God?

1. Those who deny God their Creator. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

2. Those who do not know God nor do good before Him. Jeremiah 4:22 says, “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

3. Those who do not glorify God nor are thankful to Him. Romans 1:21 says, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

4. Those who follow their own spirit and trust in their own heart and judgment. Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Proverbs 28:26, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”

5. Those who cannot control their tongues. Proverbs 10:18 says, “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.” Ecclesiastes 10:14, “A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? James 3:2, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” Matthew 12:34, “The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8), and “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

6. Those who walk in ungodly and dangerous ways but are still confident. Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.”

7. Those who hear but do not do God’s Word. Matthew 7:26–27 says, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

8. Those who lay up treasure for themselves and are not rich toward God. Luke 12:20–21 says, “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 1 Timothy 6:9, “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition,”

9. Those who trust in the flesh and do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Matthew 25:2–3 says, “And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them”. The oil refers to the Holy Spirit. Those who trust in themselves but not God or His Word are foolish for “it is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). Galatians 3:3 says, “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

Proper Attitudes

How can we be wise children of God?

1. Fear the LORD and acknowledge His holiness. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

2. Buy wisdom, know His will, hear and do God’s Word. Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (cf Col 3:16). Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock”, 2 Timothy 3:15, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

3. Ask God for His wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

4. Be godly and contented with what God has given us. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

5. Count our days and redeem the time. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”, Ephesians 5:15–16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

6. Rely on the Holy Spirit and be controlled by Him. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit or controlled by Him (Eph 5:18), we shall be filled with or controlled by His wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isa 11:2)! The Holy Spirit is the divine Seal of God in His children to testify that they belong to Him (Eph 4:30). Without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, the Lord Jesus will reject us when He comes. We ought to wisely rely on the Holy Spirit and submit to Him, our Comforter and Helper!

7. Walk with the Lord and with those who fear and do His Word. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

May the LORD, the only wise God, fill us with His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord so that we may know Him, fear Him, hear and do His Word, redeem the time and walk with Him and with those who fear Him and do His Word. Amen.

[Rev Nguyen Gia Hien is the pastor of Brisbane BPC and Vietnamese BPC in Brisbane, Australia.]

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