NOTE: FOR RELATED
ARTICLES ON THE NAÏVE, SCOFFERS & FOOLS SEE THIS RELATED LINK:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/thingsrefused-hated.htm
1. Things Refused,
Neglected, Paid No Attention To And Hated #1
2. Things Refused,
Neglected, Paid No Attention To And Hated #2
3. Penalties For The Naïve, Scoffers And Fools (Part One)
4. Penalties For The Naïve, Scoffers And Fools (Part Two)
The Truth In Print Vol. 16 Issue 2, March 2010
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928-782-5058)
Website Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
For the Naïve,
Scoffers and Fools
In
Proverbs chapter one “Wisdom” shouts publicly to all
including the simple minded (naïve), scorners (scoffers) and fools:
Pro 1:20 Wisdom crieth
without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
Pro 1:21 She crieth
in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
Pro 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love
simplicity? and the scorners delight in their
scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Question:
Did Jesus ever refer to certain individuals or select groups as “fools”? Read
Matthew 23. The Lord wasn’t very politically correct! He also used the word
“Hypocrites” often in that chapter. Was He guilty of “name calling”?
The following helpful link warns and appropriately so concerning 7 major
propaganda techniques —-
http://mason.gmu.edu/~amcdonal/Propaganda%20Techniques.html
Name Calling
Glittering Generalities
Transfer
Testimonial
Plain Folks
Card Stacking
Band Wagon
God Doesn’t “Name
Call”
Was Jesus “Name Calling” in Matthew 23? Was He just a worthless
politician full of all the dirty tricks politicians use in spreading their
propaganda? Was He just trying to make honest people appear to be hypocrites?
No, if God says someone or some group is stupid they are stupid! If He says
they are scoffers they are scoffers! If He says they are fools they are fools!
This is what God does say in Proverbs and He meant what He said.
God knows each heart as well as the truth about select groups (cf. Pr.
5:21;15:3). God simply doesn’t have the problem a
Politically Correct society has in “naming” simple mindedness, naming fools as
fools and calling scoffers what they are. God doesn’t lie (Heb. 6:18).
Moreover, God tells them and us why He calls them such and what is going to
happen to them for being such.
Here in our community, in Yuma, an
individual was murdered some time back who was a cross-dressing female
impersonator. He was out in the bars one night and picked up by someone who
could have thought the “he” was a “she.” His murder was widely publicized. Our
newspaper even advertized that there would be a movie shown here about this
individual. I read that this movie beat out 60 other degenerate movies for top
honors of some kind at a Gay-Lesbian Festival somewhere. Now, having said that
allow me to interject a propaganda technique you’ll surely recognized: “You Hate!” Especially with regards to stating that homosexuality
is sinful and wrong. Are homosexuals “fools” in the sense of despising God’s
knowledge? Yes! Is the Evangelical Lutheran church the same for endorsing gay
clergy? Yes! (cf. I Cor. 6:9-10)
I had an acquaintance in a cycling class
who was from Germany. She told how an older man recognized her accent —- he asked
her what kind of accent she had and being told replied with “I hate all
Germans!” More than likely his hatred goes back to the war. During wartime
“names” were used, and still are, to build up hatred and prejudice towards the
enemy. If God “hates” — meaning “odious” like the word “abomination”— he has a
reason (cf. Prov. 6:16-19). Notice in Prov. 6:18 that God hates a “heart that deviseth wicked imaginations” — the heart is the person!
God is trying to turn the sinner. That’s
the purpose of wisdom “calling” out publicly to the fools, scoffers and naïve.
Wisdom said: “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto
you, I will make known my words unto you” (Prov. 1:23).
God Did Not Use Glittering
Generalities
God did not use words and
phrases with always favorable implications —- generalities that say nothing at
all. To not heed His call is to have Him laugh at your calamity and mock when
your dread comes like a storm and your destruction like a whirlwind, when
distress and anguish come upon you:
Pro 1:24 Because I have
called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25 But ye have set
at nought all my counsel, and would none of my
reproof:
Pro 1:26 I also will
laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
Pro 1:27 When your fear
cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress
and anguish cometh upon you.
Pro 1:28 Then shall they
call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall
not find me:
Pro 1:29 For that they
hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Pro 1:30 They would none
of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Pro 1:31 Therefore shall
they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Pro 1:32 For the turning
away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy
them.
God Did Not Use the “Plain
Folks” Approach
See the above link for a more thorough explanation.
God never used the “Plain Folks” trick — politicians like to present themselves
as such – they use speech to identify with their listeners point of view. God
is not just one of us! He said that what they loved was going to result in
their eternal death — read Prov. 1:29-32 just above.
God Did Not Stack the Cards Against the Fool
“Propagandist uses this technique to make
the best case possible for his side and the worst for the opposing viewpoint by
carefully using only those facts that support his or her side of the argument
while attempting to lead the audience into accepting the facts as a conclusion.
In other words, the propagandist stacks the cards against the truth….The
audience must decide what’s missing. ”
The fools problem
always has been that he would not listen to the simple truth of “God” because
He is “God.”
God Used “True” Guilt by Association!
He
said that the simple minded who believe anything, the scoffer and the fool who
hates His knowledge belong together — no tricks here for notice what “they” did
— emphasis on the word “they” and “them”:
Pro 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I
will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did
not choose the fear of the LORD:
Pro 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they
despised all my reproof.
Pro 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit
of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Pro 1:32 For the turning away of the simple
shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
God really cared about them!
God Did Not Use the “Band
Wagon”
God deals with man based upon His “law”
(cf. Ps. 18:20-29). Accepting God’s Law will not put one in the majority (Matt.
7:14; Lk. 14:23). The theme of the Band Wagon is join
with us — be in the majority — be where the power is — be free of criticism for
being different and with the minority. Wisdom says for those who listen:
“But whoso hearkeneth
unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil” (Prov. 1:33).
By Bob Lovelace
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learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com