For whatever reason, my wife has always wanted to see a bear.  In person.  In the wild.  Several summers ago we vacationed in the Smoky Mountains and did a lot of hiking – so seeing a bear on her wish list.  We found a few animal prints in some mud that we were pretty sure were bear tracks, but we never saw a bear.

So you can imagine her disappointment when the other day she heard someone talking about his recent visit to the Smokies and his encounter with a bear.  Really. But then after listening to his story I’m wondering if “see a bear” might be removed from her bucket list.  The guy’s experience sounded a little scary.

Solomon didn’t seem to think encountering a bear was a good thing.  But he says there is something that’s worse!

17:12

Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool and his folly.

Whoa!

That is a pretty strong statement.  Solomon has upped the ante.  He’s added the whole “someone stole the bear’s cubs” to the narrative.  I’m definitely sure my wife is not interested in that scenario.  But dealing with a fool is even worse?  Evidently.

Read Proverbs 17

Throughout the book of Proverbs Solomon addresses the issue of fools and foolishness.  Often times his instructions tell us how not to be a fool; other times he’s telling us how to identify a fool so that we can keep our distance.

The following verses are various proverbs regarding fools/foolishness.  What can you learn from them?

• Proverbs 10:8
• Proverbs 10:18
• Proverbs 10:23
• Proverbs 12:15
• Proverbs 14:17

Evidently there were a lot of foolish people in Solomon’s day – and he labeled them as dangerous.   The truth is, there are a lot of foolish people in today’s world.  We encounter them everywhere – at work, on line, at the mall, possibly even at church (yikes!).   As we continue on our 31-day journey, keep paying attention to what is said about fools and foolishness – it could save you a ton of trouble.

Today’s wisdom:

Beware of bears fools!