What Were You Thinking?!
Capering Without Consequences
Reflective Reading: Proverbs 1:22-33
Kelly Nash: Out on a Limb is the story of a well-loved boy with a winsome personality—and a fatal flaw that he must overcome. He just doesn’t think! He loves capers and pays no mind to consequences. When confronted with his behavior, it’s like water off a duck’s back. But Kelly’s careless, carefree lifestyle is about to catch up to him.
It all starts with little Annie Ingalls. Although she bears the brunt of Kelly’s numerous pranks, she is never cross with him. Rather, her kindness and courage baffle him and challenge him to stop and think—even if for just a moment. And though she doesn’t deserve his bothersome tomfoolery, Kelly can’t resist a good laugh on her account—until one day his thoughtless actions put Annie in a position that threatens her life.
Even then, Kelly doesn’t take the consequences of his actions seriously. If bringing someone’s life into peril doesn’t awaken the conscience, what will it take to compel this simple-minded youth to finally think?
Kelly Nash is what the Bible calls a “simple” person. In Hebrew, simple means naive, gullible, thoughtless, fat head, empty head, or easily enticed. Kelly’s thoughtless actions perfectly describe such a person. In Proverbs 1, Solomon describes six types of people: the mockers, fools, simple, knowledgeable, wise, and discerning. Everyone falls into one of these categories. Although we all start off life being simple, we don’t need to stay that way. This timely story of Kelly Nash will reveal what it takes for the simple to finally start thinking.
The remedy begins with listening. Kelly doesn’t think because he doesn’t listen. Even after repeated acts of foolishness, he seems unable to break free from his foolhardy ways. Consequences don’t turn him around, neither does pleading or appealing. He must learn to turn, as Wisdom commands. The implication of turning is to turn oneself away from one thing and towards another. It is the act of humbling oneself, turning away from sin and towards God, asking, pleading, and often, begging for help and forgiveness.
If Kelly, or the simple-minded person, refuses to “turn,” the result is catastrophic. The Scriptures teach, “The simple are destroyed by their turning away” (Proverbs 1:32). The words “turning away” carry the idea of backsliding and apostacy. They are destroyed because they turn away from God and establish their own rules for life. Because of their thoughtless naivety, they are easily enticed by their peers and kept in the bondage of peer dependency as described in Proverbs chapter 1. Those who depend on the acceptance of peers exhibit the faulty idea that people are big and God is small. Again, the remedy is to turn to God and admit they desperately need His help and forgiveness.
Fools who hate knowledge exist in an even greater bondage, though they are convinced that they are experiencing a greater freedom. This is a form of prideful stubbornness. They resist being told what to do or how to do it. Because fools hate knowledge, the Bible says they are destroyed by complacency (Proverbs 1:32). In Hebrew, complacency means safety and prosperity. Because the foolish are often successful in obtaining what they want, their success becomes a trap. Their false security is short lived, and when trials come into their lives, they surrender their will to whatever brings them instant relief, regardless of the cost. Their remedy is similar to that of the simple—acknowledgment of their foolish pride and a turn towards God. All remedies begin at the cross.
The mockers are the third and, sadly, the most unlikely group to turn. The Bible says they “delight in their mocking.” Why? Because it shields them from their own shame and insecurity. Those who make a habit of mocking find a sense of superiority in making others look weak. This is weakness in the guise of strength. The only remedy for mockers is to come face-to-face with their depravity and insecurity and turn to God in repentance.
Unless the simple, foolish, and mockers turn, the knowledge of God will remain inaccessible. It is through fearing the LORD that the knowledge of God becomes accessible. The fear of the LORD teaches children and adults to love what God loves and hate what God hates. When God is respected, revered, and feared, the knowledge of God becomes immeasurably precious (Proverbs 8:5-21). His rules are no longer seen as restrictions, but guardians to protect, prosper, and bring pleasure.
Join me next week when we look further into Proverbs and learn how seeking Wisdom more than silver and hidden treasure enables you to understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God so that knowledge becomes pleasant to your soul.
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
King Jack book/audio drama (Ages 6+)
Palace of Deceit (Ages 9+)
Come What May (Ages 12+)
