The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about the fool:
Proverbs 27:22 (NASV)
Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
Proverbs 27:22 (ESV)
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.
A proverb is a way to teach wisdom in a simple way with a word picture, or with contrasting or complimentary statements. This proverb gives us insight how to work with those who are classified as “fools.” The poem has three lines, with the last two clarifying to the first. The subject is that of a “fool.” According to God’s Word, a fool is someone who acts or lives as though there is no God (Psalms 53:1). This proverb uses a pharmaceutical image to get its point across. In those days the pharmacist would make drugs by putting the raw product into a mortar (a cup) and grind it with a stone pestle (a large fat spoon type object). He would grind the grain until the product he wanted was ground out of the plant. The point stated here is that although you put pressure on the fool to change and in essence, grind him or her, you will not take the folly out of them. Those who refuse to live for God will not be changed by outward pressure. They must be changed by God on the inside. Our arguments and our reasonings do not work on someone who rejects the “God of Truth.” If someone is going to change they need truth (John 8:32 - “... and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”). If they reject the God of Truth they will not be able to get free from whatever is holding them. We think if we can talk to them, we can change the fool. Yet, if they reject God’s truth, our grinding on the fool with our words will never change them. We can’t change them, but God might.
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