Proverbs 27:3
The Provocation of a Fool
1. These two verses speak of the trouble that is created by the provocation of a fool.
2. Solomon has had much to say about fools in this book – what they are like; their folly; their mouths; their bad behavior; etc.
3. This passage speaks about the burden they are to others.
3c A fool’s wrath
1. The first thing that needs to be identified in this passage is the meaning of the word translated “wrath.”
a. It is not the same Hebrew word as is translated “wrath” in verse four.
b. However, it may well have been translated with the same English word because of the proximity of verse four. The translators may have assumed that the two passages were to be taken together as a unit.
2. “Wrath” defined:
a. The term is described variously as “anger; angry; grief; sorrow; indignation; provocation; provoking; vexation.”
b. Theological Workbook of the Old Testament: “The root meaning of “ka-as” is to vex, agitate, stir up, or provoke the heart to a heated condition which in turn leads to specific actions.”
c. It is often used of man vexing or provoking God to anger.
• I Kings 15:30 – Israel provoked God with their idols.
d. And it is also used of man vexing or provoking other men or women.
• This is the way it is used in our proverb.
• I Sam. 1:6-7 – Peninnah provoked Hannah to vexation and caused her much grief.
• Prov. 17:25 – “A foolish son is a grief (same word) to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.”
• The term translated “wrath” that Solomon used in our proverb is best understood in the sense of a provocation – a vexation of soul caused by another.
• It is upsetting, frustrating, irritating, and also can cause a person to become angry.
• Thus, provocation often results in anger, but not exclusively. It results in other emotions as well.
3. Consider some other translations of this passage:
a. Darby: “A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s vexation is heavier than them both.”
b. NET: “A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but vexation by a fool is more burdensome than the two of them.”
c. Holman: “A stone is heavy and sand, a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.”
d. NIV: “Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.”
4. Solomon appears to have chosen this term in order that the application be a bit more general and broad than “wrath.”
a. A fool provokes others.
b. He provokes to anger, to fear, to frustration, to irritation, to aggravation, and perhaps he provokes in hundreds of other ways.
c. Fools provoke others in countless ways… all of which are negative.
d. Provoking CAN be good. In fact, we as believers are commanded to provoke one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:25).
e. We can provoke one another by our works and by our words to good service, to faithfulness, to be more heavenly minded, to walk the narrow pathway, to make things right with God and others, to be good fathers, good wives, good students, good workers, etc.
f. Provoking often has a good connotation, but not in this passage.
g. Fools do not provoke others to good but to evil.
A Fool’s Provocation is Heavy
1. It is heavier than a large stone; it is heavier than sand.
2. Heavy/heavier – “weight; a grievous weight; mass; density; a burden.
3. The point of the proverb is twofold:
(1) That fools provoke
(2) That the provocation is a heavy burden on others
5. So HOW do fools provoke and WHY is it burdensome?
a. Fools deny God (Ps. 53:1)
• The fool says there is no god.
• That is a provocation to believers.
• It causes great angst to Christian parents when their children are being fed information by fools who say quite openly, “There is no god.”
• It causes frustration to Christians in America when we see every vestige of our Christian heritage being deliberately and systematically erased from our national conscience—and from the history books.
• It is a heavy burden to helplessly watch this take place right under our noses on a daily basis.
b. Fools mock at sin (Prov. 14:9)
• This is a provocation we all face in our declining culture.
• Fools joke about sinful things – in the workplace, on the street, on TV, in the newspapers. It’s everywhere.
• Fools in Hollywood mock at sin constantly.
• They joke about adultery, stealing, lying, homosexuality, drinking, marriage, etc…
• There isn’t anything funny about sin, but they rub it in our faces every day.
• This is grievous to a sensitive believer. It is a heavy burden… heavier than a large stone or a large bag of sand.
c. Foolish children despise correction (Prov. 15:5)
• Foolish children do foolish things.
• The goal of correction is to drive the folly from the child.
• However, some children do not respond well to correction. They despise it—even though the Bible says, “Despise not the correction of the Lord…”
• Thus, the foolish child who rejects correction continues in his folly to the great grief and sorrow of his parents.
• He provokes them to grief daily… and this grief is a burden on their heart heavier than a stone.
d. Fools make a sport of mischief (Prov. 10:23)
• Mischief: Plans; device; evil plans.
• Fools get a sinister and morbid pleasure out of carrying out their evil plans which usually involve inflicting pain and loss on others.
• Gangs of undisciplined youth; serial killers; the mafia families; the guy in the office who gets a kick out of his filthy jokes; those who hack into websites just for the fun of sending viruses to others; the sick arsonist who loves to watch the property of others burn to the ground.
• While these sick “sports” might be fun for him, they are a great grief to others.
• He provokes others to grief, anger, and frustration.
• He causes others to carry around a big burden – like a large rock on their shoulders.
e. Fools are lazy and slothful (Ecc. 4:5)
• The fool will not work. He wants everything handed to him on a silver platter.
• He hates those who work hard and are successful because they make him look bad.
• He has a million excuses why he can’t go to work: “there’s a lion in the street!”
• He becomes a burden to society and especially to his own family.
• He expects others to take care of him and meet all his needs… others who work hard just to provide for their own needs now have an extra burden around their necks.
• He provokes others to frustration and aggravation. He is a burden to them… because they have to pull his weight because he is too lazy to pull his own weight.
• The lazy fool is heavier than a stone around your neck.
f. A fool is often contentious (Prov. 18:6)
• The fool often likes to cause trouble. He sows seeds of discord everywhere he goes.
• He tries to pit people against each other so that he can enjoy the fight from the sidelines.
• He argues about everything… never content.
• Thus, this kind of fool provokes others to wrath.
• Of course, the only way to deal with the fool who causes contention is to cast him out!
• If you want to get rid of the trouble, you have to get rid of the troublemaker.
• The contentious fool provokes others; he vexes their souls; he is a burden heavier than stone.
g. A fool clings to his folly (Prov. 26:11)
• As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.
• The fool provokes to frustration because no matter how much time you spend trying to help him, no matter how much you try to talk sense to him, a fool inevitably returns to his folly – like a dog returning to his vomit.
• Those around him who are trying to help are provoked to frustration because while he may seem to respond initially, it doesn’t sink in.
• Fools often cling to their folly and are a burden to those trying to help… heavier than a stone.
6. In 1001 different ways, “A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.”
a. A wise person will be aware of the fool and will not over-react to his folly. Don’t expect too much from a fool. You will be provoked to frustration.
b. Don’t give a fool room to provoke. If you give him an inch he will take a mile. Just get out of his way!
c. We have been warned that this is what fools do: they provoke others.
d. So, don’t allow yourself to BE provoked by him. Don’t allow him drag you into his twisted web.