Proverbs 24:7 — Wise Saying #23

READ THIS: Proverbs 24:7, Wise Saying #23

7 Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths. 

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

On first read, I thought this verse must mean that when people are not very smart, they don't speak up in important conversations because they don't understand it. But, speaking from experience, I often speak up when I don't understand things, so I decided to read a few commentaries on this verse to help me understand it better. 

Fun fact: the word "fool" that is used throughout Scripture (and especially Proverbs, as the ogs will recall), rarely refers to someone's intelligence. Being foolish is more about someone's attitude and moral character. Someone who is a fool is someone who is not teachable and who thinks their twisted way of thinking/acting is okay. So, that kind of person, when thrown into "the assembly at the gate," should not speak up because they will just expose how they are lacking in character. The verse does not say that the fool "does not" open their mouths, but rather MUST not. 

But what's this assembly at the gate? Turns out, back in ancient times, lawyers and important people would get together at the city's gate. That's where legal matters and business exchanges happened. Those people would be highly respected, and many of those people would have a good grasp on wisdom, which sets them apart from the fool.  

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. What are spaces that you feel like you have the moral standing to be able to speak? What are spaces where you feel like you "mustn't" speak? Why is that?

2. Think about prayer for a second. How is it that we have the moral standing to talk to God, the MOST wise and respectable being?

TRY THIS:

 

Think of someone that you would consider to be a fool according to the definition we learned today. What makes them a fool? NOW...imagine that someone thought of YOU as a fool. What would they say makes you a fool..???