A Painful Reminder
Good morning. Have you ever done something really stupid, with no one to blame but yourself? That’s me right now.
I wear long-wear soft contacts. I love the convenience of leaving them in for days at a time, but I always soak them overnight in a solution containing 3% hydrogen peroxide. The bottle warns against getting it in your eyes—but foolishness doesn’t always heed warnings.
Two nights ago, I soaked my lenses as usual. But in the morning, for reasons I still can’t explain, I rinsed the left lens with more of the same solution and put it into my eye. It felt like red-hot pokers. I rinsed the right lens with water before inserting it, but the damage was done. The searing pain was unbearable. It was as if my eyes were on fire. Although the pain has subsided, my vision is still blurry and I am extremely light sensitive this morning.
I couldn’t read my Bible on my phone, so I opened it on my computer and enlarged the font. I read Proverbs 26–28—and what stood out was the repeated mention of “the fool.”
The Humor of Christ and the Folly of Man
Years ago, my pastor referenced a book called The Humor of Christ by Elton Trueblood, and I bought a copy. Trueblood argues Jesus used irony, exaggeration, and wit to reveal spiritual truths and challenge assumptions [1]. This morning, as I read Proverbs, I saw that same sharp contrast between wisdom and folly.
We often speak of wisdom, but today, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum. Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” If that’s where wisdom begins, then the fool is the one who lacks reverence for God. Proverbs 28:26 says, “Those who trust in themselves are fools.” And Psalms 14:1 and 53:1 echo the sobering truth: “A fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
The Rejection of Lordship
Recently in America, we’ve seen a movement called “No Kings.” It gained momentum when President Trump proposed a military parade to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. With military service running deep in my family—my son in the Navy, my father-in-law in the Army—I saw the gesture as respectful.
But the reaction from the left was striking: signs reading “No Kings!” flooded the streets. It wasn’t just a rejection of Trump as king—it was a rejection of kingship itself. The protests, organized by groups like Indivisible and the Women’s March, drew millions across the country on June 14 and again on July 4 under the banner “No Kings 2.0”. Their message was simple: no thrones, no crowns, no rulers above the law.
I understand their concern about authoritarianism. But it’s also a telling statement. What America—and the world—needs most is not fewer kings, but a return to the original King: God.
The Fool Who Refuses to Bow
Before Israel asked for an earthly king, God was their king. He gave them Saul, but it was a concession. Jesus is the King of Kings—not elected, not appointed, but eternal.
When I reflect on the warnings in Proverbs about fools, I think of those who resist Jesus’s lordship. Those who refuse to bow to Him as King are, in truth, more foolish than a man who burns his own eyes.
