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Read the Bible through and you will frequently come across the terms "fool," "foolish," and "folly." The Hebrew word is "nabaal" so named after one of the most foolish and selfish men in the Bible, Nabal, Abigail's husband whose story we find in the life of King David. Because of this man's foolishness, and utter stupidity in every area of his life, his name came to mean "fool" to the Hebrew tongue, but it was a much stronger rebuke than the word "fool" means today. To a Hebrew, to be a fool was the worst possible fate and the absolute worst thing that you could call them, because they understood the word in the scriptural sense of it's definition. Today, we use the term about someone that we think is lacking a "few fries short of a happy meal" or who is "easily taken advantage of" but to the Hebrew it went beyond someone's common sense level. For a person to be a fool meant according to scripture, several things and let's glance at some of the characteristics of a true fool. To be a true fool, according to scripture is that you must be:

1. An atheist.

A true fool does not believe in God, or if he does, he believes that either that God is unknowable (agnostic) or that he, himself, is the god of his life.

2. A liar and slanderer.

3. A person who is always right and that doesn't need instruction.

4. A person who does not respond to correction by changing his ways.

5. A person who won't drop things and keeps on meddling in other's affairs.

6. Hears the Word of God but doesn't obey them.

It is quite obvious from just these few scriptures that "a fool" is someone that you don't want to be like in any way! It is also obvious that the "fool" is not someone who is going to make it into eternal life unless he changes, because how can someone obey the scriptural demands of salvation and make it to heaven without obeying God's Word and even believing that there is a God! To be a fool according to the Bible's definition of it is a very serious thing because it is to be eternally lost and that is why when Jesus wanted to tell His disciples about the dangers of condemning people to hell just because of anger and dislike that he did so by telling that whosoever saith unto his brother "thou fool" is in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:22)! What He meant was not that if you called someone "stupid" that you were going to hell, but that if you dismissed someone as "lost" simply because you disliked them or were angry with them, then you would be treading on thin ice spiritually! To the Hebrew, to be a "fool" was a horrible trait and fate!

Incidentally, the Bible gives us instruction on how to deal with people that we come in contact with that are "fools" according to the scriptural sense. And the advice and instruction is "avoid them:"

In other words, the minute that you realize that someone is a fool -- an atheist, not interested in obeying God's Word, always right and never needing any instruction, hating correction, and always lying -- then the best thing that you can do is avoid them like the plague! "Go from them." Leave. Vamoose! Because such a person is dangerously lost and you don't want to learn their ways or to think like them! Witnessing to such a person is useless because if they will not acknowledge God and His Word, then nothing you can say will help! Pray for them, but "go from them." And whatever you do, don't hang out and be friends with "fools."

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The point of all of this is that you and I don't want to stand in judgment one day, having died a fool. Judgment day will not be a fun day for most people and especially to those who died having said that "there is no God" and "I don't need to obey God's Word." To die as a fool is a horrible way to die and certainly will result in eternal damnation. Simply put, I don't want to die in the shoes of a fool. I don't want to switch places with such a person. I don't want to stand before God in such a condition. I'm sure you feel the same way, and hopefully since you are at church tonight, that means that you are not a fool in the sense of the scripture's definition, and probably most of you believe in God, believe in obeying God's Word, not lying, and believe that you need to learn more about God and His Word. That's why you're here, so probably, you are not a fool in the scriptural sense of the Word. Thank God for that!

But that doesn't mean that you should dismiss the subject altogether. I came in to this service knowing that I probably wouldn't be preaching to any atheists, rather I've come to preach to people who believe in God and have or are learning to have a relationship with Him. And so to you, I bring a sobering thought from the pages of the Word of God, and that is in scripture there are three instances where it is possible to die a fool's death without being a fool. In other words, there are several times in scripture where someone who was not a fool died a "fool's death" to wake up in eternity and have to meet God as a fool would, and yet they did not live their life as a fool did. They were not a fool, but they died a fool's death, and had to meet a fool's judgment in the afterlife. It follows then that if they could not be fools and yet make certain fatal mistakes that would cause them to die "as a fool," then if we were to make the same mistakes in our life that they did, we would die to reap the same damnation. For the remainder of this lesson, let's examine what mistakes that they made that would cause them to reap such a horrible judgment despite not living their entire life as a fool. What would cause a believer to have to stand before God and reap the same judgment as if they had been an atheist? Whatever it is, we don't want to make the same mistake! I don't want to die the death of a fool, whether it be a physical death or a spiritual one!

We read as one of our texts the famous parable of the Rich Fool. Jesus told this story to teach us great principles about the kingdom of God. Because Jesus said that it was "a certain rich man" I believe the story was a true one and really happened.

There is nothing evil about being rich, and through verse 17 of the story there is nothing to find fault with in this man. He was a farmer, and he had obviously worked hard for many years to get to a place where he was wealthy. Any farmer will tell you that to get wealthy in such a way will take much hard work and labor. The man was not lazy and was willing to work and earn his living honestly. The man obviously trusted God because he planted the seed, and then allowed God to do the work in his life. Such is a metaphor for how the things of God work in our life, and that, coupled with later in the story, he was able to hear the voice of God, would indicate to me that this man was no atheist and believed in Almighty God. The fact that Jesus, talking to Jews, would say "a certain rich man" instead of telling the man's name would seem to indicate that if He had stated the name some of them might have known of him. What's the point? I don't think that this man was an agnostic or an atheist, and therefore was not a "fool" in the scriptural sense of the word.

The man obviously had learned the laws of God concerning sowing and reaping because he understood that to reap a big harvest, you must plant more seed. He also understood that value of persistence and in keeping with something until you saw the results that you wanted. We know this because God blessed his efforts and finally one year, his seed sprouts and germinates and he reaps a bumper crop, a crop that is enough to give him everything that he will ever want. And we find that as the man looks over his crop, the result of being persistent through years of hard work, that he begins to reason what he should do with all of this food. We find that the man has a bit of common sense in addition to his work ethic, his trust of God's principles, and his patience! It's hard to find fault with such a man! But then in verse 18, everything changes:

Just when he has acheived all that he has worked so hard to get, we find that errant thinking comes into play. The problems with what this man did was numerous: it was selfish to hoard all of the blessings to God for himself, he decided that he had it made and would no longer have to concern himself with sowing seeds and reaping a harvest, and he assumed that he would live forever. But the greatest problem was that the man left God out of his life and plans and future. Not one time does he thank God who gave him the harvest. Not one time does he enquire of God to see what God's will was for him to do with this bumper crop. Not one time did he think about using some of his surplus to help someone else. And more importantly, not one time did he think about eternity and planning ahead for that. He had everything planned out for his life down here, but in doing so, he neglected getting ready to face God and the afterlife and so we find that God breaks in the story and says:

Wait, God! Why did you call him a fool? He hasn't lived as a fool. He has been productive, sowing seed and reaping it according to your laws. He has shown nothing but good traits up till this harvest. Yes, but God is calling him a fool because despite his goodness, he will die a fool's death because he made the fatal mistake of not preparing adequately for eternity and was concerned with only the things of this life! The rich man died that night, and the new barns were never built, and his great wealth went to people who never worked for it or deserved it and yet when he stands before God on judgment day, he will have to stand as a fool would because he died a fool's death!

And so learn the lesson well, people of God! It's important to work and provide for your family and to have good things to enjoy, but all of that is secondary to preparing for eternity! If I prepare beautifully for every thing about this life and yet leave God and His will out of my plans and don't consult what it is He would have me to do and I don't prepare and lay some treasure up for eternity, then I will die the fool's death despite having had a relationship with God! There's nothing wrong with saving money for a rainy day or for a goal, but are you also investing some in the kingdom of God? What about missions? What about helping a brother or sister who is in need? What about your tithing and offering unto God? And it goes beyond just money, but what of your time? What of your concerns? What of your goals and your job and your family? What are you working toward? Is it for the benefit of this life only, or are you making a deposit in your eternal destination? How much of your time each week is spent to make your few years here on earth better, versus getting ready for the time that you will spend in eternity? Which is priority in your life?

The lesson and the danger of the parable of the rich man is that it shows us how easy it is to get so caught up in living our every day lives and just making money and spending money and breathing and sleeping that we forget about God and His kingdom and leave Him out! But don't do that, because those that do, will die a fool's death!

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The story of another man who died a fool's death despite not being a fool was found in our other text. We read the story of the death of a man named Abner. You may not be very familiar with Abner, but he was known to everyone in Israel in the time in which he lived. Abner was the commander of chief of Saul's armies and was a mighty general and powerful warrior. It was Abner who introduced David to Saul after the giant had been slain, and we find that after the death of Saul, that despite the weak and wimpy Ishbosbeth who took the throne in Saul's stead temporarily, we find that Abner was loyal to Saul's legacy. Abner probably wanted the throne for himself and we find some ambition to be king, but over all, Abner was a pretty good fellow. His name means "father of light" and all in all he was a good Israeli man, and a mighty warrior.

We find that in battle with the southern tribes of Judah, Abner respected his opposing general, Joab, so much that when Joab's brother begins to chase him in battle, that he tries -- as he is running -- to tell the fleet-footed young man to go back so that he doesn't have to kill him. When the young man, named Asahel, doesn't turn back, Abner has no recourse but to slay him, and thus the hatred of evil Joab is kindled against Abner.

It was the law in Israel that if you killed someone's relative accidentally, then that the relatives of that person could kill you if they could find you. In order to be fair, there were cities around the country that were designated as "cities of refuge" in that if the person who had accidentally killed someone could get into that city's walls, then they would be safe from the relatives of the murdered. The roads to the "cities of refuge" were kept in good repair and free of all vegetation so that the one fleeing the wrath of a family had every chance to make it there.

This law of the "cities of refuge" did not apply to cold-blooded murder, and the law that permitted the relatives to get revenge did not apply in times of war. Because Abner had killed Joab's brother in a time of battle, there should have been no revenge available, but Abner knew that Joab hated him and would use this an excuse to try to kill him, so Abner met with King David to explain to him what had happened and then ran to the nearest city of refuge, Hebron to live and thus escape the wrath of Joab.

I'm sure at first, Abner was careful not to go beyond the boundaries of the city of refuge, but as a little time went by, he dropped his guard. The scriptures say that one day Joab showed up outside the gate of the city and sent word in to the city for Abner to come outside of the gate and talk privately by the well. For some reason, Abner, the seasoned warrior and general, let his guard down and went trusting to talk with his enemy. When he got there, Joab, murdered him by slipping a hidden dagger into his heart and Abner died, just beyond the limit of the city of refuge!

As they had a funeral, King David mourned and all the nation wept their fallen hero, but the greatest tragedy were the words of King David at the burial:

Abner was no fool, and yet he died a fool's death! His hands were not bound nor was he like a man executed who had no choice but to face his fate. Instead, Abner was free to choose life or death, depending if he would stay on guard against his adversary and remain in the place of refuge. Because he was willing to talk with his enemy and go outside the boundaries of mercy, this mighty warrior would die as a fool would die!

You must not forget that you have an enemy of your soul that hates your guts! Peter wrote:

The devil wants to destroy you because you are a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! When you were set free, you were set free by God's mercy! You deserved to pay the penalty of death because the "wages of sin is death!" But through the sacrifice and blood and mercy of Jesus Christ, you have found a refuge from having to face eternal damnation! Jesus Christ is our refuge! He is our place of protection! The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe! And so I'm here to remind you that if you have been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and filled with His Spirit, that you have found a resting place from the time of storm! You have found a city of refuge from the devil that would want to destroy you! God's mercy and forgiveness has given you a place to live abundantly and you are safe as long as you remain within His protecting power and His will! The devil is powerless as long as you remain living for God and serving Him and obeying His commandments!

In the garden of Eden, the devil could not force Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, but could only try to entice them. The devil has no power except that which you give to him through disobedience to God's Word. If you are faithfully living by all of the Word of God, then the devil has no power in your life and is nothing to be feared. You have a resting place. You have a city of refuge.

But don't make the mistake of mighty Abner. And unfortunately I've known Christians that have. They get so used to living within the refuge of God's mercy, that they forget that the devil hates them and is out to destroy them. They forget about the seriousness and the value of their life. They'll agree to talk with the devil about things. They'll listen to his pull of trying to entice them to step out of God's mercy. "Just for a little while" he'll say. Just leave the plan of God and the Word of God for a little while. It's only temporary. But as Eve found out and as Abner found out, that when you begin to talk and discuss with the voice of the enemy and temptation, you are only one step away from losing everything precious to you. In Abner's case it was a physical death; in Eve's it was a spiritual death. Both died the death of a fool. Both had their heart's smitten. All because they forgot their adversary; they dropped their guard; they left the boundaries of mercy just a few steps. They never intended for it to be permanent. They always intended to come back to God's plan, but they forgot that behind the sweet talking and appealing temptation of the enemy and sin lurked a hatred and a desire to destroy and to kill!

And so I'm preaching to you. Don't you for a minute believe the lies of sin that says it's fun and there's nothing bad that will come, after all just do it a little bit. Just barely step out of the Word of God and then go right back. Leave the refuge, meet with me, and then you can go back. Don't believe it for a second! Because he is still your adversary. He still wants to destroy you! And if you step out of the boundaries of the mercy of God, chances are that you might not come back. You might just be another mighty warrior that dies a fool's death. It's horrible enough to die with chains around your hands and feet and die trapped in your sin to face your judgment but it's even worse for a child of God who has been set free to die the death of a fool because they willingly, under their own power and unchained and fettered chose to go meet with the enemy outside the walls of mercy. Don't die the fool's death!

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Our third and last case ends a little more positive. It is a case where someone could have died a fool's death and yet chose not to! Most of you are familiar with it; I'm referring to the story of Job.

Job endured a great test of his faith. God allowed Satan to come against him to prove his love for God and to show Satan that Job loved God for more than the blessings. First Job lost all of his wealth and went from being the richest man in the land to the poorest. Then his enemies attacked and killed most of his servants. Then the house where his children were meeting fell on them killing all of his children in one fell swoop. Then his friends turned on him and began to accuse him of sin. Then we find that Job lost his health and large, painful boils arose on his body so that it was painful to even put on clothes and he had to sit around in sackcloth and scrape the boils with a piece of pottery to get a little bit of relief from the pain. And then comes the day that Job's wife comes to him and finally turns on him. In Job chapter 2, we find their conversation recorded:

What a powerful testimony! When his own wife said "you ought to curse God, look at the horrible mess you are in and where is God in all of this? Curse God and die!" Job rebuked her and said "you speak as on of the foolish women." In other words, "that would be to speak as a fool and to die a fool's death, but I will not speak against my God, I will be faithful. If this is the lot that God has chosen for me and if suffering is His perfect will, then still I will bless the name of the Lord." In other places we find that Job said:

What Job was saying was "even in the worst possible situation of this life, I know that I will spend eternity somewhere and therefore I will not curse God and get bitter towards Him just because of the winds and storms of life, because to do that would be to die a fool's death!"

The scripture says that "it rains on the just and the unjust." Sometimes bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Life is unfair because God is fair and He maketh the same sun to shine upon the righteous and the unrighteous. There are some special blessings to living for God, but the greatest reward comes on the other side, in eternity! And so we must guard against getting bitter or blaming God for the things that we endure in this life. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, but blessed be the name of the Lord! That is the motto of someone who refuses to die a fool's death! And be assured that the treasure and blessings that you reap in eternity will far outweigh the heartache and suffering of life that you had to endure! So be faithful to Him! Love Him! Bless His name in every circumstances! Love Him and refuse to get bitter because of life, because to do so is to die a fool's death! I will praise Him in the good times and the bad! Because I'm serving Him for more than just the blessings, but I serve Him because I love Him!

I close with this:

If the devil can't get you to be an atheist or an agnostic. If he can't get you to be a liar or a nonbeliever and nondoer of God's Word, and any of the other characteristics of a scriptural fool, then he will try to trick you into still dying the fool's death by falling into one of these traps. But now you are wiser and smarter! You are not ignorant of his devices and ways of working, so guard against his tricks with everything in you! Include God in your plans of life and don't get lulled into the trap of "just relaxing and enjoying the things that you have gotten." Don't talk with the devil or make any terms with him, and don't believe the lie that you can step outside the city of mercy for just a temporary visit and get back safely, remember, Abner, he's after your heart! And don't get bitter at God in tough circumstances and situations, but remember that God is in control and trust Him that there will be some good that comes out of the situation, because He has promised you:

Don't die the fool's death of bitterness about things that are beyond your control and that are only for a short time during this life! Eternity is beckoning! There will be many people who must face God having died a fool's death in this life, either physical or spiritual. I've made up in my mind that I will not be one of them! I refuse to fall for the trap of the fool's death!