It was while we were living in Utah years ago. I received a call from a woman stating that she was a nurse at the Debbie’s Dr. office and that she needed to get a message to Debbie.  Deb wasn’t at the house so the nurse asked if I would take a message for her, I said sure.  She then proceeded to tell me that the test had come back positive and Deb was pregnant.  There was silence and being fairly confident this was an error, I said I would pass it along.  It so happened that Debbie was standing next to the co-conspirator as they together laughed and said ‘April Fools’!  All has been forgiven and we still have only two children.  Kind of a crazy day to observe if you ask me.  

The Bible addresses fools.  Unlike the pranks and jokes people may pull on others this is more serious.  In Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 the Bible says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There’s no God.’  They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good.”  This is a very sad description of a fool, the one who says there is no God.  This is not a reference to a simpleton who may speak in ignorance, but someone who chooses to be ignorant, closing off their mind to God’s wisdom and truth.

The Hebrew word means an “…irresponsible gesture of defiance.” (D. Kidner, p 79) In the New Testament Paul in Romans 1 says that these are the ones who profess to be wise but ignoring all of creation became fools in their acknowledgement of God. To not acknowledge or believe in God constitutes foolishness.  As wise as atheist and agnostics may think they are they’re simply fools condemned in their unbelief.  It is foolishness to reject God, His Word, His love, and His salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ.

The world wants to turn this fact around and say that those who believe in God, go to church, follow Jesus are the fools.  Paul dealt with this type of thinking as he confronted some of the people in the Corinthian church.  They were taking pride in their own knowledge and experience ridiculing other believers as less because they did not have “their experience”.  They even intimated that the apostles and Paul were foolish.  Listen to Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 4:10-13, “We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ!  We are weak but you are strong!  You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!  Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; we labor, working with our own hands.  When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously.  Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.” Basically, Paul was saying God’s way is not the world’s way.  So even the religious pious adherents of a form of godliness see the genuine believer as foolish.  Regardless of their thinking, I would rather be like Christ, and follow Paul’s example to the glory of God then be seen as wise in the world’s eye.