A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but fools detest turning from evil. Prov 13:19

Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than a fool in his folly. Prov 17:12

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding

but delights in airing his own opinions. Prov 18:2

A fool’s mouth is his undoing,

and his lips are a snare to his soul. Prov 18:7

It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife,

but every fool is quick to quarrel. Prov 20:3

As a dog returns to its vomit,

so a fool repeats his folly. Prov 26:11

Proverbs 27:22 makes one very clear point about fools—they’re incorrigible:
"Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him." But if fools can’t be reformed, why do we find such an abundance of proverbs about them? The answer is simple—to help us recognize fools, their foolish behavior, and to warn us about the consequences of both.

Our greatest danger from fools is meeting them unexpectedly, not recognizing them until it’s too late. Recognizing and avoiding fools is our only defense from being undone by their folly. Defensive driving techniques protect us from foolish drivers. The proverbs in this study equip us for "defensive living."

1. When you think of a fool, what images come to mind? (For example, a drunk at a party with a lampshade on his head.)

2. Read the proverbs above. Proverbs 17:12 poses a riddle—why are you better off to meet a rampaging mother bear rather than to meet a fool in his folly?

3. Describe an episode from your experience or from the experience of someone you know which illustrates the point of Proverbs 17:12.

4. Proverbs 18:2 tells us that opinionated people are apt to be fools—they’re always ready with a viewpoint and ever eager to broadcast it. How would you expect a prudent or wise person to behave differently than the fool?

5. When have you seen a fool’s mouth become his or her undoing (Prov 18:7)?

6. How does Proverbs 18:2 account for the truth of Proverbs 18:7?

7. In Proverbs 13:19, the second line would be better translated with the word so than but. What does this proverb tell us about the character of the fool?

8. Proverbs 20:3 gives yet another mark of a fool—his quickness to quarrel with others, even if it brings dishonor on himself! By referring to the other proverbs, how can we explain this quickness to quarrel?

9. According to Proverbs 26:11, what characteristics do the dog and the fool share in common?

10. Jesus warned, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Mt 7:1). When we use the proverbs about the fool to evaluate people and conclude they are indeed foolish, do we ignore Jesus’ warning? Why or why not?