Wise Man and Foolish Man
Wise Man and Foolish Man. We all love to hear a story, do we not? Jesus often illustrated great truths through the means of a story. Such is the case in our text today from Matthew 7 and Luke 6. Through a story, Jesus illustrated the difference between the wise man and foolish man.
24 Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall
be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:24-27, KJV
See also: Luke 6:40-49
Wise Man and Foolish Man
The wise man, according to Jesus, was like a person who built his house upon a rock. Because of the solid foundation, he did not have to fear, for when the rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, beating upon his house, his house did not fall, but remained firmly upon the rock.
The foolish man, however, was the the one who built his house upon the
sand. When the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew,
beating upon his house, the house fell--and great was the fall of it!
What, exactly, did Jesus mean by this story? What house are we building,
and what is the rocky foundation or the sandy foundation? Jesus is the
rock! How do I know this? Paul said the following in 1 Corinthians 4:
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (Corinthians 10:4, KJV)
When our life is built upon the Lord Jesus Christ--when our foundation rests upon His Word--we are secure. When the storms of life come upon us, we will remain firm. Jesus has given to us His Holy Word which, alone, shows the clear path to salvation through Christ. When we rest upon Him, He not only saves us, but He keeps us. Though Satan may seek to discourage and torment the people of God, they remain secure in Christ.
What then is the sand? Sand, characteristically, is constantly shifting.
If the foundation upon which we build our lives is based upon the
shifting sands of this world, we will find ourselves tossed about as
though by the waves of the sea. Our world will constantly be in a state
of flux. Without their moorings resting upon the solid rock of Christ,
we see the laws of the nations of this world constantly changing.
Sins of the Bible are being constantly redefined and allowed by country
after country, and state after state. Happy is the country whose
foundation rests upon the principles of God's Word! Sadly, no such
country remains. We have watched the tiers of faithfulness to God fall
over the last 200 years as country after country has moved itself away
from the faithful teaching of God's Word.
The question we must each ask ourselves is this. Am I the wise man or
the foolish man? Am I resting upon Christ as my Rock, or am I following
the shifting sands of this world? Do I evaluate each situation based
upon how I feel about it, or do I evaluate it from the standard of God's
Holy Word?
As we consider Jesus' story of the wise man and foolish man, let us, as children of God, rise up and stand faithfully upon God's Holy
Word! Let us be the wise ones of this world, who follow Christ, and
turn away from the foolish shifting sands of sin and doubt which consume
this world!
Devotional Reflections from the Bible
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