Investigating the Bible: Foolishness and wisdom

By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR

The snipe is a beautifully camouflaged bird with a Pinocchio beak. It inhabits marshlands in Europe, Asia, and New Zealand.

Successful hunters of the snipe in those parts are highly skilled, since the snipe flies erratically when scared into flight. Our word, sniper, derives from that exceptional marksmanship. When I was a Boy Scout, one evening older scouts sent me and other tenderfoots out on a “Snipe hunt.” Without internet or knowledge of ornithology, we took our gunny sacks, metal pans and spoons into the woods, hoping to scare a snipe into the bag. It wasn’t April 1st, but we were fooled! The Bible is honest about life, so there are stories of fools.

The Hebrew patriarch Isaac was 60 years old when his wife Rebekah gave birth to twins. “The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau.”

Afterward, his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.” (Genesis 25:25-27, English Standard Version used throughout). As the eldest son by minutes, Esau was entitled to the best blessing from his father and to inherit the most valuable possessions.

Esau proved to be foolish. He made an unwise choice in marriage, selecting two non-Jewish Hittite women, who apparently “…made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.” (Genesis 26:35). On another day, when “…Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted.” (Genesis 25:29). The aroma of the delicious food was enticing. Jacob made an outrageous offer in exchange for one meal: “… ‘Sell me your birthright now.’ Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’…So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” (Genesis 25:31-34).

Wise King Solomon taught about fools. They are impulsive. “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.” (Proverbs 14:16.) Fools do not learn from their mistakes. “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11). Fools are arrogant. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15). A wise person is patient, careful, and listens to others.

One doctor showed wisdom. Several neurosurgeons had examined and tested 4-year old Christopher Plyant. All determined he had an inoperable malignant tumor embedded in his brain-stem and said it was best to make him comfortable before death. The parents didn’t accept that. “We prayed for God to lead us to a Christian neurosurgeon who could help our boy.” Their search led them to Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon with a strong personal faith in God. Even though it seemed hopeless, Dr. Carson patiently listened. He offered to at least to biopsy the tumor. While in surgery he removed as much of the tumor as was safe.

In the next days, instead of declining, little Christopher made remarkable improvement, becoming more alert, moving his arms, and with both eyes now focusing together. Amazed, Dr. Carson did more tests and saw a small ribbon of tissue not noticed before the surgery. The brain stem was outside the tumor! In a second surgery, after removing more layers of tumor, he found an intact brain stem, which had been flattened by the pressure of the tumor. A few days after surgery, the boy walked with his parents out of the hospital looking like any healthy boy. When Dr. Carson told the story, six years had passed and the boy was still active and without cancer.

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) is a Polk County resident and graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.)