The Foolish Are Right….
The above title demonstrates the importance of reading the entire text. The entire verse reads: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (Pr. 12:15). However, the title is correct in the sense that foolish people think they are right. Why do they imagine that to be the case? It could be that they have much more confidence in themselves than is warranted by the facts. Many people think they are right just because they think a thing is so. There is one man whom the Bible describes as “harsh and evil in his doings” (1 Sam. 25:3). He is also called a fool by one who should know—his wife. The very name, Nabal [5037], means “fool,” and neb aw law’ [5039], a related word, means “disgraceful folly.”
It was the time of the harvest—usually a joyful season—a time of feasting. Since David and his men had, by their very presence, served as protection to Nabal and his possessions, David sent his men in peace to ask for some of the bounty that was being enjoyed (1 Sam. 25:4-9). The text does not say that Nabal consulted with anyone before answering that request. For certain, he did not discuss it with his wife, Abigail (25:23-31), whom the text describes as “a woman of good understanding” (v. 3). She would have encouraged him to be very generous to David and his men. Furthermore, he did not even ask his own men who could have confirmed David’s benevolence toward him (v. 8).
No. His own counsel would undoubtedly be the best. To put it simply, he did not want to share. To his way of thinking, he was very rich (v. 2), and he desired to remain that way. So, he answered David’s men by asking who he was (as if he didn’t know) and insinuating that David had broken away from his master. This accusation is tantamount to claiming that David was an insurrectionist (v. 10). Whether or not he really believed that, only Nabal knows, but it served as a handy excuse not to part with any of his goods. He further asked: “Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?” (v. 11).
Notice that in the preceding sentence there are three I’s and four my’s? Nabal would have been much wiser to have listened to the counsel of others rather than his own. Jesus spoke of a similar man in the New Testament that He designated as “a certain rich man” (Luke 12:16). His harvest was also plentiful. As he talked to himself (he did not ask others for advice), he used the pronouns I six times and my five times. The solution to God’s blessing him with an abundant crop was not to give some of it to the poor. No, he would build bigger barns to store everything in. However, he did not live another day before death came calling. This time it is God who makes the pronouncement and calls him, “Fool!” (v. 20).