Let us begin: The most important aspect of this proverb is to define 'fool'.

FOOL:

The definition of a fool is cleared up by King David: "The FOOL has said in his heart, There is no God." (Psalm 14:1, 53:1)

So fool, foolish, foolishness, and folly are not describing stupid people. In the Old Testament, these terms are all closely related describing a person who has absolutely no knowledge of God and therefore no relationship with God.

Consequently, King Solomon's principal topic in proverbs is about obtaining wisdom, the opposibe of foolishness, which is the heart of at least 10 Chapters.

WISDOM:

So if a fool is one who does not know God, what is wisdom? Just as fools are not stupid people, wisdom isn't tied to intelligence or vast knowledge. Solomon's definition of wisdom is directly related to the fear of the Lord, (fear meaning reverence - Strongs 3374).

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10) Being in reverence of the Lord God is the beginning of wisdom which is the knowledge of God, which leads to understanding God and His ways.

The promise of wisdom is to know God: "If you seek her (wisdom) as silver, and search for her (wisdom) as for a hidden treasure, then you shall understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:4-5)

(Don't be confused here by the feminine gender of the word wisdom. The use of the feminine pronoun in Scriptural references to Wisdom is a matter of grammatical gender; in Hebrew and Greek, all abstract nouns are feminine. Comparing wisdom to a good woman or rich treasure is used as a positive metaphor. However, this gender context has been corrupted into goddess worship elevating the goddess Sophia [the Greek word for wisdom is sophia] which was born out of the 'Re-Imaging God' conference about seven years ago by women from mainstream Christian denominations.)

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." (Proverbs 8:13) To operate in reverence of the Lord is to directly oppose evil and all it's practices. However, evil is not foolishness... the devil knows that God exists -- he once knew Him personally -- he's just trying to get man to believe that God doesn't exist.

FOOLISHNESS vs. WISDOM:

Now that we understand that wisdom is the knowledge of God and foolishness is not knowing God at all, how do they relate to each other? King Solomon explains in detail in many Proverbs how these two factors are in opposition. Here's but a sampling:

• "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7) So being in reverence, in awe, in fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge of God. But fools, them that do not know God despise those who know Him and despise anything about Him, and despise any instruction leading toward Him.
• The unwise, or fools, are those who reject wisdom which is the knowledge of God and relationship with Him. "They (fools) hate knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." (Proverbs 1:29,31) which translates into "They will reap what they sow." (Galatians 6:7-9 condensed)
• "The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall." (Proverbs 10:8) Those who know God will receive and following His instructions, but a babbling fool shall fall.
• "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkens unto counsel is wise." (Proverbs 12:15) In whatever a fool does or believes, what matters to him is that he is right: but he that listens when he is counselled or corrected or taught is wise and righteous, which means 'in right standing with God'.
• "He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion to fools shall be destroyed." (Proverbs 13:20) Be careful who your friends are -- their relationship to God may rub off to change you. Friends to those who do not know God (perhaps the phrase 'being unequally yoked' fits in better here) will be destroyed.
• "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor." (Proverbs 14:9) Those who do not know God live in their sin, enjoy it, mock it, make fun of it, are tolerant of it. God prefers those who do their best to be in right standing with Him and these earn Gods favor.
• "It is an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling." (Proverbs 20:3) Those who are wise, who truly know God, take strife very seriously. But those who delight in gossip, in meddling, in strife and division are definitely fools.
• "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness." (Proverbs 15:2) When someone who knows God speaks of God, he speaks right. But a fool has no idea what he's talking about and can't discuss the things of God.

• "Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of your words." (Proverbs 23:9) Those that do not know God hate instruction, and even though they know you are probably right, they hate the fact that you are.
• "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly." (Proverbs 26:11) Hysterically true is what dogs do, and so a fool also returns to what he spews forth.
• "He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered." (Proverbs 28:26) He who trusts his own feelings doesn't know God, but whoso walks with God shall be delivered unto righteousness.

WHY ALL THESE EXAMPLES?

It is necessary for you to see that King Solomon was very particular on the subject of wisdom and foolishness, defining them in many different ways, by many different metaphors.

SO WHAT DOES PROVERBS 27:22 MEAN?

Unless the fool becomes a seeker, "They that seek the Lord understand all things", there is NO WAY you can pound wisdom into a fool: "should you bray (pound) a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, his foolishness will not depart from him. (Proverbs 27:22 paraphrased) Specifically 'among wheat' is used because it takes quite a bit of pounding to make flour. So no matter how hard or how long you pound a fool in your attempt to grind him down and get God into him -- he's still a fool.

This same, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Proverbs xx)This same lack of knowledge of God is tied-up or confined in the heart of the infant through adolescent that without authority and spiritual instruction this foolishness will be untied and released to develop into a fool who is perverse, stubborn and ignorant and without God.

A baby is born with an empty mind void of God. The rod that drives foolishness far from him is a symbolic sceptre, a 'shabat' (Strongs 7627) a symbol of the authority and responsibility of the parents. As a child grows, he should be introduced to God through parental example, by way of routine, in prayer, in teaching and in correction along the way. Through this routine discipline is established (rooted) as a way of life. Like the discipline of daily excercise, the same is the daily discipline of righteousness. The word discipline by no means, means to beat, whip, or pound a child in order to teach him about God. (Jesus had diciples whom Jesus was teaching through daily routine -- He didn't whip them either).

The Proverb order given is to, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:15) Build a strong foundation in God within a child early, so that the little one comes to know God, and that foundation of faith will remain firm for the rest of his life.

Beating a fool into submission doesn't work either, "A reproof enters more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool." (Proverbs 17:10) A single word of correction enters into the heart of one who knows God because he is open and willing for his error to be corrected. But a hundred lashes onto a fool does little or nothing to change his heart.

OK, we've established that fools are born that way. Growing out of their youth if they don't have the proper grounding and they consciously reject wisdom which is the knowledge of God, they remain fools, operating under the folly of the fool.

King Solomon emphasizes that, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting, get understanding. For the Lord gives wisdom: out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 4:7; 2:6)

HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO THE NEW TESTAMENT FOOL?

Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, except you be converted (repent and change), and become as little children (bind your foolishness and open yourself to instruction), you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

The New Testament describes the wise vs. the foolish as the spiritual man vs. the natural man. "We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God... The spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things]." (1 Corinthians 2:12,15)Which as any parent knows is absolutely just like a little child who mimics to learn and then constantly and consistently asks questions to gain knowledge of how his world operates.

With this child-like attention to detail and zeal for learning, all Christians are supposed to learn how the spiritual world operates.

"But the natural man does not welcome the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness (meaningless, nonsense) to him, he is incapable of knowing and understanding them, because they are (only) spiritually discerned and appreciated." (1 Corinthians 2:14) Technically, the Bible is utter nonsense and will never, ever be understood by a fool or the natural man. Without a sincere thirst for knowledge leading to conversion, the natural man is simply incapable of understanding anything about God, not because he is stupid, but because he hasn't the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you can talk until you are blue in the face -- you can beat him over the head with the Bible over and over again -- yet the natural man will never, ever GET IT. Period!

BUT HE CAN 'GET IT'.

Wisdom is a gift given by God to anyone who is searching for God. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

You can't beat wisdom into a fool, but God can give it to him -- if he asks, AND if he asks in faith.

THIS IS WHAT WE ENCOURAGE:

There are many fools out there who are seekers of truth. Yet many of these fools are afraid to take a step toward Jesus, usually fearing fanatacism or the fact that they've led such terrible lives that they think they can't come to God. What we encourage is for them to take a step toward wisdom, which is the knowledge of God:

"God, if you're really out there, give me wisdom so that I may know You."

A true seeker will ask in faith, and God has promised to grant him wisdom. We pray that this wisdom ultimately leads them toward 'confession unto salvation'(Romans 10:10)

SUMMARY:

• WISDOM = KNOWING GOD vs. FOOLISHNESS = HATING WISDOM. "The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)

  "They (fools) hate knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord." (Proverbs 1:29)

  "The FOOL has said in his heart, 'There is no God'." (Psalm 53:1)

• GIGO (Garbage In/Garbage Out): "They (fools) shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." (Proverbs 1:31) which translates into "They will reap what they sow." (Galatians 6:7-9 condensed). GIGO also stands for God In/God Out.

• CAN'T FORCE WISDOM: "Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, his foolishness will not depart from him." (Proverbs 27:22)

• FOOLS ARE BORN: "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15)

  "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

• SEEK WISDOM WITH ENTHUSIASM: "If you seek her (wisdom) as silver, and search for her (wisdom) as for a hidden treasure, then you shall understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:4-5)

• WISDOM = CHANGE: "Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted (repent and change), and become as little children (bind your foolishness and open yourself to instruction), you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

  "We have received the Spirit which is of God The spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things]." (1 Corinthians 2:12)

• NO-CHANGE = FOOLISHNESS: "But the natural man does not welcome the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness (meaningless, nonsense) to him, he is incapable of knowing and understanding them, because they are (only) spiritually discerned and appreciated." (1 Corinthians 2:15,14)

• WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING GO HAND-IN-HAND: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

  "They that seek the Lord understand all things" (Proverbs 28:5)

  "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7)

• WISDOM IS A GIFT FOR THE ASKING: "For the Lord gives wisdom: out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6)

  "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

• WISDOM LEADS TO FREEDOM: Jesus said the only way unto God is by Him. So when confession of faith occurs, Jesus promises, "If you continue in My Word, you are my disciples indeed: And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 7:31-32)

  And it's being 'made free' not 'set free'. Being 'set free' implies that you can be recaptured. Being 'made free'... well, you ARE free indeed.

Through this scripture we show the process of 'bad' Christian witnessing.

Many well-meaning Christians unskilled in the Word of God believe that if they can exert enough pressure to force someone to confess Jesus, that they have saved their soul. This is not supported by scripture.

In our ministry we have encountered numerous persons who have 'been hit over the head with the Bible' so many times that they want absolutely nothing to do with anything remotely associated with Christianity. Though clearly they are the defined 'fool' of the Bible, we must allow them room to come to God on their own. Salvation must be an act of the person's own inner will, and not the result of external pressures.

Without this understanding, many Christians witness incorrectly. In particular, when they find persons sinning against God they start their approach by practically brow-beating them with hell and damnation.

Example:

• "You're going to hell if you don't marry the father of your children." or,
  
• "You're going to hell because you're a homosexual."

A true witness for Christ approaches a person in the spiritual love of God 'agape', because Christ is in them. They have developed compassion for the lost. They want the unsaved to know the joy, peace and serenity that comes with understanding God through a relationship with Jesus.

God is interested in the heart of the individual, and coercing someone into anything against their will is wrong, even if it's toward Jesus. This method drives them further away from the Lord. Being pushed into an altar call and mumbling some magic words that resembles a confession of faith does not save.

Jesus gave us this Great Commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)To preach, to herald, to proclaim, to present, to publish the Gospel, the 'Good News', that Jesus came to remove burdens and destroy yokes. We cannot not pound it into them, beat it into them, or beat them over the head with the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

So brothers and sisters, no matter where you are in your spiritual walk ask God in faith for the wisdom to know Him more and to understand Him better.

And when you witness, let them see your joy. Be an ear to listen, a heart to love and a voice of Godly wisdom. Above all, pray for them.

Your ultimate goal for the 'fool' is Amazing Grace -- for once upon a time ago, we were all fools, without knowledge of God -- we were blind, but now we see. (Ephesians 2:1-10)