The Prudent Man's Workshop and the Fool's Grand Opening Text: Proverbs 13:16
Introduction: Two Ways to Walk
The book of Proverbs is relentlessly practical. It does not float in the realm of abstract ideals; it gets down into the dust and grime of our daily lives. It is a divine manual for skill in living. And at the heart of this book is a fundamental, non-negotiable contrast between two kinds of people, walking on two kinds of paths. You have the wise man, and you have the fool. You have the way of wisdom, and you have the way of folly. There is no third way, no muddled middle ground where you can dabble in both. You are either building your life on the rock of God's revealed wisdom, or you are building it on the sand of your own conceits, and the final inspection is going to be rigorous.
Our culture, particularly our modern evangelical subculture, often gets squeamish about this. We want to be nice. We want to believe that everyone is basically well-intentioned, just a little mixed up. But the book of Proverbs will have none of it. It draws a hard line. A fool is not just an intellectually challenged individual; a fool is a moral category. It describes a man who has rejected God's authority and has therefore become spiritually and practically stupid. He is a rebel, and his rebellion manifests in the way he handles his money, his mouth, his marriage, and his Mondays.
This particular proverb gives us a clear diagnostic tool. It shows us the essential difference between the prudent man and the fool, not by what they claim to believe, but by how they operate in the world. One deals in the currency of knowledge, carefully and quietly. The other puts his folly on full display, like a merchant setting up a stall in the town square to sell rotten fruit. One is a craftsman in a quiet workshop; the other is a barker at a failing carnival. As we break this down, the question for each of us is not "which category do I like better?" but rather "which of these men was I this morning?"
The Text
Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool spreads out folly.
(Proverbs 13:16 LSB)
The Prudent Man's Discretion (v. 16a)
The first half of the verse sets the standard for wise living:
"Every prudent man acts with knowledge..." (Proverbs 13:16a)
The word for "prudent" here is crucial. It carries the idea of being shrewd, canny, even cunning in a godly sense. This is not the gullible simpleton who believes every word he hears. This is a man who understands the world as it is, a world full of snares, temptations, and fools. Because he sees clearly, he acts with knowledge. His actions are not random, impulsive, or driven by emotion. They are informed. He has done his homework. He has considered the consequences. He has sought counsel. He operates from a position of thoughtful engagement with reality.
But the contrast with the fool shows us that "acts with knowledge" means more than just being well-informed. It means he is discreet. The prudent man doesn't feel the need to broadcast every thought, every plan, every opinion that flits through his head. He keeps his cards close to his chest. He understands that knowledge is a powerful tool, and like any powerful tool, it must be handled with care. He doesn't share his plans with everybody. He doesn't announce on social media that he is going to go here, do business there, and make a great profit. He remembers what James says about such boasting. "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow" (James 4:13-14).
Some Christians might get nervous here. This sounds secretive, not "open and vulnerable." But we must distinguish between biblical prudence and worldly hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is saying one thing to one man and the opposite to another. Prudence is understanding that not everyone has the security clearance for every piece of information. A man should share things with his wife that he shares with no one else. He shares things with his elders that he doesn't share with the whole congregation. He shares things with his close friends that he doesn't share with acquaintances. This isn't duplicity; it is wisdom. It is recognizing that different relationships have different levels of trust and responsibility. The prudent man acts with knowledge, and part of that knowledge is knowing when to speak and when to keep silent. He doesn't use his knowledge to show off; he uses it to build.
The Fool's Grand Opening (v. 16b)
The contrast could not be more stark. The fool operates on a completely different principle.
"...But a fool spreads out folly." (Proverbs 13:16b LSB)
Where the prudent man is discreet, the fool is a broadcaster. The Hebrew for "spreads out" gives the image of laying out a carpet or displaying wares for sale. The fool takes his folly, which is his most abundant commodity, and he puts it on public display. He is an exhibitionist of his own stupidity.
He does this, first and foremost, with his mouth. A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in airing his own opinions (Proverbs 18:2). He is the man who speaks first and thinks later, if at all. He is quick to give his unfiltered take on every subject, from international politics to church polity, with no regard for his own ignorance. His opinions are a torrent, and his mouth is the fire hose. He is the one who, in the memorable words of another proverb, removes all doubt. It is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are a fool than to open it and prove them right.
But this isn't just about talking too much. The fool spreads his folly through his actions. He is impulsive. He buys the expensive thing he cannot afford because he wants it now. He makes the rash promise he cannot keep because it feels good in the moment. He starts the project he will never finish because he lacks the discipline to count the cost. His life is a series of half-built towers, monuments to his own lack of foresight. He is open and vocal about the stupid thing he is just about to do, and when it inevitably blows up in his face, he is just as open and vocal in blaming everyone else.
Why does he do this? Because at the root of folly is pride. The fool is wise in his own eyes (Proverbs 26:12). He genuinely believes his folly is wisdom. He thinks his shallow opinions are profound insights. He mistakes his impulsiveness for decisiveness. And so, he spreads his folly out for all to see, expecting applause. He is like a man proudly displaying his collection of mud pies, genuinely baffled when no one wants to buy them. He is not just a sinner; he is a self-deceived sinner, and that is the most dangerous kind.
Knowledge Applied or Folly Displayed?
So the application comes down to this. This proverb forces us to look at the way we conduct our lives, particularly the way we use our words and plan our actions. Are you a prudent man, or are you a fool? The answer is not found in your statement of faith, but in your checkbook register, your browser history, and a transcript of your conversations from last week.
Do you act with knowledge? This means, first, that you must have knowledge. You cannot act with what you do not possess. This requires a diligent pursuit of wisdom, which begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). It means being a man or woman of the Book, steeping your mind in the truths of Scripture, so that you have a framework for understanding the world. It means reading, studying, and thinking. A lazy mind is the devil's playground, and it is a playground where folly is the only game.
And when you have that knowledge, how do you handle it? Do you use it as a tool to build, to serve, to protect, and to quietly advance the kingdom of God? Or do you use it as a trumpet to announce your own arrival? Do you measure your words, considering their impact? Or do you just let them fly, assuming it is everyone else's job to dodge?
Or are you a fool? Are you constantly "spreading out" your half-baked plans, your emotional reactions, your un-thought-through opinions? Is your life characterized by a series of loud announcements followed by quiet collapses? If so, the answer is not to "try harder to be prudent." The answer is to repent. Folly, at its root, is a moral and spiritual problem. It is a refusal to submit to God's reality. It is an insistence on being your own god, your own source of wisdom. You must confess this pride as sin.
The good news of the gospel is that Christ became a fool for us. He who is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) endured the ultimate folly of the cross. He was spread out, naked and shamed, on a tree. He bore our public folly so that we might be clothed in His perfect, quiet wisdom. He took our foolish babbling upon Himself so that we might receive the knowledge of God. When we, by faith, lay hold of Him, we are not only forgiven for our foolishness, but we are also given the grace and the power to begin walking as prudent men and women, who act with true knowledge for the glory of God.