Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? 17Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
Ecclesiastes 7:16-17
Having, expressing, and advocating an intelligent, informed opinion enhances prestige. Being an ideologue, absolutist, self-righteous zealot, thinking yourself smarter than everyone else, and force-feeding your ideals onto others or society destroys legitimacy, credibility, and stature, in effect destroying oneself. The biblical term for this is “scorner.”
Proverbs 21:24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.
Proverbs 22:10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
The wickedness of many has caused premature death, whether as punishment for crimes, another’s vengeance, or God simply taking them out.
Foolishness has killed its thousands; “What are you afraid of, watch me!”, “Oh, I can make it!”.
Johnny Ace, an R&B singer, died in 1954 while playing with a pistol during a break in his concert set. His last words were, ‘It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded… see?’ and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face and ‘Bang!’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Ace
Back To: Verse Insights