"Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool (Proverbs 10:23), and "he who spreads slander is a fool." (Proverbs 10:18) Wanton pursuit of the "lusts of deceit" and a lying tongue are the trademarks of the kesil fool. This episode unpacks this deadly combination, particularly focusing on a tongue commandeered by wickedness. This fool's mind is consumed by lusts (Ecclesiastes 7:4), and the lust for reputation ("the boastful pride of life") produces many casualties via lying, slander, gossip and dissention. In the dog-eat-dog world of the fool, slander and destructive gossip are counter-intuitively the means of preserving reputation: incited negative attention on competitors deflects from the plots of the fool. So the Proverbs connects slander with concealment: "He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool." (Proverbs 10:18) No one is safe, for even "the companion of fools will suffer harm." (Proverbs 13:20) The episode notes that believers, as recovering fools, have an advantage. We know the dynamics of fooldom since all of us are still being delivered from the "lusts of deceit." The program admonishes believers to challenge residing sympathy with the deeds of the flesh, particularly sins of the mouth that often get a pass, in light of the usual suspects of immorality and sensuality.
The Fool Trusts a Sick and Deceitful Heart
"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool." (Proverbs 28:26) This episode spells out the distinguishing traits of the kesil fool, particularly where he differs from the eviyl fool Whereas the eviyl fool trusts that his WAY is right (Proverbs 12:15), the kesil fool "trusts in his own heart." (Proverbs 28:26) And this confidence breaches the dam holding back wickedness. "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick." (Jeremiah 17:9) The kesil fool pursues his own lusts without restraint, "for his mind is in the house of pleasure." (Ecclesiastes 7:4) The "lusts of deceit" consume him as the objectives of life, and God "turns him over" to "degrading passions" and a "depraved mind." (Romans 1:26, 28) The episode marks a transition in the correctability of fools. The previous fools, though ignorant and close-minded, are reachable, for they have not committed themselves to wickedness. They are potentially receptive to the wisdom of correction. Kesil fools however are committed to wickedness, and God Himself at one point no longer pursues them. This of course anticipates the limited response of believers to kesil fools.