Conceited Eyes

(Proverbs 26:12 KJV)  Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Why does a “fool” (3684) have more “hope” (8615b) than the pseudo-wise?  I addressed this before but another thought is that a fool might actually have an excuse.  Notice I said “might.”  We are experts at finding and using excuses for ourselves.  This is not supposed to be an escape hatch for you but a point of possibility for the naive and simple.

God is holy.  God is just.  God is righteous.  Those traits demand that sin be punished.  But the cross shows the other side of God:  Mercy, forgiveness, patience, kindness, gracious.  This is why we say that God is love.  Agape love in the New Testament and chesed love in the Old Testament embody both extremes in perfect balance.  That means we have hope.

The sinner has hope.  The saint knows that hope.  The fool has hope.  The wise apply that hope.  For those who get beyond their own “conceit” (eyes NASB) (5869) it works out to eternal life.

So?  Rejoice or repent, depending on where you are in your walk.  God offers both wrath and comfort.  The choice is really yours.  In this area I am pro-choice.