Go from the presence of a foolish man.
The society to be shunned
Man is a social being. The text holds up the society which we should avoid--the society of the foolish.
I. It is unprofitable. What you want in society is knowledge. True knowledge shall--
1. Rightly guide.
2. Truly comfort.
3. Religiously inspire the soul.
But such knowledge is not to be got from the foolish man. He has no power to help you, and therefore time spent in his society is waste.
II. It is misleading. “The folly of fools is deceit.”
1. They cheat themselves. They fancy they have the true ideas, and the true pleasures, but it is a miserable delusion.
2. They cheat others. They mislead by the falsehood of their speech and the craftiness of their policy.
3. It is wicked. They “make a mock at sin.” “Go,” then, “from the presence of a foolish man.” Seek the society of the wise. (D. Thomas, D.D.)
Safety in flight
It is the intention of their Maker that some creatures should seek safety, not in fighting, but in fleeing. In the moral conflict of human life it is of great importance to judge rightly when we should fight and when we should flee. The weak might escape if they knew their own weakness, and kept out of harm’s way. That courage is not a virtue which carries the feeble into the lion’s jaws. To go in among the foolish for the rescue of the sinking may be necessary, but it is dangerous work, and demands robust workmen. Your first duty is your own safety. But on some persons at some times there lies the obligation to encounter danger for the safety of a neighbour. (W. Arnot, D.D.)