Articles
Stupid Decisions
We’ve all done it. There’s no way to spin, deny or excuse it. We wince and ask ourselves, “How could I have been so stupid?” Yep, we’ve all done dumb things, made foolish decisions, embarrassed ourselves and left others scratching their heads and wondering, “What was he/she thinking?” I could write an autobiographical tome on the subject, but a bulletin article will have to do as I find the subject a little too personal.
Even though we rightly teach our children not to pejoratively call others stupid, stupid is a perfectly legitimate word and, as noted, aptly describes much of human behavior. Webster’s defines it as “1a: slow of mind; 1b: given to unintelligent decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner; 1c: lacking intelligence or reason.”
Stupidity occurs in various degrees or arises from different mindsets. First, and perhaps most common, we can get caught off guard and impulsively make an unsound decision. Consider Peter’s actions at Jesus’ arrest. After a foreboding Passover with the Lord, a mob marches into the Garden of Gethsemane with torches and weapons to apprehend Jesus (Mt 26:47-56). Alarmed, Peter draws his sword and takes a swipe at the nearest goon. But rather than being commended by the Lord for his bravery, Peter is scolded: “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (26:52). Peter’s unwitting choice, carried to its full end, would result in the premature deaths of the disciples.
But it gets worse: “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (26: 53). The image of Peter with his one little sword against the backdrop of tens of thousands of angels wielding divine power is laughable.
But Jesus isn’t finished with his correction of Peter: “How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” (26:54). And to drive the point home, He turns to the mob: “Have you come out as against a robber; with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled” (26:55-56).
Peter gets an “A” for zeal but an “F” in comprehension. Jesus hasn’t been caught off-guard; He is not being arrested due to a lack of firepower. This is not only God’s will; it has been foretold by the prophets in some detail. But ignorance blinds us as we, in good conscience thinking ourselves to be courageous or ingenious or magnanimous, do the wrong thing.
So, we must carefully manage our impulses. “Count to ten before saying something in the heat of passion.” Good advice, that. Life rarely gives a heads up that disaster is imminent. Just watch some dash-cam video of how quickly car wrecks happen. We must prepare for the unexpected.
Secondly, stupid decisions are not only made in the heat of the moment; some come after deliberation. Take, for example, the egregiously senseless decision of King Amaziah (2 Chr 25:5-16). Amaziah hired 100,000 Israelite mercenaries to assist him in the battle with Edom. This act already manifests a deficient view of God and ignorance of his own national history, for God has amply demonstrated that He doesn’t need armies, horses, weapons, favorable weather, etc. to gain victory. So God rebukes Amaziah and tells him to send the hired hands back home which, to his credit, he does – even though he grouses about the hit to his war budget.
But that’s not the really dumb thing Amaziah did. That comes next. He scores a great victory against the Edomites and cruelly executes 10,000 captives by throwing them off a cliff. “Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them” (25:14). Huh, he what?! That is God’s reaction, too: “Therefore the anger of the Lord was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, ‘Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people form your hand?’” (25:15). Basically, the prophet asks, “How could you be so stupid?”
And when stupid is called out, it often threatens rather than ponders: “The king said to him, ‘Have we made you the king’s counsel? Cease! Why should you be killed?’” (25:16). King Amaziah doesn’t have the excuse of being caught off guard. Rather, his stupidity is an outgrowth of unbelief.
When men abandon God and His word they forfeit the guidance and wisdom that comes from Scripture – God’s thoughts shared with us. This is the famine God speaks of via Amos: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘That I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea … they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, who say, “As your god lives, O Dan!” and, “As the way of Beersheba lives!” They shall fall and never rise again’” (Am 8:11-14).
Amaziah gets an “F” in both zeal and comprehension. And the prophet he threatened gets an “A” in prognostication: “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my counsel” (2 Chr 25:16). Afterward, Amaziah was assassinated in a political conspiracy.
We do stupid things for other reasons: showboating (“Hey, everybody, watch this!”); unbridled passions (infidelity); lack of situational awareness (distracted driving); premature or baseless assumptions; etc. Life is complicated. TV sitcoms conditioned many to think that deep issues could be resolved in 25 minutes by glib, childish humor. However, it takes years of gaining Bible knowledge, observing people, learning from the mistakes of self and others, recognizing lies, consulting mentors and advisors, grasping nuances and, most importantly, cultivating a close relationship with God to understand prudence. We are usually our own worst enemy in this process. Quoting that hoary sage Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.” If we would stop rationalizing, playing fast and loose with God’s word, pay attention to what is going on around us and pray for wisdom (Jas 1:5), we’d make fewer stupid decisions. Hope springs eternal …
