This week's Blog post comes from Ancient Wisdom, Everyday Worship Vol. 6, available now to Unlimited Members!
---
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26: 4 & 5)
At first glance, our theme verses for today seem to contain contradictory messages. “Do not answer a fool according to his folly” (verse 4); “Answer a fool according to his folly” (verse 5). Actually, they're complementary and it takes a bit of our old friend, Wisdom, to know what, when and why to answer a “fool.”
The opening section of Proverbs 26 has a lot to say about speaking to, acting like, or becoming a fool. For the time being, let's consider what we're told in regard to answering or responding. I like what the Jewish Talmud says about these two verses – verse 4 speaks of foolish comments that can/should be ignored; verse 5 refers to erroneous ideas that, without correction, could be dangerous or misleading.
It usually accomplishes little to nothing when we debate an argumentative, blustery, big-talking know-it-all. A total waste of time, energy and emotion. I've fallen into that trap more times than I'd like to admit, and I must confess that on occasion I've played the fool.
Sure, sometimes we have to confront the illogical or just plain wrong statement of things. Let's admit it, though: most of the time we should just let foolish statements go. Or, as we're told in verse 4, we could become like what we're arguing against. In fact, the word, “you,” in there is an emphatic tense, indicating (lest we think we're above it) “you, even you!”
Know what, when or why to respond … or let it go.
---
Check out all installments of this devotional series by Marty Parks HERE!
