Hi Beeno, wise instructions that believers should obey
Fools Fish for Responses
The longer I’m in ministry the more convinced I become of three things:
1. Fools want you to respond.
2. The best thing you can do is ignore them.
3. The worst thing you can do is respond.
Responding is simply pouring fuel on the fire. If you don’t respond I’m not guaranteeing the fire will go out. But if you do respond I can almost guarantee the fire will get even worse. We should learn from David’s example and say, “Leave them alone. Let them curse.”
When I taught elementary school one of my student had trouble remaining calm and not responding to people antagonizing him. Because students can be like sharks in the water smelling blood, they knew they could get a rise out of him and that encouraged them to harass him even more. I sat down with him on more than one occasion and explained that every time he got upset, he was doing what they wanted.
I shared a fishing analogy with him, “They cast in the hook, they want you to bite, you do, and then they start reeling you in…making you madder and madder and madder…which they want. You’re responding because you’re angry. But if you really want to upset them you need to ignore them. That is the best thing you can do.”
Understanding Proverbs Fools
There are two reasons to understand fools as they are described in Proverbs. First, so we know how to deal with fools. Second, so we can avoid being foolish ourselves. Even though certain people are identified as fools, there’s some foolishness in all of us. Learning about fools can convict us of our own foolishness. I know I have been foolish in my life and few things convict me more than reading about fools.
Whenever we read Proverbs, we need to remember it is wisdom literature versus law literature, and they shouldn’t be read the same. Leviticus is an example of law literature, and it provides black and white commands. We are told what we can and can’t do. It requires self-control, but it doesn’t require wisdom. Wisdom literature, on the other hand, gives us principles and generalities that allow us to navigate situations well.
The fool is one of the most common topics in Proverbs mentioned seventy-eight times. We don’t have the time to look at all the verses, but I have chosen some that help us understand how to deal with fools.
This is how miserable it is dealing with fools:
Proverbs 17:12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs, than a fool in his folly.
Identifying Proverbs Fools
Proverbs fools are described as unteachable:
Proverbs
1:7b Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:22c Fools hate knowledge.
It’s not that they literally hate wisdom, instruction, and knowledge. They hate it in the sense that they won’t gain any because they think they know everything:
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.
Because fools refuse to learn, they make the same mistakes:
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Instead of learning:
Proverbs 18:2 A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.
This is to say they don’t want to understand. They just want to listen to themselves talk. This leaves them very puffed up:
Proverbs 14:3a In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride.
This pride leaves them blind to their own foolishness. They’re deceived:
Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.
Wise people know the truth about themselves. They see themselves accurately. Fools on the other hand have deceived themselves into thinking they’re wise. As a result they think they’re speaking wisdom, when in fact:
Proverbs
15:2b The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
Proverbs 15:14b The mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
This is why their mouths and ignorance get them in trouble:
Proverbs
18:7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
Proverbs 10:21 Fools die for lack of wisdom.
What’s the solution for them? How can they avoid the destruction their foolishness brings? The solution is to become teachable:
Proverbs 8:5 O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart.
But the problem is…
Proverbs Fools Hate Correction
Fools respond poorly to correction:
Proverbs 9:8 Do not correct a scoffer or he will hate you.
This leads to terrible consequences…
Proverbs
13:18a Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction.
Proverbs 15:10b He who hates correction will die.
Proverbs 15:32 He who disdains instruction despises his own
soul.
The consequences of getting angry when corrected are so severe it’s almost like punishing yourself.
Proverbs 29:1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
A fool will hate what you have to say:
Proverbs 23:9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
You’ll be scorned if you try to correct a fool:
Proverbs 14:9a Fools mock at sin.
Fools can experience severe discipline, but they won’t change:
Proverbs 27:22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
So, How Do You Deal with Fools?
Proverbs 12:16 The vexation (or anger or wrath) of a fool is known at once (this is Shimei, Sennacherib, and Hananiah), but the prudent ignores an insult (this is David, Hezekiah, and Jeremiah).
Fools get angry quickly, but the prudent – or wise – ignore an insult or remain silent.
Proverbs 14:7 Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
This goes beyond just remaining silent. Now we’re told to get away from fools altogether. If you choose to hang around fools though, the Bible lets you know what to expect:
Proverbs 13:20b The companion of fools will be destroyed.
What if you don’t want to be the companion of fools, but you want to try to reason with a fool? You can’t because they will get angry with you:
Proverbs 23:9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.
Now we’re told why we shouldn’t speak to fools: they will hate your words. It will just make them madder. It is pouring fuel on the fire.
Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit (again, this is Shimei, Sennacherib, and Hananiah), but a wise man quietly holds it back (again, this is David, Hezekiah, and Jeremiah).
Again, fools can’t control themselves. They lose their temper. But wise, or mature people, exhibit self-control and that self-control looks like quietly holding back from saying anything.
Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.
It is so foolish to answer a fool you must be a fool to do so. Answering a fool makes you like the fool, hence the quote, “Don’t argue with a fool because people listening won’t be able to tell the difference.”
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
This looks like a contradiction in Scripture: do not answer a fool and then answer a fool. There is no contradiction. These verses capture the dilemma with fools:
- You shouldn’t answer a fool for the reasons we’ve discussed.
- You should answer a fool or else they will be wise in [their] own eyes, which means they’ll continue to think they know everything.
The verse is not defending responding to fools. Instead, it is discouraging responding to fools while pointing out how hard it is not to respond. The clear instruction from Scripture is not to waste your time dealing with fools. It is a futile, frustrating endeavor. You can’t talk any sense into fools, and this is what makes them fools. If fools would listen, they would cease being foolish, but because they won’t it’s best to let them continue in their foolishness.
Three Encouragements When Dealing with Proverbs Fools
First, God Knows It’s Hard NOT to Respond to Proverbs Fools
It is hard not to respond to fools when they provoke us. We want to argue and get the last word. When people slander us, we want to defend ourselves, explain what really happened, and say, “This isn’t right. This is a lie. How could you say this?”
Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
You read this and want to exclaim, “Amen!” I appreciate that when God speaks to us through His word, He reveals that He understands what we are going through and that is the point of this verse. He says, “It is easier to lift a heavy rock or lots of sand than it is to remain silent to a fool but be wise and remain silent.”
Second, Remaining Silent Is a Sign of Maturity
Because it is hard not to respond to fools, it says something about people when they can remain silent: they’re self-controlled. Keep in mind that when you remain silent, it is a reflection of your spiritual maturity and obedience to Scripture.
Third, Remaining Silent Looks Like Christ
In our loud, obnoxious world, it is harder to look like Christ in this way, because our world celebrates antagonistic proud people. Social media has made this incredibly worse. People are given platforms where they can gossip and slander, and other bitter people can encourage them by liking, commenting, and sharing.
But one of the wonderful ways to look like Christ, is to remain silent…
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
The focus is on Jesus’s silence in the face of opposition that pales in comparison to anything we experience.
We see the fulfillment in the Gospels…
Luke 23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him.
Herod heard about Jesus’s miracles, so he wanted to see Him perform some.
Luke 23:9 [Herod] questioned [Jesus] at some length, but He made no answer.
Jesus knew Herod was a foolish man who wasn’t interested in learning, so He didn’t respond.
Matthew
26:62 The high priest said [to Jesus], “Have you no answer to make? What is it
that these men testify against you?” 63a But Jesus remained silent.
Matthew 27:12 When [Jesus] was accused by the chief priests and elders, He
gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many
things they testify against you?” 14 But He gave Him no answer, not
even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Christ didn’t argue or stoop to the level of His accusers, and His silence even amazed Pilate. Your silence can similarly amaze unbelievers who have to admire your maturity and self-control.
And we are to follow Christ’s example…
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
We’re told to follow Christ’s example, and Peter describes that example for us…
1 Peter 2:23 When [Jesus] was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
And this is my encouragement. When proverbs fools revile or threaten you, don’t revile or threaten in return. Instead, trust yourself to God who judges justly. Let Christ’s example be the encouragement you need when dealing with fools.