H
OW TO ANSWER A FOOLA Meditation on Proverbs 26:4-5
Due to the escalation of fools in America that has been occurring for far too long now, it is incumbent upon us as wise Christians to think through how we will answer this growing multitude that despises God and scorns his law. God’s word assists us in this endeavor: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Pro. 26:4-5). In verse 4 we’re forbidden to answer a fool according to his folly, but in the very next verse we’re exhorted to answer a fool according to his folly. The apparent contradiction is easily explained, when you look at the different reasons that govern each command.
In the first instance, we shouldn’t give an answer, if in doing so we will only join the fool and become fools ourselves. Unfortunately, most of us have had the regretful experience of allowing ourselves to get entangled into foolish arguments where we looked just as foolish as the person we were arguing with. Sometimes silence is more powerful than any verbal response we might give. Jesus knew how to wield silence. “But when he (i.e. Jesus) was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?’ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed” (Matt. 27:12-14).
When it comes to talking with fools we need great discernment, because fools aren’t necessarily stupid. In fact, some of them are quite cunning, and they will use their intellects to trap us. On a recent political talk show a conservation guest was asked a question like this by a liberal fool (this wasn’t the question, but it was this type of question): “Have you stopped beating your wife?” If you answer that question, at all, you’re in trouble. The best answer here is no answer.
However, there are other situations in which no answer would be seen as a concession to the fool. The fool would be able to say, “Aha, see, he has no reply. He knows I’m right.” In this case, the fool would be wise in his own eyes. “This,” Solomon says, “can’t be allowed to happen.” This fool needs to be answered. Charles Bridges wrote, “Here our words should be sharp as rods. The fool’s back needs them. Such was Job’s answer to his wife; grave, convincing, silencing—‘Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What! Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’” (Job 2:9-10). Do you remember the context of this rebuke? Mrs. Job had recently lost all ten of her children. Now her husband is on his death bed with boils. You might be thinking, “Doesn’t she deserve a little compassion.” Of course she does, but, we have to be honest, she crossed the line when she said to her husband, “Curse God and die.” Consequently, Job could not let his wife go unanswered, otherwise she would have thought that she was justified in calling upon Job to curse God for all that happened to them.
The goal of Proverbs 26:4 is for our silence to be rebuking, while the goal of verse 5 is for our rebuke to be silencing. In either case, we are responding as we are, not because we are trying to win an argument or outwit the other person, but because we are seeking to win them over to the truth.
When it comes to answering fools with sharps rods, as a result of their folly, I believe the average evanjellyfish is spineless. It seems that we have become more concerned with being politically correct than with being biblically correct. Too often we’re nicer than God. If you think this is an exaggeration, consider how we address homosexuality. We say—maybe—if we even have the courage to speak at all about such a volatile issue, “The gay lifestyle is opposed to God’s commands.” Or, perhaps if we’re feeling really bold, “Homosexuality is a sin.” Now compare our comments with God’s. God says, in Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” I can’t help but wonder how many Christians would counsel the Almighty to tone down the harsh rhetoric.
Janet L. Folger wrote in The Criminalization of Christianity, “One night I was watching C-Span. It was airing a conference of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest homosexual lobby in the country. One of their directors, a lesbian, was pounding on the podium, screaming words I will never forget: ‘We must do away with words like abomination!’” And we must not, for although it is a fighting word, sure to get a reaction, sure to be called hate-speech, it is still God’s commentary on homosexuality. God’s unaltered Word always pro-vides the best answers for fools, lest they be wise in their own eyes.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more than 1,000 physical copies. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Fox Lake Community Church