The Man of Wisdom Will Not Dispute a Fool
December 10, 2020
Commentary
Fools are those who make fun of sin and refuse to heed the voice of wisdom.
(1) Honoring a fool is Dangerous. Just as weather out of season can destroy crops, a fool raised to a position of honor will hurt everyone who follows him (v. 1). Giving honor to a fool is useless, just as a stone securely tide into a sling (think David & Goliath) is useless (v. 8). We should remember that before we award “participation” trophies. Honor shouldn’t be handed out cheaply.
(2) Fools are like animals. Since fools reject the rule of reason and wise counsel, they are instead forced to be lead like a beast of burden with rod, whip, and bridle (v. 3). A fool is like a dog in that they both return to that which goes against nature again and again (v. 11).
(3) Talking with a fool is Dangerous: When we answer a fool with the same egotistical spirit that they have, we are drawn down to their level (v. 4). But to leave a foolish statement unchallenged will only strengthen the fool in his self-assuredness (v. 5). Therefore, the man of wisdom will not argue with a fool but will instead employ clear judgement and decisive statements to challenge and expose the fool’s shallowness.
(4) Hiring a fool is Dangerous: Fools cannot be trusted with messages (v. 6), and a proverb in a fool’s mouth is useless (v. 7). A proverb misused can hurt people, like a drunkard swinging a thornbush (v. 9). If you hire a fool to work with you, you might as well shoot all your customers with arrows (v. 10) as that’s how much damage a fool can cause through their lack of judgment.
A sluggard is a lazy person who is always inventing excuses for not working (vv. 13-14). He is almost too lazy to lift food from the dish to his mouth (v. 15). This type of person sticks to his opinions and defends his views even when the disgust of others is evident (v. 16).
Application
Lord, please reveal any foolish way in me, and give me your wisdom as I seek You.
Proverbs 26:1– 16 (NET)
1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause does not come to rest.
3 A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion.
6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, so is sending a message by the hand of a fool.
7 Like legs dangle uselessly from the lame, so a proverb dangles in the mouth of fools.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling, so is giving honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn has gone up into the hand of a drunkard, so a proverb has gone up into the mouth of a fool.
10 Like an archer who wounds at random, so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passerby.
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
12 You have seen a man wise in his own opinion — there is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The sluggard has said, “There is a lion in the road! A lion in the streets!”
14 Like a door that turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.
15 The sluggard has plunged his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own opinion than seven people who respond with good sense.
Illustration: Obstain From All Appearance of Evil
The opposite of wisdom is folly, foolishness or being a fool. A young man came to me recently wanting my blessing for what he was doing. However, what he was doing didn’t look good. He was spending long hours every day with a young lady in her apartment without a third party. They both had attended Bible school and said they wanted to serve the Lord in the future. He claimed that he was madly in love with her. I told him he was taking lots of risk in both ruining his future and hers, and if he really loved her, he should want to protect both his reputation and hers with a third-party rule. Scripture tells us to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thess. 5:21-22). (Lou Nicholes – Missionary/Author).