He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Enemies Of The Lord: The Fool 2: Proverbs 26:4-7
4) Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like
unto him.
5) Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own
conceit.
6) He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the
feet, [and] drinketh damage.
7) The legs of the lame are not equal: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.
In
this chapter, Solomon describes for us three of the greatest enemies of the
Lord:
1. The Fool (vs 1-12), One who does not apply
the Word of God to their life.
2. The Lazy (vs 13-16), One who is not diligent
and industrious in their responsibilities
3. The Cruel (vs 17-28), One who is angry,
malicious and out of control
EXPOSITION:
In this devotion, Solomon
continues looking at the fool. This study of the fool will continue in our
following devotions (through vs 12).
One
of the great “contradictory passages” of the Bible is found in the next two verses.
Please
notice these verses, when taken in context, are not at all contradictory. When viewed together, they actually enhance
the individual meaning of each verse.
4) Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like
unto him.
First,
we are told how NOT to respond to the fool (those who refuse to apply God’s
Word to their lives) …
1.
Do not respond to a fool with the same
silliness that characterizes his speech…
2. if we do, we are putting ourselves on his
level, making the Word insignificant and not applying it to our lives.
The
fool’s attitude of God’s Word can be described as looking upon it as trivial
and unimportant, rejecting its application to their life and, in many cases,
actually making mockery of it.
An
example of answering according to his folly would be to take his objections to
the Word lightly, answering him in jest, and joining in his attitude of mockery
of it. Instead, we should seriously seek
the Lord’s guidance to show to the fool, through our speech and actions, the
importance of the Word of God.
“Finally, [be ye] all of
one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be]
courteous: Not rendering evil for
evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are
thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips
that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and
do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.” (1 Peter 3:8-11)
5) Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own
conceit.
Solomon
now addresses how we are to answer the fool….
1. Respond to the fool, taking into account his
attitude of mockery towards the Word of God,
2. or else he will deceptively be made to look
intelligent and understanding.
When
we take into account the fool’s attitude towards the Word, it will help us to
understand the proper response, or lack of response, that is needed:
1. At times, it is better to not respond to the
ramblings of a fool…
a. when a fool is hardened in his ways, no
response will change the course of his life.
b. or when he speaks, his foolishness is made
evident and those watching him realize they need to avoid his ways.
2. At other times, it is better to respond to the
fool when….
a. the fool, through God’s grace, is given a teachable
spirit which is demonstrated by a willingness to take our words seriously.
b.
when he is misleading those around him, influencing their life to follow in his
ways. It is best for the sake of those
around to publically reveal the error of his ways.
“Give not that which is
holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample
them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6)
“And when he was come into
the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he
was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave
thee this authority? And Jesus answered and
said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise
will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John,
whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves,
saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then
believe him? But if we shall say, Of
men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus,
and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what
authority I do these things.” (Matthew 21:23-27)
Here
we find, based upon the way we understand the phrase “answer (not) a fool
according to his folly”, both of these verses can hold non-contradictory
meanings.
6) He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the
feet, [and] drinketh damage.
The
unfaithfulness of a fool is now brought into view…
1. Those who dispatch a message by use of a fool….
2. is much like sending a message via a
messenger who have no feet
3. is much like one who purposely harms himself
by drinking a harmful liquid.
Trusting
a fool to fulfill any important responsibility is like choosing to bring
failure to your purpose and damage to yourself.
The fool, based upon his attitude of God’s Word, will not be dependable,
honest, or submissive to your authority.
Giving this type of individual an important responsibility is a sure recipe
for disaster.
“His lord answered and said
unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I
sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then]
at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent
from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that
hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:26-30)
7) The legs of the lame are not equal: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.
The
teachings and philosophy of a fool are now examined…
1. The legs of one whose walk is hindered are
weak
2. Likewise the wise sayings of a fool
The
teaching of fools is weak and powerless, although they believe they are
speaking words of great wisdom. Another
great mark of the fool is pride that is manifested by the inability to
recognize the true nature of their teachings and actions.
“[As] a thorn goeth up into
the hand of a drunkard, so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools.” (Proverbs 26:9)
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good
evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto [them that are]
wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)
SUMMARY:
So far in our study of
the fool, we have seen that the fool can be characterized by:
1. Not deserving respect or admiration
2. A desire for harm to come upon the people of
the Lord
3. Purposely choosing to not apply the teachings
of the Lord and, therefore the Lord must discipline them for a change to take
place.
4.
The fool’s attitude of His Word can be described as looking upon it as trivial
and unimportant, rejecting its application to their life and, in many cases,
actually making mockery of it.
5.
A fool is hardened in his ways and no response will change the course of his
life.
6.
Thru the Lord’s intervention, if the fool has a teachable spirit it will be demonstrated
by a willingness to listen.
7.
The fool, based upon his attitude of God’s Word, will not be dependable,
honest, or submissive to your authority.
8. A great mark of the fool is pride that is manifested
by the inability to recognize the true nature of their teachings and actions.
May
we all possess Godly wisdom and live our lives for Him.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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