“Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools or you will become as foolish as they are; be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools or they will become wise in their own eyes.”
~ Proverbs 26:4-5
- These verses in the book of Proverbs have never ceased to amaze me.
- On the surface, they appear as clear contradictory advice on how to handle foolish people.
- In one breath we are counselled to ignore them, in another we are told to face them squarely in their own foolishness.
This calls for wisdom in dealing with people: some people are at best handled when you speak the language they understand, whereas others must be ignored for you to have your peace.
Did you notice that Jesus dealt very tenderly with the sinners He came into contact with? (Please read Luke 19:5-10, John 8:1-10).
Luke 19:5-10 (paraphrased)
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
John 8:1-11 (paraphrased)
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery... “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger... “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her..."
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Yet He reserved His harshest rebuke for the hypocritical religious leaders of His time (Read Luke 11:37-53).
39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you...
46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
In other instances, He gave direct answers to the questions of the law experts but refused to answer some questions from the authorities of His time.
He even answered some questions with counterquestions and parables.
Whether it’s a difficult boss, a nagging spouse, an attractive temptress, or a back-stabbing friend, I pray that you receive the wisdom of God to be able to handle the different kinds of people you may be dealing with in your life.
Like King Solomon, receive the grace to answer every hard question that is thrown at you (1 Kings 10:1). You shall be known as a wise person of your generation in Jesus’ name!
Stay blessed and do share your wisdom lessons from Proverbs 26. Remember to tag us on 📲:
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