It is difficult to watch. You want to say something, to do something, something that will change the situation. You know that if things continue as they are going, the end will be disaster. But he won’t listen. She’s got this. So they think. They are taking the path of a fool. What do you say to them?
Solomon was aware that in a world of sin in which we are called to bring order that one of our greatest challenges would be dealing with fools. A fool is not merely a superficial, immature buffoon. He may be a cultural icon, a respected businessman, or a leader in society. The Proverbial fool is the man whose heart and life are disordered according to the standard of God’s created purpose. He is in rebellion against God. Fools come in all shapes and sizes, falling on a spectrum of foolishness. He may be the child whose foolishness is present but still has the opportunity to be cut off through discipline (Pr 22.15), or he may be the belligerent, hardened fool whose foolishness has matured to the point that he holds God and everything that is wise in contempt. The wise must learn to identify and deal with all types of fools.
One of the most difficult lessons to learn in dealing with a fool is when to stop speaking to a fool. Solomon tells his son, “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words” (Pr 23.9). This is not a blanket command covering all situations in life. To avoid speaking to a fool, you would have to leave the world, as Paul says in another situation. This is a matter of investment. This man has shown stubborn contempt for wisdom whether through belligerence or being all talk but no action. If you continue to pour time and effort into him, you are being foolish. God has given you his riches of time and wisdom to invest expecting a return with interest. If you are knowingly throwing “good money after bad,” you are wasting Jesus’ wealth. He won’t’ be happy with that. Let. Him. Go. If he ever has a change of heart, let him know that you will be happy to help him, but until then, you are done.
There are times to talk to a fool, but you must be discerning in how to do it. Solomon says, “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” (Pr 26.4-5). Both of these assume that you are answering the fool.
The first instruction in answering a fool is don’t participate in his rhetorical foolishness. Fools not only engage others with bad arguments, but they attack others in destructive ways. One implication of what Solomon instructs here is that you don’t fight a fool’s fire with fools’ fire.
Recently, within some Reformed circles, there has been a reaction to Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, and other types of ideologies that make being “white” a sin. Lately, the most hated people in this country are heterosexual, white, Christian men. There ought to be a push back against this. We need to affirm the goodness of the way God made each of us. Some have responded with “White Boy Summer.” This isn’t the KKK, neo-Nazi skinheads, or any other hate group. They simply celebrate the goodness of being white and the predominantly Christian Western heritage. There is nothing wrong with this in principle. However, the rhetoric makes men look like the fools they are answering. It looks more like two eight-year-olds peacocking on the playground in their foolishness than it does a wise man answering a fool. If your answer makes you look like the fool you are answering, then you are a fool yourself.
There is a way to remain wise in answering a fool but still have something of … dare I say … a serrated edge. Solomon’s second instruction is to destroy the arrogance of the fool. Some fools are arrogant fools, wise in their own eyes. At times the only way to penetrate this foolishness is with condescending snark and sarcasm. The fool who is making a wreck of his life and is arrogant about it needs to eat some humble pie; he needs to be shown to be the fool that he is to himself and others. Paul did this with the Corinthians (2Corinthians 11—12). Elijah did this with the worshipers of Baal at Mt Carmel (1Kg 18). Wisdom mocks the arrogant fool (Pr 1.24-27).
This latter tool in the toolbox of the wise must be used carefully. A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard (Pr 26.9). The fool grabs the thornbush, doesn’t realize he is hurting himself, and begins swinging it around destroying others. Condescending speech can be like a gun in the hand of a toddler. Great care must be taken.
Nevertheless, it is a legitimate tool. When the LGBTQ+ activists arrogantly proclaim the goodness of their cause, there is a time to pop their arrogant bubbles. When the Big Eva, never-Trumper self-appointed leaders arrogantly assume the moral high ground with the cultural liberals, there is a time to make fun of them. When Reformed proud boys wield their “right doctrine” in the destruction of others, it may be time to bring them down a notch or two or twenty-three.
As you walk in the way of wisdom, you will encounter many fools along the way. Learn what you are dealing with and speak to them accordingly.
