Proverbs 26:3 ¶ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,
and a rod for the fool’s back.
This is one of the numerous statements in
Proverbs about how unteachable and uncorrectable some people are. The fool, a
wicked person, is placed here in contrast to the horse and the ass. In fact, a
similar metaphor was made in the book of Job regarding man and the ass.
Job 11:12 For vain man would be wise, though
man be born like a wild ass’s colt.
We are stubborn and unteachable in our
unregenerated state. Most Christians, even after they have claimed to trust
Christ, have no interest in being taught by Him. So, many of us will find after
receiving Christ as our Saviour that we have a rough time of it as the Holy
Spirit seems to drag us down the street by our feet banging our head off both
curbs. This has to happen, though, to get our attention. Intractable, willful,
and selfish we insist on doing things our own way which is the wrong way. Our
lives reflect that no matter how pious and spiritual we pretend to be, that, in
fact, we are a living train wreck. Broken marriages, lost children, alcoholism,
drugs, pornography, and even suicide itself are the legacy for many so-called
believers, just like the unsaved world, who refused to submit to the God of the
Bible through His words in His Bible.
Christians can get so much more out of their
faith if they would let God speak to them through His Bible. So many of us have
not even read it through one time and, other than locating stories, and a few
memorized verses we are lost in it. Even our nation, which once proudly
declared itself to be a Christian nation, was warned early on by Robert
Winthrop in 1849 that we have a choice of being ruled either by the Bible or
the bayonet, meaning an internal working of the Holy Spirit through His words
versus the external working of a totalitarian state.
You who claim to be Christians but have no use
for God’s word, can’t you see how the Holy Spirit chastises you each year you
live in rebellion, sometimes each day? God uses the rod for your stubborn back
because you will not be changed by His gentle and sweet words. His chastisement
is for your own good, to draw you closer to Him and to make you see your
helplessness without Him. O, miserable Christian, how long must you be forced
to submit to discipline rather than simply surrendering to God through His
words as He speaks to you each day and changes your heart?
Proverbs 26:4 ¶ 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.
Here’s a pair of verses that usually get a
chuckle or a questioning look out of a person when they first see them. The
commentator John Gill, from the 1700’s, points out that one should not answer a
fool at all, as the ministers of Hezekiah didn’t answer Rabshakeh, nor Christ
to the Scribes and Pharisees, and when an answer is offered it should not be in
the same manner as the fool who asked the question with evil for evil, railing
for railing, or in the same lying manner in which the question was given. When
you must answer the fool you should use the wisdom you have received from God’s
word.
So, here we have a Proverb telling you not to
answer a fool in the same manner in which he asks a question lest you look as
idiotic as him. When you must answer a fool, do it in wisdom, to keep him from
thinking he has carried the field with his argument and that you are
surrendering due to his superior reasoning ability, which is a joke.
Matthew Henry underscores the need to know when
to answer a fool and how not to appear to be as stupid as he is when arguing
your point. You don’t let him get away with his foolishness but you don’t
respond in the same manner as he proposed the question. Seems simple enough.
Henry’s point is that it is often best to remain silent unless you believe that
silence would make your case look weak.
The internet has become, among other things, a
great platform for endless arguments. Having the last word seems to be a lot of
fun for many people, even if that last word is as moronic as it can possibly
be. But these Proverbs and, God’s word, in general, are not concerned with the
trivialities of politics or sports as points of argument. We need to be careful
when presenting the Gospel to others, particularly when a person is
argumentative and obnoxious about their unbelief. Should questions like this be
answered?
“If God is just and good, why is there suffering
in the world?”
“Can God make an object too heavy for Him to
move?”
“God doesn’t make junk. I was born this way, so
obviously ‘this way’ must be good.”
At least two of these questions might come up in
a rational discussion of the Gospel and the Bible. But, if the person posing
them is acting as a fool; being hateful and combative, dishonest and verbally
abusive you are not to respond in kind. As it is said, it is better to be
silent and be thought a fool than to open up one’s mouth and remove all doubt.
Christians being combative and hostile when presenting the Gospel of Christ,
even in reply to a fool, do nothing to further the cause of Christ and usually
get angry because their false Self has been attacked. It’s not about you. It’s
about Christ. If you are standing on the street having a shouting match with
someone you have been trying to witness to, how can a bystander know who is the
fool and who isn’t? Know the Scriptures forward and backward. Pray. State your
case. Don’t get tangled up in endless disputations with a heart that’s
unwilling to receive Christ.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 ¶ Having a good
conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be
ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
So, always be ready to give an answer to
everyone that questions your faith but don’t act like a fool doing it.
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