Proverbs 26:4 (NLT)
Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
Have you ever gotten in a back-and-forth argument with a foolish person? Their position and reasoning are so ridiculous that you just can’t help but try to convince them otherwise. It can be a maddening process as they discount or reject every legitimate point you make. In the end, it resembles a 4thgrade schoolyard argument about who’s dad is stronger and would win in a fight.
“Oh yeah? Well my dad was in the army and he was trained to beat-up people like your dad!”
The world has no shortage of foolish people and you will encounter them on a fairly regular basis. In order to be a good steward of both your time and your witness as a Christian, you need to know “when to hold’em, when to fold’em, when to walk away, and when to run” as the old Kenny Rogers song says. There is a time to engage the “foolish arguments of fools,” as we will see in the next Daily Dose, but more often than not the wise decision is not to bother.
It is worth noting that “the fools” can also come in the form of your own children! Childishness goes along with youthful ignorance and should not be dealt with harshly. But foolishness arises when a child acts out of direct defiance for a rule they know and understand. When it comes to arguing with your “foolish” child, today’s passage almost always applies as they simply lack the wisdom and maturity to think rationally…so just enforce the truth and be done with it. Don’t let yourself be drawn into the fruitless and frustrating back-and-forth.
For all the other “fools” you may encounter in life, be ready to swallow your pride and walk away. When you let yourself fully engage in those kinds of arguments you are wasting the precious time and witness that the Lord has provided for you. Don’t do it. Your pride may think you are losing if you walk away from the fight…but your Lord will approve and bless you for your wise decision.
