Answer Not a Fool
Proverbs 26:4-5 KJVS
[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.
At first glance one may believe verse four and five to be opposing or contradicting statements. However, they are merely two sides of the same coin.
In verse four, when it makes mention of “answer” H6030 in the Strongs Concordance lets you know “by implication to respond; by extension begin to speak.” A “fool” is someone who lacks wisdom or reasoning. One may say in layman’s terms, a dumb person. And his “folly” is the unwise statements he or she is saying. Simply put, if I were to respond to a person that lacks reasoning ability or common sense and entertain the foolish things they are saying one could look at me as also being foolish. Why?
Proverbs 29:9 KJVS
[9] If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.
Matthew 7:6 KJVS
[6] 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.
If I continue to entertain this individual, no matter how much I say, no matter how many angles I take to approach them, they will not get it. And I will continue to talk in circles. And even be wasting my time, as they will not understand or perceive the wisdom of my words. Almost like the “is not” “is too” arguments or “nuh uh” uh huh” arguments you may see commonly among children (and even in adults for that matter). It goes nowhere, and neither look any the wiser. If someone were to walk by, they would perceive that they are both just as foolish. Wisdom would say to end the argument.
1 Corinthians 14:38 KJVS
[38] But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
Now verse five gives another perspective. Sometimes you should respond to someone using the same “folly” or “logic” they tried to give to you, lest they believe they stumped you or they are wise because of what they said. For example, one foolish argument made today is, “I don’t know what a woman is… I am not a biologist.” They seem to appear wise because they are saying they don’t have the credentials to make a wise judgement that someone with those credentials should be able to make. However, the argument is invalid. Mankind has always known what a woman is and never was confused on the subject matter. Nor does it take a degree to make the assessment, just common sense.
Now lets try the alternative, I will answer you according to your folly. I don’t know what a dog is, I am not a veterinarian. I don’t know what a baby is, I am not a pediatrician. I don’t know what an outlet is, I am not an electrician. I don’t know what the sun is, I am not an astrologer. And the list can go on and on. In this way, I show the flawed reasoning of this person that is foolish using the same setup they attempted to use on me.
1 Corinthians 3:19 KJVS
[19] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
