Fri.6.26.15...Dealing with Fools...Prov.26:1-16

As you read through our passage in Proverbs- 26:1-16, you will notice at least two things that stand out. First, there are several verses that begin with the word "Like." (We noticed that in yesterday's reading as well.) Second, most all of verses are about a particular individual- the fool. (10 times he is singled out in our short passage. Of course the entire book is dominated by foolish versus wise behavior.) So what are some of the ways the fool is described in our passage and throughout Proverbs? Here's an easy way to remember- they are STUPID! Solomon said, "The fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is" Eccles.10:3. Here's why I think a fool is called S.T.U.P.I.D. He is-

Stubborn- The fool has a stubborn and unrepentant heart. There is no use trying to reason with a fool. His motto is, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up." His theme song is, "I did it my way." And he commutes on the my way highway. “The way of a fool seems right to him” 12:15. You can’t get through to him. He just keeps repeating his folly (23:11). Pity the fool for the amount of pain it will take to get through to his stubborn, hard head.

Talk-sick- How do you know if you are facing a fool? Just wait until he opens his mouth; he will remove all doubt. For example, he may use cutting comments, lustful language or disrespectful dialog. And “every fool is quick to quarrel” 20:3. "The mouth of a fool gushes folly" Prov.15:2. “A fool’s mouth is his undoing” 18:7.

Unreliable- If you hire him, you will greatly regret it. "Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool..." 26:10. He will greatly hurt you and your business if you entrust him to communicate your directives. "Like cutting off one's feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message in the hand of a fool" 23:6.

Proud- He is Mr. Know it All, whose middle name is Proud. He takes after his father, the devil. Pride was his downfall too. If you try to enlighten or correct a fool, he will despise and belittle you. He hates to be corrected. "He who hates correction is stupid" 12:1. The fool proudly refuses to humble himself before the ruler of the world. Why? There is no fear of God before his eyes. 

Indulgent- Speaking of the fool's eyes, he is so short sighted that he sees only the moment and temptations right in front of him, so he lives to indulge his appetites. He can't see the judgment seat and God's wisdom because he is wise in his own eyes. 

Disobedient- That is a good word to summarize the fool. He would rather fight than surrender to God. The fool may even go to church and hear the words of Christ, but he refuses to put them into practice. Jesus divided all mankind into two categories- the wise who hear his words and put them into practice, and the foolish who hear, but do not put them into practice. Great will be his coming destruction (Mt.7:24-27).  

So how do you reason with a fool? You don't. "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments..." 2 Tim.2:23. "Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words" 23:9. So don't get sucked into his deceptive questions or outrageous declarations. He is just baiting you for an argument. "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself" 26:4. It's been aptly said that when a wise man argues with a fool, it's hard to tell them apart. 

But the very next verse says, "Answer a fool according to his folly or he will be wise in his own eyes" 26:5. Obviously this is not a contradiction, but perhaps a revelation of hope. We will never be able to reform a fool by mere human wisdom. But the Lord can yet transform him when we share God's wisdom of the cross. Granted, some might think it foolish (1 Cor.1:22-24), but the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Rom.1:16). "At one time we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" Titus 3:3-5. If God can save fools as we were, he can surely save the fool you may be dealing with. So give him the gospel. Give him a Greatestminimovies.com card. The nice thing about that is when he is alone and perhaps hurting, he can watch video after video of changed lives and gospel truths that convict and convert sinners. You don't have to stand there and debate him. 

Obviously, not everyone is a hardened fool. It's helpful to think of fools on a continuum. Some are more or less foolish than others. But all need to come to Christ to escape the folly of their self reliance. “He who trusts in himself is a fool” 28:26.

1.- To help fools escape their self-reliance, we need to share the gospel with them. Please watch another greatestminimovies.com video and share briefly about it, including its name. Then be on the lookout to share it with others. Last Friday, Nic mentioned that he showed one of the videos to his son. What a great way to sow gospel seeds in our children's hearts. 

Many of you have already watched the first video listed on  our greatestminimovies.com site, entitled, Smart. It ends with a verse from our reading today- "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him" Prov.26:12. 

2.- Have you given out a Greatest Mini-movies card? If so, share briefly about doing so. 
(What, you don't have any cards yet!? Yes, I have the names of the few of you in front of me and I'm wondering why you have taken me up on my offers to simply text me for those cards. I look forward to hearing from you soon. 
Devoted to you, 
Dave- c.708-543-6544
PS- Ed in Singapore, you'll have to wait a bit longer :)

3.- Read Prov.26:1-16 and write out one verse you liked from it. Then look for opportunities to share it as well.

Please do me and yourself a favor. Please make it a helpful habit to go from the blog to the scoreboard and put your points up. This is especially helpful to me on Fridays. I need all your points up so I can tally them up to determine team averages for Monday morning's blog. Unless you post late at night, Friday's scoreboard is for what you did Thursday.