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Pity The Fool!


Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.  Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5) 

            Yes, these verses are right next to each other. Kind of makes you want to go “Huh?” Isn’t that a contradiction? The study notes say that responding to a fool by descending to his level of thought makes one look like a fool. Arguing on his level is useless. If the matter isn’t important, no one benefits. At the same time, however, responding to a fool with the rebuke that the fool deserves on matters of importance supposedly discourages him from thinking too highly of himself. There are times when it is wrong to be silent. 
            I can’t disagree with those ideas. I have often made a fool of myself trying to argue a fool out of his folly. Part of the problem is that I tend to see not answering the fool to be condemning him to his folly. To me, that’s unloving. It requires that I give up the belief that the fool is a valuable human being deserving of wisdom, and I don’t think that should be done quickly or without a considerable effort on my part. 
            Still, I guess it would be a good idea to start looking for greater wisdom in this regard. I also know there are people who need more wisdom about speaking out against fools more strongly.

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