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I agree. A tough one but like you said seeing the wisdom in both truths. Not allowing ourself to go to the same vile, ignorance responds as the fool. Speaking the truth in wisdom and love would stifle any attemt by the fool to boast in knowledge in his argument.

I want to thank you so much for your daily blog. It accompanies the daily reading so nicley. It is food for thought. Keep up the good work. (Gal 6:9)

Proverb 26(the message)
4Don't respond to the stupidity of a fool;

you'll only look foolish yourself.

5Answer a fool in simple terms

so he doesn't get a swelled head.

Well, Prov 26:4,5. I would make an obvious statement of fact or ask a question to provoke the other person to think for himself.

Of late, I lost the friendship of a colleague. I wasn't making a judgement of her gambling, but by accident pointed out a news of a jackpot winner could be a publicity gimmick.

She was damned mad with me and snapped at me to nail my scepticism on the cross.

I greeted her but she snubbed at me. Till today, she showed her face to me.

I have been struggling with these two arguments for many months now. I work for a board on which sit two men who definitely fit the description of putting forth foolish arguments. I have waivered between arguing with them and at that time losing time and spending energy in a futile effort to enlighten them which never happens and sitting silently through the entire meeting without correcting them or enlightening them with the correct information. They always only give the part of the information which will support their position and never listen to the rest of the information or to any of the other board members. I go home frustrated after every board meeting. To answer them or not, neither course of action corrects the problem - fools never or rarely take advice or change their position. After much discussion with my wife and friends, I believe one must wait patiently until the Lord sees fit to remove such a person from authority and then you can move on. Or you may have to separate yourself from a certain situation and move on with your life if you are not patient enough to bear the burden of working with a foolish person.

Ask a foolish Question...
You get a foolish answer.

Is that from an Almanac?

Hmmm...

I like playing with proverbs. I Used to take one a day and try to apply and live by...

Grace and Forgiveness is alot easier but wisdom is foound in the chapters.

When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.

When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

This kind of logic is fun because at first it seems like a contradiction...

(though when I asked a child this with no preconceived idea that this could be contrary they seemed to have no problem and gave me the answer immediately...sometimes I overthink a situation....(grin).

I like what Butch wrote, it's closer to where I am.

Jesus seemed to have a board of elders he had to deal with and quite bluntly even by western mind set, there question once you know the rest of the story is quite foolish:


Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Luk 20:29 There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

Luk 20:30 And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

Luk 20:31 And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.

Luk 20:32 Last of all the woman died also.

Luk 20:33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

Hmmmp...given those "set of circumstances...it might not sound like a foolish question.

But Jewish Law and in reality, God's laws, were a little less severe I think and applied to the whole person...Paul knew the law:

Rom 7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her] husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of [her] husband.

Rom 7:3 So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

THIS is the Answer...

But Why didn't Jesus simply do as Paul did and use the LAW to Answer the Question.

What was the The Foolish Question they said and waht was really the question they had?

Pauls Answer if it had been given would be Proverbs 26:4

When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.

They would have argued NEXT about resurrection because that did not believe in it and if you have seen heated discussions, if you start answering what people are asking they ask another question....

BUT.....

Jesus Knew they already HAD the answer according to Law and really weren't asking about Marriage...,

He said,
Luk 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

Luk 20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Luk 20:37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Luk 20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.


Whoops... Ask a Silly question you might get more than you bargained for...

Jesus Eliminated the discussion by answering the questions that were not asked and showing the evidence of the answer from Keen Insight into the real issues.

We all have two languages and maybe a whole lot more...

We might say we want a soda when we really want to get out of the house and the real issue is we don't know how to past that sticky point in a statement you just made with your spouse so it's..."I am going to get a soda"

We often resist the Truth and are openly terrified of anyone gettting "inside our skin" or heart to really see what we did and why and what we really mean.

Proverbs knows this and reveals not contradiction, but a "contra-indication"


"When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are. When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation."

In other words...don't give them waht they already know....or they will feel wise and you look foolish..., but Have God show you what really is the issue and you may get to the rest of proverbs to find out How to reply in such as way as to be like Jesus who when he was done answering got this response


Luk 20:39 Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.

Luk 20:40 And after that they durst not ask him any [question at all].

Wise Men listen, they wait, they observe and when they finally speak thier mind, usually all doubt and discussion is removed.

Having created, participated, stirred up circumvented, well every wrong way to do a thing.... in thinking back I get a kick out of thinking about board meetings and watching how silly we make things seem so important,

Donald Trump can't really get to the bottom of the antics in the board room, but given a few well placed scenes and typical human nature (sinful) everyone seems to know the first part of proverbs 26...

I hope for Butch and all of us we get the chance to answer a fool in his folly......

The response may indicate whether it was from us or from the Lord Jesus who seems to be able to take a lifetime to touch even ahardened soul like mine.



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