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Friday, February 26, 2010

Wisdom Project 2/26



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.


Commentary:
These pieces of advice do not contradict each other because each is wise in its own way. Verse 4 means that in replying to a fool one should not descend to his level by giving him a foolish response (e.g., 2 Kings 18:36). Verse 5 means that one should correct a fool so he will not conclude that he is right (e.g., Neh. 6:8; Job 2:9-10). Some of a fool's comments do not deserve a reply (v. 4), but others require one (v. 5). In unimportant matters one should ignore the foolish comment, but in important matters one needs to respond lest others conclude that the fool is correct.


Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H.
_________

WISDOM PROJECT: For this month, I will supply links to both the NIV and ESV versions of the chapter each day (Feb. 1 = Proverbs 1, etc.) in the post—both of which contain the audio.

And in the month of February a unique feature for the WP will be Commentaries on selected passages/verses from within the chapter for the day. And for the most part, these comments will be from links in the Online Bible Study Resources feature here on the 3 John 8 blog (scroll down in the column to the right to find the links).

Note to Proverbs class participants: this is the place where you should post your application comments for the Daily Proverbs Reading Assignment.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

From v19 we have the infamous “I was only joking”. How many times have we heard or spoken that? Just recently I heard someone repeatedly say “I was only kidding” after making a remark. Even though the original statement wasn’t so bad or wrong, it apparently did cause some hurt as it may have been taken and understood differently by the hearers then what the originator meant. Let the words from our hearts genuinely reflect what it is we feel, and may they be shared in love. Allow all syllables to proceed with caution off the exit ramp of our tongues.
Mike T.

Melissa Jordan said...

After reading Michael's post I cannot help but comment on verse 19. I really like what he had to say about "I was only joking". There is a saying that goes something like this:"There is a little truth to every joke." While maybe not every joke I do think in a lot of instances there is some annoyance or conflict behind the "I'm just kidding."

Anonymous said...

23. Response 2/26/2010 10:29:27 AM
Proverbs 26:4-5 . . .
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.
Fools try to get other people to agree with them. They do so to promote themselves. Self is the main trait of a fool. If we go along with a fool then they see themselves in us because we are reflecting their personality through agreeing with them.
John Erbentraut

Unknown said...

The first 12 verses talk about fools. How honor is not fitting for them, how a rod is for their back, how they are wise in their own eyes, and how "proverbs" coming out of their mouths...just aren't right. I think these verses are great warnings against foolishness and the importance of wisdom and using discernment to determine who or what is wise

Jessica said...

"is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!”
I was actually just thinking about this earlier today. I know with me, saying "just kidding" is a normal occurance. But it makes me think how many times am I really just joking around or am I just saying that to cover up the truth.

Mandi said...

18 Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows 19 is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!" How hard is this verse to apply! I say I'm just kidding all the time but am i really just kidding. Its kind of like a cover up to hid the truth and make it into a joke so no one knows that you really mean it. I need to be careful and not say I'm just kidding.

Krista Harrison said...

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who can answer sensibly.
For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
This makes me wonder if I think I am wise and I really am not. This also challenges me to continue to ask people their opinion about my decisions and keep a good handful of godly people involved in my personal life. This other verse really caught my eye because my place of work has so much gossip and fights. When simply put though if we all stop gossiping and “feeding the fire” the quarrels will stop.

Gabe Vanderstel said...

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

A fool does not listen to the council of the wise. Therefore, it is not worthy of time to argue and dispute with a fool. When a person answers the fool according to his folly he is doing exactly as the fool wants. The wise thing to do is to stay out of the situation. By doing this, you are not promoting the ideas of the fool, or elevating him.

TWash said...

Thinking back when I was in high school, I can remember plenty of times when I should have listened. I was so foolish because, the only reason anyone was giving me advice was for my own good, but it always took me messing up before I would listen. It carries over into our walks with God, I always think I can help God or twist something to benefit me or justify the decision I am making. That is the foolish way to go about anything.

Unknown said...

Proverbs 26:12
"Do you see a man who is j wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
- It is interesting to note that verse 11 describes the terrible state of the fool, which then makes this statement a forceful punch line: that even more hopeless than the situation of the fool is the one of the unteachable person, who is wise in his own eyes most likely because of pride. Pride is a destroyer of a lot of things and is something that I need to stay for away from as much as possible.

Renee K said...

vs. 20 - For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

The first thing I think of when reading this verse is the word "gossip." Gossip will not continue when people actually shut their mouths. Something else I think of when reading this is the fact that when a fire is not carefuly watched, it can get out of hand and out of control. Even when something is true, when people don't take care to watch who they tell and why they even tell, then what they tell can get really out of hand and out of control. It eventually becomes the farthest thing from the truth. We need to watch our words and the reasons that words come out of our mouths.

Carrie L. said...

This chapter had a lot to say about the fool and the dangers of trusting or elevating such a person.
Verse 17 "Like one who seizes the dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own".
This was a verse my mom taght us when we were young. She used to say "don't pull the dog's ears"...as younger children we didn't fully understand this until mom explained it to us. This verse reminded me of Moses when he saw the two Hebrews fighting and went to break it up. The Hebrew asked Moses if he was going to kill him like he killed the Egyptian. Moses pulled the dog's ears when he should have minded his own business. We are not to get invovled in another man's argument.

Unknown said...

“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than him” (26:12)
The man who is wise in his own eyes is not teachable. No matter how hard you try, it would be easier to teach a fool. This describes those who think their spiritual state is good, when really it is very bad.

Unknown said...

Verse 13 and 14 are illustrations of how the sluggard makes excuses to do finish things or do things that he knows he is supposed to be doing. Like that lecture that Mark for us he talked a lot about this. I thought it was very interesting and was very applicable to my own life. This is something I definitely need to work on.