Should I Debate with a Fool?

Happy Sunday. I recently read the parable of the donkey and the tiger. Let me share this with you as we begin. The donkey said to the tiger, "The grass is blue."

The tiger replied, "No, the grass is green." The discussion heated up and the two decided to go before the lion, the king of the jungle. The donkey began to shout, "Your highness, is it true that the grass is blue?" The lion replied, "If you believe that is true, then the grass is blue."

The donkey continued, "The tiger disagrees with me, contradicts me, and annoys me. Please punish him." The king declared, "The tiger will be punished with five years of silence. The donkey was happy.

He jumped cheerfully and went on his way. The tiger accepted the punishment. But before he left, he asked the lion, "Why have you punished me? After all, the the grass is green."

The lion replied, "In fact, the grass is green." The tiger asked, "So why are you punishing me?" The lion said, "That has nothing to do with the question of whether or not the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it's not logical for an intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a donkey."

And on top of that, you come and bother me with a question like that. The moral of the story, the worst waste of time is arguing with the fool and the fanatic who don't care about truth or reality, but only about the victory of their beliefs and illusions. This story leads us to today's verse from Proverbs. Proverbs 26:4.

The New King James puts it this way. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. The New New Living Translation puts it this way. Don't answer the foolish arguments of fools or you'll become as foolish as they are.

This proverbs would save a lot of people a lot of heartache. Arguing with fools is a waste of time, a futile exercise. If the person is mentally challenged, you see the wisdom here. Like the donkey in the story I began with, the tiger was just wasting his breath.

Getting to that level, down to that level is not wise. Now, there's another way to look at this. Let me share with you the biblical definition of a fool. Psalm 14:1 puts it best.

There we are told, "Fools say in their hearts, there is no God." They're corrupt and their actions are evil. Not one of them does good. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 14:7 says, "Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not find words of knowledge." So, biblically, the definition is somebody that's not a believer and has no desire to become one. Just the other day, Jeanie and I were in a booth at a restaurant when the man in the next booth speaking loudly said to his companion that he was eating with, "The Bible is filled with mistakes." We were not easedropping.

They were that close and he was that loud. Part of me wanted to stop eating, stand up, and ask him, "What mistakes are you talking about? Have you read the Bible? What's your problem?"

Instead, I just whispered a prayer for him. Perhaps the best way to deal with this type of foolish person is to pray for them. I've prayed so many times for people to wake up. I pray he will.

Today, there are so many arguments that are just a huge waste of time. If you read comments online on a forum like Facebook, you'll often see statements from people who are just who are just looking for a fight. Foolish things are said, feelings are hurt, and good people try to engage, and all of a sudden it gets real ugly real fast. Proverbs 26:4 is good advice.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Save your energy, pray, love, and make the most of your time. Thanks for joining me this week. I have a request.

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