“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” —Mark Twain
A well-known humorist of the 19th century, Twain wielded his biting wit to expose the ills in humanity. Oftentimes, though, his ideas simply echoed the truth already revealed in Scripture. Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.” Headstrong and rebellious, foolish people don’t care about the holiness of God or the hearts of other people. Willfully disobedient, they live for themselves and believe they can get away with their sin.
As believers, we’re called to walk in obedience (and thus avoid the path of the fool), but we are also called to take a stand for truth. To not act as a fool includes understanding the power and holiness of God and making decisions that line up with His righteousness.
Because a fool lives as if there is no God (Psalms 14:1, Psalm 53:1), our response has to be lovingly wise. When it comes to dealing with a fool, we are not to . . .
• engage in foolish arguments (Proverbs 23:9, 26:4).
• appoint a fool to a place of honor (Proverbs 26:1,8).
• trust a fool with important tasks (Proverbs 26:6,10).
No matter how impressive the individual, we diminish the awesomeness of God when we applaud those who live in open disobedience to His Word. No amount of talent or gifting can cover up sin. Refusing to honor a fool doesn’t mean being dismissive or unkind, but it does mean calling things for what they are because we understand the glory of who God is.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 19:15-29
More:
Read Proverbs 14:7-9 to see other characteristics of fools and to understand how we should respond to them.
Next:
What aspects of our society’s adulation of pop-culture figures could be compared to the honoring of fools? How is the honoring of a fool the displacement of truth?
tom felten on January 11, 2013 at 9:36 am
Regina, thanks for helping us think about this issue. The people our culture promotes as worthy of praise and adulation are often living foolish lives—openly defying God and His Word. May we seek to honor God in our obedience, revealing our love for Him and His truth (John 14:21).
regina franklin on January 22, 2013 at 10:08 am
Dear Tom,
Your comment brought to mind a scripture I read last night: “What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15b). Our definition of “foolish” has to line up with God’s, not the world’s.
GChoo on January 11, 2013 at 11:15 am
Regina, thank you for pointing us to the truth of God’s Word.
The truth of God has been overshadowed by this term ‘tolerance’ dictated by the world which has really gone over the top. Christians are unsure of how to react to it and may have accepted the ways of the world. It is really a good reminder and to direct us to God’s truth and to act according to His teaching; kind and lovingly wise yet not condoning their acts.
regina franklin on January 22, 2013 at 10:10 am
Dear GChoo,
Yes! And to remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear. I think we often get swept up in the tide of culture because we are intimidated–we fear not measuring up to the world’s standards of significance.
Kathy @ In Quiet Places on January 11, 2013 at 12:30 pm
I think if we were, (meaning, if I was) better at calling things as they are as God would have me do, in the manner that He wants us to approach people and issues, I think our lights would shine brighter in this dark world, I need to find that balance of wise but not unkind.
tom felten on January 14, 2013 at 10:06 am
Good thoughts, Kathy. I’m grateful for Paul’s words in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Now, if only I could live this out better. 🙂
mike wittmer on January 14, 2013 at 9:52 am
This is so wise. We must realize that much of what is celebrated in our world–when it comes to money, sex, and power–is simply foolishness.
regina franklin on January 22, 2013 at 10:12 am
Absolutely, Mike! But just as we become accustomed to certain smells the longer we stay around them, so too do we become more accustomed (comfortable) with sin when we become consumers of the culture just like everyone else.