Weapons Against Fools Prov. 26: 1-12 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The first 12 verses of Proverbs 26 are about fools and how to deal with them – this message is on how to handle fools – you can use any one of these tactics below or a combination of them.
Don’t honor them – v.1, 8 – i.e., don’t say that’s a good question, or you are a good teacher, or anything like that – don’t make them believe that they are worthy of your honor or anyone else’s – they are fools – men in Rom 1:21-22 who profess themselves to be wise are fools – Nabal was a fool, the Pharisees were fools, and the Galatians were fooled.
Beat them – v.3 – unfortunately this is illegal today – what Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in Arizona, has done is the right example – many times fools only understand one thing, physical pain – pain convinces them that they don’t want any more of foolishness.
Answer them with the facts (don’t reason with their foolishness) – v.4 – give them short direct straight answers right from the truth, with no room for the fool to insert his manipulative foolishness.
Throw their foolishness back in their face – v.5 – make them look as stupid as they really are – when a person who believes that you need water baptism to be saved tells you that the thief on the cross could have been baptized, answer him like an old preacher did, “Yes and Peter could have shot his mother-in-law with a 45.”
Don’t trust them to repeat the truth (don’t send a message by them) – v.6 – they will mess it up and twist it so out of shape that no one will be able to recognize what was really said – that’s why God doesn’t give fools anything to preach – much of what passes off as news today is nothing more than cleverly packaged foolishness.
Don’t trust them to interpret the Bible – v.7, 9 – they cannot interpret the Bible no matter how much study they have done – the wise are brought to foolishness by the Lord – the most learned scholars of Christ’s day failed every test given to them by the Lord and revealed their own foolishness by the very questions that they asked.
Let God deal with them – v.10 – the Lord will reward the fool; they cannot get away with their foolishness; there is a day of reckoning; all these lies taught by Biblical scholars, school teachers and the media will be settled when they meet their Maker (in whom they do not believe) – the Lord allowed Jeremiah to kill the prophets of Baal at Carmel – and the Lord killed Hananiah for lying in about 2 years.
And remember that you will never straighten them out – v.11, 12 – they return to their folly as dogs return to their vomit 2 Pet 2 – there is no hope for a man who is conceited in his foolishness – he wants you to listen to him but he is not interested in listening to you.