WISE OR FOOLS

Proverbs 15:1-2 A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge upright: but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness.

There is a contrast in these two scriptures of two different kinds of people and how they handle life’s crisis moments. You and I will always have to deal with some intense situations; it is just life. When these situations come up, how we respond is everything. Will we respond God’s way or the way of the flesh? Let’s look at the right way. A soft answer turns away wrath. When you experience the wrath or the anger of someone, what you do next determines how the situation will come out. If you want God’s results, the Word says to give a soft answer. In other words, don’t pour gas on a potential fire; throw some water on it. Everyone has situations where they are on the verge of anger or already angry because of a situation. We are told in Ephesians to not let the sun go down on our wrath or anger. We are supposed to deal with it. You can be a part of the solution, or you can add fuel to the fire. This is especially true in marriage relationships. Be very careful that you are not insisting on your own way or your own rights and throwing in a little bit of anger or foul mood with it. The next verse says that the tongue of the wise uses knowledge upright. This person is full of the knowledge of God and knows how to use it in every situation, especially tense ones. The NLT says, “The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing.” That’s interesting to me. It seems the person has knowledge or a godly, therefore better, way to look at the situation and is so skillful in bringing it forth that the other person ceases from their anger and comes over to the good side so the argument can be shut down and avoided. Walking in the knowledge of God is a great benefit to our everyday life.

On the other side of the coin is the person who in a tense situation throws gas on the fire because they feel they have the right, and no one is going to push them around. The NLT says it this way, “Harsh words make tempers flare.” Instead of water, they threw gas, so tempers are flaring. Now, the flesh is in charge, both people are hot under the collar, letting nasty words fly, and are hurting one another with their anger. Many people right here would say, “But that person deserves this; they hurt me; they did me wrong;” or the ever famous, “They started it, but now I’m going to finish it.” Realize when you respond in anger, you have chosen the route of the flesh, and now you are also guilty of sin before God. The last part of this verse is best read out of the NLT, “The mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.” That is so graphic and so true. It’s rude and unmannerly, and embarrassing when someone belches. So, too, it is rude, unmannerly, and, frankly, embarrassing for them that they are acting like a fool. Don’t be a fool. The Message version is also good, “Fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.” Don’t be a fool and quit dripping nonsense. Proverbs gives us practical helps with everyday stuff. Let’s meditate on this and make changes where necessary!