By Jamere King

Proverbs 29:9

If a wise person goes to court with a fool, there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.

Have you ever sat in a 30 minute to an hour long meeting and by the end of it said to yourself “this really could have been an email”? I know we’ve all been there. Why do we say things like that? It’s not what was said wasn’t important, however, there was no substance and no real objective to the meeting. There was no decision to be made, no real agenda, and no means of an actual discussion to be had—by the end of these types of meetings most people walk away feeling like they have just wasted their time. And if there’s one thing that most people detest, it’s wasting their time. God reminds us in today’s scripture that engaging in disputes and discussions with fools is a lot like sitting in a meeting that most certainly could’ve been an email—time wasted.

By definition, a fool in the biblical context is a person who rejects godly wisdom and instruction. It doesn’t matter what you say, how you say it, when you say it, who’s saying it, or where it’s being said, the fool doesn’t have the capacity to understand. As the old saying goes, it can feel a lot like talking to a brick wall. And at some point, we must realize we are wasting our time and energy with these types of people. That’s not being mean, that’s biblical—listen to these words from Jesus in His sermon on the mount…

Matthew 7:6 — Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.

In other words, Jesus is illustrating against wasting our time giving something of extreme value (pearls / wisdom) to something that could not care less (pigs / fools).

In simple terms, Jesus is in full agreement that we should learn to discern those who despise spiritual things (e.g. the gospel, sound advice, instruction, etc.) as to not waste our time going in circles like a carousel with a “fool”. It’s like walking through a maze where every path leads back to the entrance—you’re exhausted, but nowhere closer to a solution.

Do you know anyone who is hell-bent on proving their point regardless of what anyone says?

Do you know anyone who only listens to respond but hardly to understand?

Do you know of anyone who has already created a narrative within their mind before listening to all sides.

You my friend may be wasting your energy. And if not careful, if we engage long enough, we too have the ability to become foolish ourselves.

Proverbs 26:4 — Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.  

We should always strive for resolution in conflicts, while also recognizing that it may not always be possible when dealing with those (both inside and outside the church) who reject godly wisdom. Life is too short and not every hill is worth dying on.