“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” “Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.” Proverbs 26:4-5 (NIV)

As young believers, we often read the bible for information and instruction, looking for answers to the questions of life or, at the minimum, for a list of dos and don’ts. We want to live a good life pleasing to God.  God’s Kingdom is a rather large and strange domain when we are standing at the threshold.  After a while, some of us realize that the list has become too unwieldy and too burdensome for achieving anything remotely like a godly life and we drop that in favour of seeking the general principles for living. The Bible becomes a stream where we patiently pan for gold, blithely dumping back the mud and stones without a second thought.

This is why I love Proverbs 26:4-5. What great sense of humour God has to put these two proverbs side by side.  It pokes fun at how we read the Bible and how we tend to break mystery into edible bits. In the end, we have no choice but to abandon our search for lists and principles and abide in God as His beloved children. To not only know but also to be known. To seek Him more than the answers.

So, how should we live? Does God want us to answer fools according to their folly or not? I think He wants us to be guided by who He is, not according to our human logic based on biblical lists and principles we wrote for ourselves.

Jesus’ invitation to us is “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

C. Wong