A
political site releases a story about the President taking a vacation and the money it will cost. A denominational organization loads a
Facebook post on their stance for the fate of marriage in the U.S. A known blogger puts up her thoughts and frustrations about Calvinism. What's the likely outcome? A torrent of opinion after opinion from readers and followers comes flooding in; but to what avail?
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. (Proverbs 18:2 ESV)
What Do You Take Pleasure In?
Do you want to take pleasure in understanding? Or do you find pleasure in expressing your opinion? That is the question at the heart of this proverb. The way one answers this question determines whether or not one is a fool.
Fools take pleasure in expressing their quick opinions without thinking, without setting aside biases, without knowing enough facts, without understanding the flow of an argument (guilty as charged!). All too often they criticize everything to death, they memorize talking points or answers to tough questions from their favorite author; they offer little coherency or relevance to the issues at hand...no understanding.
But notice that the fool's goal is not understanding. We can reword the proverb slightly by removing what the fool does not take pleasure in, and simply leave what he does take pleasure in:
So, No One Should Express An Opinion?
Am I saying that we should not have people to whom we can go to for their opinions? Does this proverb eliminate people who make a living from giving their opinions? Are Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow automatically unworthy of consideration? Can you still not go to your pastor for his advice concerning theological issues that you cannot reconcile?
No, I'm not saying that we shouldn't have people who can help us work out issues through their opinions, or even that we shouldn't express our own opinions. I am saying, however, that the person you are going to for an opinion (or if you are the opinionated one) is hopefully someone that you believe has spent time studying the facts first before spouting out the first thing that comes to their mind. I believe that this principle can be inferred from the proverb (see also Prov. 11:14; 15:22).
Taking Pleasure in Understanding
Again, reworking Prov. 18:2 and flipping the first half into a positive, let's view what a wise man does before expressing his opinion:
How Not To Be A Fool
The obvious answer is pray for understanding. You want to be helpful. Too often I put my opinion in without praying. I have a lot to learn here myself.
Take time to gain understanding before speaking or posting. Don't be so quick to get your opinion out there. It seems to me that there is a responsibility that comes with freedom. We are too quick to exercise our "right" to free speech, but little time with the same right to research before speaking. This is how we take pleasure in our opinions instead of taking pleasure in understanding. "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent" (Prov. 17:28).
Consider for what purpose ultimately you want to respond with an opinion. Sure there are times where you will be asked to give an opinion and you may need to give it now, but that isn't the norm. Ask, "Why do I want to get my opinion out so badly?" I can recollect that more often than not, it wasn't necessary to throw my two cents into the pot in the first place nor was it always helpful in the mass of opinions.
Do you want to take pleasure in understanding? Or do you find pleasure in expressing your opinion? That is the question at the heart of this proverb. The way one answers this question determines whether or not one is a fool.
Fools take pleasure in expressing their quick opinions without thinking, without setting aside biases, without knowing enough facts, without understanding the flow of an argument (guilty as charged!). All too often they criticize everything to death, they memorize talking points or answers to tough questions from their favorite author; they offer little coherency or relevance to the issues at hand...no understanding.
But notice that the fool's goal is not understanding. We can reword the proverb slightly by removing what the fool does not take pleasure in, and simply leave what he does take pleasure in:
"A fool takes pleasure in expressing his opinion."Apparently this isn't just a 21st century, liberty-loving, media-saturated generation's problem. It is a problem detected and dealt with in the times of Solomon.
So, No One Should Express An Opinion?
Am I saying that we should not have people to whom we can go to for their opinions? Does this proverb eliminate people who make a living from giving their opinions? Are Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow automatically unworthy of consideration? Can you still not go to your pastor for his advice concerning theological issues that you cannot reconcile?
No, I'm not saying that we shouldn't have people who can help us work out issues through their opinions, or even that we shouldn't express our own opinions. I am saying, however, that the person you are going to for an opinion (or if you are the opinionated one) is hopefully someone that you believe has spent time studying the facts first before spouting out the first thing that comes to their mind. I believe that this principle can be inferred from the proverb (see also Prov. 11:14; 15:22).
Taking Pleasure in Understanding
Again, reworking Prov. 18:2 and flipping the first half into a positive, let's view what a wise man does before expressing his opinion:
"A wise man takes pleasure in understanding."Of course, understanding has little use if it cannot be applicable to anything. This proverb speaks volume because the application is simple: gain understanding first before giving presupposed opinions. This is something that has really haulted me from writing a lot of blog articles. It is something that has kept me from jumping into a political conversation with family (way too much opinion without understanding there!). It is something that has, of late, made me rethink posting things on Facebook.
How Not To Be A Fool
The obvious answer is pray for understanding. You want to be helpful. Too often I put my opinion in without praying. I have a lot to learn here myself.
Take time to gain understanding before speaking or posting. Don't be so quick to get your opinion out there. It seems to me that there is a responsibility that comes with freedom. We are too quick to exercise our "right" to free speech, but little time with the same right to research before speaking. This is how we take pleasure in our opinions instead of taking pleasure in understanding. "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent" (Prov. 17:28).
Consider for what purpose ultimately you want to respond with an opinion. Sure there are times where you will be asked to give an opinion and you may need to give it now, but that isn't the norm. Ask, "Why do I want to get my opinion out so badly?" I can recollect that more often than not, it wasn't necessary to throw my two cents into the pot in the first place nor was it always helpful in the mass of opinions.
Sometimes the purpose is to stir the pot. Just another reason to wait before replying. If that's the case, it's probably better to say nothing at the moment. "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent" (Prov. 10:19).
What will you pleasure in?
What will you pleasure in?
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