Proverbs

Don’t Waste Your Wisdom on a Brick Wall (Proverbs 23:9)

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There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that settles in after you’ve spent twenty minutes explaining something perfectly reasonable to someone who responds as if you just suggested they try seasoning their coffee with motor oil. You know the feeling. Your words were clear. Your logic was sound. And yet the other person stares back at you with the blank confidence of a man who has never once been wrong in his entire life.

Solomon saw this coming three thousand years ago. In Proverbs 23:9 he offers one of the most merciful pieces of advice in all of Scripture: “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.”

In other words, stop throwing your carefully prepared pearls into a blender set to “puree.”

Wisdom Isn’t for Everyone’s Ears

The book of Proverbs is not shy about fools. A fool, in biblical terms, is not merely someone who lacks information. A fool is someone who has already decided that wisdom is optional. He has closed the door, locked it, and then nailed a “Do Not Disturb” sign over the keyhole for good measure. Trying to reason with him is like trying to teach a cat algebra. The cat isn’t impressed, and you end up looking slightly ridiculous.

Jesus Himself echoed the same principle when He warned, “Do not throw your pearls before pigs” (Matthew 7:6). It’s not that the pearls aren’t valuable. It’s that some creatures will only trample them—and then turn on you for the trouble.

This is not a call to arrogance or spiritual superiority. It’s a call to stewardship. Your words, your time, and your emotional energy are gifts from God. He never asked you to pour them into soil that has already declared itself infertile.

A Little Humor Helps the Medicine Go Down

Let’s be honest: most of us have played the part of the hopeful gardener more times than we care to admit. We’ve stayed up late drafting the perfect text. We’ve rehearsed the gentle, Spirit-led conversation in the shower. We’ve entered the discussion armed with Bible verses, personal stories, and the earnest belief that this time it will land.

And then the other person replies with something like, “Yeah, but my uncle once knew a guy…” and the entire conversation collapses into a black hole of irrelevance.

At that moment, Proverbs 23:9 is less a stern warning and more a kind older brother putting a hand on your shoulder and saying, “Buddy… walk away. The pizza’s getting cold.”

Practical Application for Real Life

So how do we live this out without becoming cold or unloving?

  1. Pause and discern. Before you launch into a passionate explanation, ask a quiet question: “Is this person actually open, or am I just hoping they will be?” Openness often shows itself in questions, soft eyes, or a willingness to say “I don’t know.” Hostility, mockery, or endless deflection are usually signs that the door is shut.
  2. Protect your peace. You are not obligated to attend every argument you are invited to. Sometimes the most Christlike thing you can do is smile, change the subject, or simply leave the group chat on mute. Silence is not defeat; it is often wisdom wearing work boots.
  3. Keep praying, keep living. Refusing to argue does not mean you stop caring. Continue to pray for the person. Continue to live with quiet integrity. Seeds can still grow when the gardener isn’t standing over them shouting instructions. God is remarkably good at working in the places where our words have been refused.
  4. Save the good stuff for hungry hearts. There are people who will listen—friends who lean in, coworkers who ask honest questions, children who still believe adults might know something. Pour your energy there. The harvest is better when the soil is ready.

Proverbs 23:9 is not permission to write people off forever. Hearts can soften. Fools can become wise. But until that happens, you are free to stop bruising your knuckles against a locked door.

So the next time you feel the familiar urge to explain one more time, take a breath, remember Solomon’s advice, and go find someone who actually wants to hear it. Your wisdom is precious. Treat it that way.

And if all else fails, there’s always pizza.

The Dish Dipping Dilemma

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There’s a special kind of humor in the book of Proverbs—God’s ancient wisdom literature that somehow manages to roast human foibles with the precision of a master comedian and the tenderness of a loving Father. Take Proverbs 19:24: “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.”

Picture it with me. Dinner is served. The plate (or the shared Middle Eastern dish of the day) sits right there. Our friend the sluggard has already mustered the Herculean effort of reaching in. His hand is submerged in the good stuff—maybe some warm stew, fresh bread, or whatever the ancient equivalent of comfort food was. And then… nothing. The hand stays put. The mouth waits. The stomach growls in protest. It’s the biblical version of staring at the remote control from across the room and deciding the universe can just keep the channel where it is.

I laugh every time I read it. Not because laziness is funny in itself, but because the image is so gloriously over-the-top. Scripture doesn’t say the sluggard is merely slow or a bit tired. No—he’s so committed to inertia that he won’t complete the final, most rewarding part of the process: actually feeding himself. It’s laziness turned into performance art.

From a Christian perspective, this verse isn’t just a witty jab at couch potatoes. It’s a gentle but firm reminder that God designed us for fruitful engagement with the world He made. Work, effort, and the simple act of “bringing the hand back to the mouth” are part of how we image our Creator—the One who didn’t rest until the work of creation was complete and “very good.” Laziness isn’t neutral; it quietly starves us of the good gifts God intends. It can starve our bodies, yes, but more dangerously it starves our relationships, our spiritual growth, our callings, and our joy.

Jesus Himself modeled the opposite. He rose early to pray. He walked dusty roads. He touched the untouchable, taught the crowds, and ultimately poured Himself out completely. The apostle Paul later wrote that if anyone is unwilling to work, he shouldn’t eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10)—not as a harsh rule, but as a call to the dignity and provision God builds into responsible living. Grace doesn’t cancel effort; it empowers it. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us and enables us to do the next right thing, even when our flesh would rather leave the hand in the dish.

A Practical Application for Ordinary Days

So how do we keep from becoming the person whose hand is stuck in the metaphorical bowl? Here’s a simple, grace-filled starting place:

Pick one small “hand-to-mouth” action you’ve been avoiding and complete it today—no heroic overhaul required. It might be answering that email you’ve opened three times, putting the clean laundry away instead of living out of the basket, opening your Bible for five focused minutes instead of scrolling, or actually placing the healthy meal on your plate and eating it instead of grazing mindlessly later. Set a tiny timer if needed. Pray a short prayer: “Lord, help me finish what I’ve started.” Then do it.

Celebrate the small win. Thank God for the strength He supplied. Notice how even that modest follow-through often creates momentum for the next thing. Over time, those finished motions train our hearts away from the sluggard’s paralysis and toward the freedom of faithful stewardship.

God isn’t asking for perfection or endless hustle. He’s inviting us out of the absurd comedy of half-finished living and into the quiet satisfaction of receiving the good He’s already placed within reach. So go ahead—lift that hand. Taste and see that the Lord is good. The dish is waiting, and so is the joy.

Podcast – The Noonday Demon

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Sloth, or laziness, has been called the noonday demon. One of the seven deadly sins of the Christian moral tradition, sloth is a prevalent enemy we must all battle. Come, listen, and see what God has to say on this subject. Learn how to battle and defeat this noonday demon.

Podcast – Ta Ethne.