The Missing Lunch
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Proverbs 18:13 KJV
This is an original fictional illustration, not a historical report or an added Bible event.
Noah saw his lunch bag in Lucy's hand. He hurried across the room and accused her of taking his food. Lucy's face fell.
Their teacher had asked Lucy to move the lunches away from a leaking water bottle. Noah's bag had been sitting in the puddle. Lucy was helping.
Noah looked at the wet table and then at his sister. He apologized for speaking before he knew what had happened. They dried the bag together.
God's Word warns against answering before hearing. Seeing one small part of a situation is not the same as understanding it. Listen to the whole explanation before you decide someone has done wrong.
For the grown-up reading along
This proverb exposes the folly of answering before hearing. Careful listening comes before a sound judgment. It does not require accepting every claim without examination; it requires understanding before responding.
Read the KJV passage aloud. Explain unfamiliar words in ordinary language without changing the quotation.
Read further: Proverbs 18 in the King James Bible.