Day 49 - 90 Days in Proverbs - No Scoffers
Proverbs 9:7-9 [NKJV] 7 "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked [man only] harms himself. 8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise [man], and he will love you. 9 Give [instruction] to a wise [man], and he will be still wiser; Teach a just [man], and he will increase in learning.
The King James calls this person a “scorner”. The literal meaning is to stammer or speak in a foreign tongue. It puts me in mind of a phrase my husband uses – “Does that make any sense?”
It is like we are being told to not bother trying to correct someone who just does not make any sense to us.
It also brings to mind Proverbs 26:4-5 [KJV] 4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Clearly, we need to know when to reach out and correct another person and when not to – whether that person is a scoffer or a fool or a wicked person. It can be risky business.
Wise people are an entirely different matter. Correcting a wise person brings good results because a wise person values correction and instruction.
I believe that the most important piece of advice here isn’t about correcting others. The most important piece of advice in these verses is that I should seek to be that wise person – that person who appreciates correction, appreciates the person who corrects me, and grows wiser as a result of it. I cannot afford to be a scoffer who when corrected brings shame or harm to the person seeking to correct me. I cannot afford to lash back just because I don’t like what I am hearing. Reacting with anger at the person who corrects me should never be my knee-jerk reaction to correction, no matter how difficult it is to hear.
God is always motivated by love in His correction of us. However, I know that sometimes those correcting me can be harsh or go at it in a way that is self-serving rather than really trying to help. But still, I must not be a scoffer. I must look at the correction, not only the source, and see if there is value in the correction – see if it could make me wiser or a better person. It just doesn’t make any sense to reject correction that could help me just because of how it came to me.
Even the correction of God, given out of love and only with the best of intentions, can be painful. It’s painful precisely when it is true, because we believers are seeking to be more like God – more loving, more merciful, wiser, smarter – and we don’t like to know that we have failed. We know that we need God’s loving correction and instruction and guidance in order to grow to be more like Him. A loving child of God wants to change, and for that very reason it can be hard to see that we’ve been wrong and need correction.
So, sweet sisters, please join me in making the decision to be that wise woman who is teachable, who listens to correction and grows wiser, who loves the correction (no matter who gives it) because she loves God and her life’s purpose is to grow more like Him.
Prayer — Father God, please help me to never be a scoffer when it comes to correction. Help me to always seek to improve myself, to be wiser. Please correct me with kindness and gentleness, Lord. But also, help me to accept even harsh correction as an opportunity to learn and change. In every correction, help me to work toward being more like You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Your thoughts —
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