correction – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

You’ve got to love the bluntness of some of these proverbs.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

It is a theme that you see throughout the Proverbs. That to be truly wise, you need to be willing to accept discipline and correction. To not do so, is just…stupid.

It is also unwise to think you know it all, and never need advice. As it says in verse 15,

The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15)

Another blunt, but picturesque proverb.

A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (Proverbs 12:4)

I suppose you can take this in two ways.

From the man’s standpoint, be careful who you marry. Looks are not everything. A wife of noble character will enrich your life. But a wife of poor moral fiber will be like decaying bones in your life.

From the woman’s standpoint, what kind of wife are you? Are you bringing life and joy to your husband? Or decay?

Another blunt piece of wisdom:

He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. (Proverbs 12:11)

So many people, rather than working hard, look for easy ways to make money and end up losing everything.

They waste their money on gambling or lotteries or other follies when they could get all they need just by putting in a decent day of work.

One final blunt piece of wisdom.

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. (Proverbs 12:16)

Are you quick to show annoyance? To your husband? To your wife? To your coworker? To your friend? If so, Solomon calls you a fool.

Reacting with annoyance whenever someone does something you don’t like is a good way to hurt if not destroy your relationships. A wise person is patient and is willing to overlook people’s faults.

Even when a person purposely does something to insult you or annoy you, it’s often wiser to just overlook it, rather than blow up. If you know someone who likes to provoke you, you’re only feeding the fire by responding to it.

Am I saying that you should never confront someone? Of course not.

If your husband or wife or friend consistently does something to annoy you, it’s good to talk to them about it.

Talk to them once. Talk to them twice. After that, leave it in the hands of God. Let him deal with them. And ask God to give you his patience in dealing with them.

The thing to remember is that you cannot change a person. Only God can do that. So don’t try. Leave it in the hands of the only one who truly can change a person’s life.

As we look at these proverbs, let us not be, as Solomon puts it, stupid.

Let us not be stubborn and make excuses about why they’re unreasonable in our situation. Let us instead be wise, accepting God’s words of discipline and correction.

If we do, we’ll find a lot less frustration and a lot more joy in our relationships and our lives.

Wisdom: A willingness to change

Some people mistake God’s love and acceptance of us with a license to sin. They think, “God accepts me anyway, so why change? Why not live the way I want?”

But in this passage, we see that a wise person is willing to change.

This chapter starts and ends with two calls. One is a call from Wisdom, who prepares her house for us, and invites us in, saying,

Let all who are simple come in here…

Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding. (Proverbs 9:4-5)

So many people are living ignorant of the consequences of their actions. They naively think that everything will work out all right just living the way that they are.

But all the while, the path they’re taking is leading them to pain and ultimately, death.

Wisdom cries out, “Don’t just stay the way you are! Leave your naive ways. I’ve got something better for you, that will give you life.”

The woman Folly, however, says,

Let all who are simple come in here…Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” (16-17)

In other words, “Continue living the way you are. Sin is sweet. It’s tasty and brings delight.”

What kind of person are you? Are you willing to change?

God does indeed love you as you are. But he loves you far too much to just leave you in the mud pile that you have been living in.

Solomon writes,

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. (7-9)

Jesus put it this way,

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

Jesus says don’t give the mocker (“dogs” or “pigs”), the pearls of wisdom you have, because they won’t appreciate it. Rather, they’ll just tear into you.

If on the other hand, you give your pearls to the wise, Solomon says that they’ll become wiser still.

The question we need to ask ourselves, however, is, “Are we wise? Or are we mere dogs and pigs?”

When people rebuke you, how do you take it? Do you take some time to reflect on what they say? Or do you just throw it back in their faces?

Are you humble enough to accept correction from others? More than that, are you humble enough to accept correction from God?

Only in humbling ourselves before him, and accepting his correction will we find true wisdom and true life.

As Solomon wrote,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. (Proverbs 9:10-12)