Tag: mockers

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Proverbs Devotionals

Willing to be corrected

The one who corrects a mocker
will bring abuse on himself;
the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt.

Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.

Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still;
teach the righteous, and he will learn more. (Proverbs 9:7-9)

It’s easy, I suppose, to look at these verses and merely think about other people’s stubbornness. But what about us?

Are we mockers who hate those who rebuke us?

Or are we people who are wise, loving those who rebuke us? Are we people who, when instructed, become wiser still, always learning more?

To be honest, I can be a very stubborn person. I can think of many times when someone said something to admonish me, and I ignored it, or thought, “That word doesn’t apply to me.”

It usually takes God speaking to me, saying, “Pay attention! That word was for you,” to break through my stubbornness.

Which brings up another point.

As important it is to be open to the correction of others, it’s even more important to be open to correction from God.

And so Solomon says,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (10)

Lord, let me always be open to your correction. Whether it comes through others you send to me, or through your Word, or through your Holy Spirit living in me, give me a heart that is soft and willing to change. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: Wasting your breath

Matthew

I mentioned in the last blog that while Jesus warns us against hypocritical judging, he does call us to rebuke people who are in sin.

But when we do so, we should keep something else in mind: who we’re rebuking.

Jesus says here,

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)

What is Jesus saying here? He’s saying that there are some people you are just wasting your breath with if you try to rebuke them.

They simply don’t want to hear what God has to say, and if you try to tell them, they’ll rip you apart. So Jesus says, “Don’t bother.”

Solomon put it this way,

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:8)

This is also true in sharing the gospel.

There are some people that you share the gospel with, and instead of being receptive or interested, they simply mock you. In that case, leave that person in the hands of God. You did your job.

The responsibility now lies with that person to do something with the Word you’ve given them. You are not required to keep tossing them the pearls of the gospel.

It can be hard to watch a person you love mock the gospel. Or harden their hearts to the word of God.

But once you’ve done your responsibility and shared his Word with them, if they reject it and make it clear that they don’t want to hear it, there’s nothing left to do but pray for them. Because at that point, only God can change their hearts, not you.

Who are you casting your pearls to?

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Psalms

Dwelling in self-pity

Psalms

Psalm 137 is one of the more depressing psalms in the book, a lament apparently written during the Babylonian captivity.

It pictures the psalmist sitting by the rivers of Babylon, harp in hand, but so depressed by the fall of Jerusalem that he had lost all desire to play it.  So instead, he just hangs it on a nearby tree as he mourns over Jerusalem.

Then some of the Babylonians happen by to poke fun at the Jews saying, “Come on!  Sing some songs for us.  Entertain us with the songs you used to sing in Jerusalem.”

But the psalmist refused saying, “How can I sing such songs here in Babylon. How can I show such utter disrespect for the land I love by doing so.  I’d rather lose all my skill in the harp and become a mute than do that.”

He then closes by calling curses on Edom and Babylon.

On Edom because though they were brothers (that is, the ancestors of Edom were Esau and the ancestors of Israel Jacob), that Edom had rejoiced in Israel’s fall.

On Babylon because of all the atrocities that they poured down upon Jerusalem even to the killing of Israel’s children.  So the psalmist curses them, asking that they would receive would they themselves had dealt to others.

How often do we feel as the psalmist did?  We’re down and out, mostly, if not entirely, because of our own sin.  Our own family mocks us, and those who hate us just pour salt in our wounds, saying “Where is this Lord you serve now?”

How do we respond to all this?

We have a choice.  We can stay where we are in self-pity, mourning over what we’ve lost, and simply give in to bitterness.  But if we do so, we’ll waste away physically and spiritually.

Or we can repent and turn our faces to God as people like Daniel and Nehemiah did.

If we do, God will restore the ruins we’ve made of our lives.  And in doing so, he will restore our joy.

What will you do?

The choice is yours.