Proverbs 9 - Doest Thou Scoffest?

"Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man,

and he will be still wiser;

Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."

~ Proverbs 9:8-9

A scoffer is someone who shows contempt by derisive acts or language. They tend to mock authority. They think they know better than those who are put over them for the purposes of teaching, training, protecting, and leading them.

As a teenager and very young adult, I scoffed quite a bit. After I made Jesus Lord of my life, I recognized the poor attitudes I had toward my parents and a few others in authority over me. I discovered too late that what they'd been telling me for years was true. They knew more than me. It didn't take me long to realize my need for repentance and forgiveness.

 

In the scripture, God talks about how correcting a scoffer results in his hating you. Wisdom says to correct the wise man, not the one who really doesn't care to hear what you have to say to him. 

Too many times I've witnessed people going to a pastor for counsel, only to turn around and say, "I can't do that." Or, "It's not worth it to me to change." Or, "Yeah, like that'll really work." And they go on with their life doing the same thing they've been doing, wondering why things aren't changing. 

Did you know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? 

Marriages have crumbled, wealth has disappeared, and people are stuck in their same old ruts because they refuse to heed the counsel they've been given by those much older and wiser than they (at least in spirit). And then they blame their dysfunction on the pastor or the elders in the church. "So and so didn't help me." So and so didn't loan me money when I needed it the most." 

No, so and so didn't do those things, but they certainly did tell you to go to the local unemployment office or temp agency and look through their job boards. You are capable of helping yourself if you heed counsel. If you ignore it, you'll find yourself in the same place you've been for the past umpteen years. 

"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."

After years of heeding counsel and doing my best to learn and grow in the things of the Lord, my pastor's wife paid me one of the biggest compliments of my life. She told me she'd beat me with her spiritual baseball bat, and I kept coming back for more. I have a teachable spirit. That's why I've gotten to where I am today. Because unlike those who scoff at authority when challenged by them to change, I chose to honor wisdom. I chose to shut up and do what I was told. And God's grace allowed me to grow.

Are you stuck in a rut you can't seem to overcome? Have you heeded authority in your life, or doest thou scoffest? Trust me. It's better to be teachable than to deny the power of God in your life... 

Photo courtesy of sideshowmom