Proverbs 9:8-9

Proverbs 9:8-9 (ESV)

[8] Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

[9] Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

 

Over the years I have taken part in a few online theology forums and discussion groups, as well as a few addressing different moral/ethical questions. I thought that they would be good places to hone my thinking and minister to others. What I quickly discovered was that most of them were populated by people who wanted a hearing rather than by people who wanted a discussion. They often devolved into mindless prattle, personal attacks, misunderstanding, arrogant ignorance and poor logic. They were characterized by the first half of verse 8 above. It took me awhile to realize that most online discussions had little value. Scoffers continue to scoff. Fools continue to be foolish. Wise men are hard to find in those discussion groups. Good arguments are rejected out of hand without any thought whatsoever while faulty arguments and faux truth are foisted upon you as irrefutable truths. Wise men are hard to find.

 

That raises the question: Am I a wise man? Do I love those who reprove me? Do I become wiser when instructed? Do I increase in learning or do I believe that I have already absorbed all truth and am beyond learning? As a young pastor I was always amazed by the older pastors who listened well and often took notes talking about all they were learning. I thought: Haven't you already learned all these things in the years you have been a Christian? Now I am one of those "old guys." I am passionate about passing on to the next generation those things I have learned, but I am also keenly aware that I still have much to learn. On this earth we have never arrived, and I am guessing that, because we are finite and serve an infinite God, even in eternity we will continue learning for an eternity. We must never assume that we have somehow arrived at a magical point in life where we have learned all we need to learn. The instant we do we have become a fool.

 

Father, forgive me for the times in my life I have been unteachable. May I be wise in your eyes rather than wise in my own eyes.

 

Proverbs 3:7 (ESV)

[7] Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

 

Proverbs 26:12 (ESV)

[12] Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

 

By His grace,

Rick Weinert