He Who Regards a Rebuke
Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, but he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
No one likes to be corrected. It hurts to find we’ve been wrong, and it stings worse if we feel we’ve been judged unfairly, harshly or hypocritically. None of the people who correct us are perfect, of course; but God tells us it is dangerous to ignore or even disdain all correction that comes to us. If we never accept correction, we will not recognize the steps we could take to avoid troubles, such as poverty and shame.
Wise King Solomon contrasts this attitude with the person who is humble enough to listen to rebuke and to note where it is valid. It takes humility to accept correction and change. But the end result of this humble choice is receiving honor. The positive changes will pay off, even if the correction was not given in the nicest way. Learn more in our article “Handling Criticism.”
The most important correction we can receive is from God. Learn more about how to discover and use God’s correction in the article “How to Study the Bible.”
