137. Listening To Reproof (Proverbs 15:31-32)

4/9/2023

Turn with me to Proverbs 15:30-33. These are our verses to continue studying and memorizing this week.

Proverbs 15:30-33 Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news puts fat on the bones. 31 He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise. 32 He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. 33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.

Introduction

Last time we began studying this four verse introduction. As we looked at verse 30 we saw the life-changing impact that the good news of God’s wisdom brings. It brings true joy and life. While this section introduction does not have a reference to heeding one’s father or mother, like we have often seen, there is still the normal strong emphasis on listening to wisdom and being teachable.

Wisdom is focused on in verses 31 and 33, and listening to reproof is mentioned in both 31 and 32. This double emphasis of themes in this introduction can also be seen in the result of wisdom which is given. From verses 30 and 31 we see that wisdom brings health and has a life giving nature. It “puts fat on the bones” and its reproof is “life-giving.”

Likewise, by implication the importance of humility is also referenced twice. In verses 31 and 32 we see the necessity of being humble implied with the wise listening to reproof. It takes humility to acknowledge our errors when we face reproof. It takes humility to decide to listen to its correction and submit to its truth. This essential nature of humility is then made explicit at the end of verse 33: “before honor comes humility.”

To finish out this introduction the foundational reality of the whole book, declared in Proverbs 1:7, is returned to and underscored in the first part of Proverbs 15:33. The fear of the Lord is itself the very guidance that leads to wisdom.

All in all these verses, with their intricate arrangement and repetition of themes, declare the good news that wisdom for life may be had through the fear of the Lord as we humbly listen to God’s reproof.

With that overview, let’s take a look at the life giving reproof of verses 31 and 32.

31 He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise.

Being teachable leads to becoming wise.¹

The foundation for this proverb was seen back in Proverbs 1:22-23. In that section Lady Wisdom was calling the naïve, the scoffer, and the fool to heed her reproof and turn to her instruction from their foolish, wicked, destructive ways of life. She promised that if they do, the reward will be worth it. She says:

Proverbs 1:22-23 “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23 “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

Wisdom will give of her spirit to them. They will know her words and have her guidance. They will become wise. Our current proverb reiterates that and also emphasizes another couple aspects of her blessing.

First, it emphasizes that the reproof and correction of wisdom is all important. It is “life-giving” reproof. This is not just some minor correction. This is the correction that is needed to have true life. It is the correction needed to overcome sin and its consequences of spiritual and physical death.

Second, it emphasizes another result of listening to reproof. If we do heed it we will dwell among the wise. We will become wise ourselves. Wisdom will become our dwelling place and we will have as our friends and companions those who are similarly listening to wisdom. We gain a family. We become part of those walking in God’s redeemed way of life who also live in the fear of the Lord.

This often happens naturally. Our closest friendships develop with those who are likeminded—having the same way of life and the same pursuit of knowing and walking with God. Likewise, if we are truly listening to wisdom’s reproof, we will not want to participate in the foolish, dangerous, wicked pursuits of those ignoring wisdom’s way of life. We will reach out to them like Wisdom does, but we will not want them influencing us. Do not let the world’s so-called “influencers” lead you away from wisdom.

Eternally this dwelling among the wise will also be true in an even fuller way. When God judges the whole world all who have scoffed at His righteous way of life and His one and only way of redemption from sin in Jesus Christ will end up being cast into the lake of fire as Revelation 20:15 says. Because of that the only people in God’s recreated heaven and earth will be those have humbled themselves at God’s reproof for their sin and trusted in Jesus for His way of redemption, cleansing, and forgiveness.

Revelation 21:8 reiterates this quite unequivocally:

Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Rather than having the eternal life-giving blessing of wisdom’s reproof they have separation from God in an eternal spiritual death. This is called their second death because it happens after their physical death. In their first physical death their spirit is separated from their earthly physical body. In this second death God judges them spiritually and eternally with separation from Himself, the source and essence of life. Both physical death and spiritual death are consequences of our sin against God.

Only when our sin and the judgment it deserves is paid in full by what Jesus did in our place on the cross can we be reconciled to God and instead receive both spiritual and physical life. When we trust in Jesus for this salvation we will be able to eternally dwell with Him and fellow believers in heaven. This will happen when we receive our new, perfect resurrection bodies after our first, earthly death.

The reproof of wisdom then is quite literally “life-giving” reproof. Without it we would all die in our sins. Likewise, the promise of dwelling with the wise is also a literal reality which we will experience for eternity in heaven. This really is a life and death situation that we are faced with. How we respond to the reproof of wisdom from these proverbs and the rest of Scripture makes all the difference for our life and our eternal dwelling place. Has your ear listened to and heeded this life-giving reproof of wisdom?

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see examples of listening to life-giving reproof in the account of every single believer who turned to God from their sin. Furthermore, we see it in the daily life relationship believers have with God.

For instance, we see it in John 21 with Peter when he heeded the Lord’s rebukes and questioning. Earlier he had denied Jesus three times at Jesus’ trial. When they met again in Galilee after the resurrection Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him and three times told him to shepherd the Lord’s flock. In Jesus’ conclusion to that humbling acknowledgement of Peter’s failures He told Peter something twice. Often what He said there seems to be overlooked in that whole incident. Twice Jesus told Peter to follow Him. That was Jesus’ final concluding point and command. Peter did not seem to get it the first time. He turned and asked Jesus, what about John? Instead of turning and making it a general issue then Jesus dismissed that question and reiterated that Peter himself needed to follow Jesus. In this regard it did not matter what other people did. Peter needed to follow Jesus.

That would be the evidence of Peter’s true faith in Jesus and true love for Him. Whether or not he listened to these rebukes, humbled himself, and followed Jesus would be the evidence and proof of its reality. As we know from the book of Acts it did become real for him. He did surrender his pursuit of his way of life and follow Jesus. He listened to the wisdom and instruction of Jesus’ rebukes, waited in Jerusalem, received the Holy Spirit, and was part of the group of apostles who turned the world upside down with the life-transforming good news of the gospel of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection which could conquer sin and death. As a result of that the church was born and he did indeed dwell among the wise. All those who had also humbled themselves, accepted God’s rebuke of their sin as true, and trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior became family.

The same is true for us. This is something that we all individually have to do. We either spurn the reproof of God, or we heed it. It does not matter what others do. We will each be held accountable for how we respond to wisdom’s reproof. We have to humble ourselves, admit our sin and failure, trust in Jesus as the one and only life-giving Savior. When it is real we will continue to follow Him day by day with our church family.

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see even more clearly the kind of attitude that we should have towards wisdom’s reproof day by day and in all situations. It is the attitude which the prophet Habakkuk had towards God.

Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved.

As a believer and follower of God Habakkuk had a question on his heart and mind. He could not understand how God would judge Judah with a nation more wicked and evil than Judah was. Yet, he knew that God was not unjust and must have a purpose and plan that was beyond him. He asked his question of God, but then also humbly waited for God’s reproof that would straighten out where his thinking and understanding of the situation was incorrect. In the end he did receive God’s correction and he praised Him. His final declarations in Habakkuk 3:17-19 proclaimed his trust in God.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.

We ought to have that same view of God and His wisdom. He is right. He is good. He is to be trusted. He is to be obeyed. His reproofs and corrections of our thinking and behaviors are always correct. It is us that needs to change our thinking and behavior when the truth and wisdom of His Word shows us we are wrong. This kind of humility and teachability should be the foundational pre-requisite of our relationship with God. We are under His authority. We are His creation. His Word is the final authority over every single thing in our lives. We are not the judge of it or of Him. We are judged by Him through its infallible standard.

Truth in Connection: This humility and teachability is the attitude we must have towards the Word of God and the rest of these proverbs that will be coming in the following chapters. If we do not, then we will not truly benefit from them.

We must surrender to what God says about our sin and the one and only way of forgiveness and reconciliation: through faith in what Jesus did on our behalf through His death, burial, and resurrection. There simply is no room on the path of life for pride against God and holding on to our sin. We must turn from that in repentance and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Salvation is not something we can earn or deserve. It is not a fixing up of our lives first so that we can then trust in Jesus. It is admitting the evil of our sin against God, recognizing our hopelessness and inability to overcome that sin on our own, and trusting in what He did—alone, apart from any works of our own. Salvation from sin is a gracious, undeserved gift of God that must be received by faith in Jesus.

As we truly trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior then we are born again. We are given God’s life inside of us. We are eternally reconciled to God. Indeed, listening to God’s reproof is life-giving! As we are restored in relationship to God He gives us a new heart and new desires. We are not perfect, yet, as we still will live out the rest of our physical lives here on earth in our sin-affected bodies. We will receive our new immortal, perfect ones when we go to be with God after our physical death .

In the meantime, though, we need to understand the importance of continuing to humbly live by faith and of trusting God’s Word as the infallible wisdom that it is. We need to daily heed God’s reproof from it to continue to walk in fellowship with Him and one another. To do this we need to acknowledge its complete authority over our lives and then we must actually go to it to learn its guidance in all of our circumstances.

As we do we will experience the life-giving joy of God’s wisdom here and now. We will be able to begin living and dwelling among the wise here on earth righteously. Then, too, it will enable us to trust and praise God even if we do not have enough food to eat to sustain our lives—just like Habakkuk did. We will know to the core of our being that God’s plan is perfect and right. Although our circumstances or other people may kill our bodies that is nothing but a translation for us into God’s eternal perfect kingdom. Through it all we will be able to be content, to praise God, and to continue serving Him.

Do you have this true, eternal life of God in you? Have you listened to the life-giving reproof? Are you continuing to learn from its wisdom? Are you dwelling with the wise? Are you looking towards your eternal dwelling place with the wise? Are you recognizing God’s good sovereign authority and wisdom from His Word over every area of your life? Are you able to trust Him like Habakkuk did so that no matter what the coming circumstances bring you will still exult in the Lord and rejoice in the God of your salvation? The answers to these questions will reveal whether we are listening to wisdom’s reproof. May we daily pursue heeding wisdom’s correction and guidance.

Our next proverb contrasts the benefits and consequences of whether we listen to reproof or not.

32 He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.

Refusing to listen to correction brings hurt to oneself, while listening to it brings wisdom.

This proverb returns to the antithetical, contrasting style that dominated our last section of proverbs. The wise and foolish way of living are expressed next to each other so that we plainly see the result of each way of life.

The one’s who ignore wisdom’s correction are actively working for their own destruction. Whereas those who listen to wisdom’s correction truly learn how to live life in the right and best way.

The word for “despises” there has to do with an attitude that results in an action: rejecting something. In many of the places it is used it is translated “despises” and in many other it is directly translated “rejected.” It is often used in relation to those who despised God’s Word and God Himself. Because of that they rejected obedience to Him. It is also used of God’s despising rejection of evil-doers in His judgment of them. So this is not just a looking down on something in an emotion of dislike. It is an intense attitude that results in a negative reaction where something is rejected and turned away from.

Additionally, the word for “himself” there is the word “nephesh” which has to do with one’s very breath of life or soul. By ignoring the discipline of wisdom one is utterly despising and rejecting their very existence. They are disregarding their very own life and soul as worthless.

This is more than just “shooting oneself in one’s own foot,” as our expression goes. This is personally signing one’s own death warrant and casting one’s own soul into hell. By rejecting God with His correction we reject any good outcome for our lives or eternity. This is a blunt and harsh reality, but according to this proverb it is the truth that we need to hear. This is what we are doing when we reject God’s wisdom about our sinful situation, our need for His redemption, and our need for His wisdom to live life by.

On the other hand, when we heed God’s discipline we “acquire understanding.” The word there for the “understanding” that we get is actually the regular Hebrew word for “heart.” We have mentioned that the word for heart for the Hebrews had different connotations than it does in our culture. It is not just the seat of emotion or love. It has that in it, but it is much broader than that to include everything that goes into what we make decisions by on how we live. It fully includes the mind with the way we think and all that affects that.

Some of us have been told at some point that we need to “get a life.” By that expression we were not being told that we were not physically alive. Rather, we were being told in a demeaning way that the way we were living and behaving was a waste. We needed to learn how to live a life that really mattered and was worthwhile—according to their opinion of what a well-lived life was. They were saying that we needed to learn how to really live life and have fun instead of wasting our life with what we were doing. We needed an ideal or real life.

Similarly, to get a heart is not saying someone did not already have feelings, thoughts, or ways of making decisions. Rather it is saying we will acquire the ideal and right way to make decisions. When we listen to the rebuke, correction, and discipline of God’s wisdom we gain the guidance to be able to think, feel, and decide rightly. We get a heart of understanding and wisdom that sees things from God’s perspective.

No longer are we casting away our lives as worthless through ignoring God’s discipline and wisdom. Instead, as we heed Him we gain true life and the ability to live it—from the One who created all life. Those are the alternatives that we are faced with. This is why we should pay close attention to all the proverbs that come after this introduction. This is why we need to pay attention to all of God’s Word.

Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see a negative example of this with king Saul. He ignored God’s commands to completely destroy all the people and even animals of the wicked Amalekites in their war with them. 1 Samuel 15:20-23 records how Saul despised God and was in turn despised and rejected by God:

1 Samuel 15:20-23 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” 22 Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Saul had not obeyed. By that he had rejected and despised God’s Word. God in turn despised and rejected him. Saul counted his very own life, along with his kingdom, as worthless by his disobedient refusal to heed the Word of the Lord.

On the other hand, we have a positive example of this proverbin 1 Chronicles 12:32. This is a unique verse about one of the tribes which came to confirm David as king.

1 Chronicles 12:32 Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command.

These 200 chiefs were wise men that the whole tribe followed. They had the wisdom and understanding that David was God’s next chosen king. In all the other tribal designations of this chapter it lists how many soldiers each one sent to confirm David as king there at Hebron. For Issachar, however, it just says that the whole tribe followed these 200 chiefs. It was not just a portion of the tribe with a specific number of armed men that were supporting David. Rather it was the whole complete tribe. They trusted these wise leaders because they were discerning and teachable. They learned from what was going on and knew how to apply God’s Word to give them guidance on what to do. They had hearts which knew how and on what to make decisions. They had hearts of wisdom.

Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this with the rest of Scripture we see that this heart of flesh from a heart of stone is what God would give to His people after He regathered them from among all the nations in Ezekiel 11:17-21 and 36:23-28.

Ezekiel 11:17-21 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 “When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. 21 “But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord GOD.

God will truly give Israel a heart of understanding when this occurs.

Truth in Connection: We also see a similar thing here and now in the church age with the new birth that Jesus talks about in John 3. Jesus told Nicodemus about this new birth, this wisdom, this understanding, this change of heart which was needed to have eternal life. Notice what Jesus said in John 3:3, and 5-6.

John 3:3, 5-6 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” … 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We must humble ourselves, see our inability to save ourselves, see the foolishness of our sinful way of life and heed the reproof of God. Jesus continued in John 3:16-18.

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If we continue ignoring God’s call to repentance we despise our own souls. Whereas if we heed His reproof we will turn from our sin, and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We will surrender to His wisdom as the only right way to live. Then in Jesus, because of what He did on the cross in His death, burial, and resurrection we will have true, eternal life. We will have His guidance, His wisdom, His “heart” for all the rest of our lives as we walk by His Spirit according to the truth of His Word. That is a wisdom worth acquiring.

Conclusion

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior like this? Have you been born again and been given this new heart— a completely new perspective by which your life and decisions are run according to God’s wisdom? Learn from God’s correction. Do not despise your soul. Trust in Jesus. Then may we, like Peter, continue to follow Jesus and continue to learn from His wisdom. When we fail, may we repent like he did, be restored by Jesus, and learn to not walk according to our wisdom but by His day by day. Trust Jesus. Receive His heart of understanding. Follow Jesus.

If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.

© 2023, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org