My dear readers,

Better to Hear Instruction than Rebuke

Proverbs 13:1: “A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.”

God revealed to Israel from Deuteronomy 28:1-68 what He would do if they obeyed or disobeyed Him. Out of these 68 verses, 14 verses promise abundant blessings. The remaining 54 verses describe fearful and ominous cursings, i.e. nearly 80%. From the list of cursings, the punishment ranges from diseases to oppressors, and ultimately to exile or removal from the Promised Land, i.e. the LORD would destroy His own witness! We know from the Bible that God did destroy Israel, His own witness, by sending her into Babylonian exile for seventy years via a three-stage captivity: first, when Daniel and many young Israelite boys were taken in 605 B.C.; second, when Ezekiel and 10,000 Israelites were taken in 597 B.C.; and finally in 586 B.C. the city of Jerusalem and the Solomonic Temple were razed to the ground.

Why did the Israelites not repent of their sins when God sent the diseases? Why did they stubbornly refuse to repent of their idolatry for hundreds of years until God had to destroy His witness and send the Babylonians to “clean” the Promised Land of idolatry? God sent many courageous and faithful prophets (both writing and non-writing prophets) to admonish and rebuke the nation, but to no avail until destruction came. They refused to get rid of their idols and places of idolatry, including temples, high places and many altars.

Are we as a church today better than Israel?

Will mild instruction from God be sufficient to bring about repentance?

The Attitude of a Son – The word “instruction” (Prov 13:1) means warning. It is a mild rebuke for wrongdoing. It is not too far off to say that 80% to 90% of the Bible is about rebuke. The epistles were written to deal with problems within local churches. Many testimonies of the lives of individuals include their transgressions, especially the Books of Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The four major and twelve minor prophets have the same theme of God’s chastisement on Israel. Therefore, the focus of God for His people in both the Old and New Testaments is one of holiness, warning them to repent of their sins. God knows that His children will fall into sin. Their sins had been made known to His children – whether they witnessed for Him as a national or an ecclesiastical witness. God has always been concerned for the holy Name of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as He entrusted many sinners saved by His grace to witness a holy confession on Christ’s behalf. This means that whenever we listen to God’s Word, more often than not there will be admonishment and rebuke.

Those who respond in repentance when their sins are pointed out, God calls them sons. They receive the instruction as from a father to a child. God’s son receives the words of the preacher, teacher, parent, and friend as the Words of his loving heavenly Father rather than man's words. God calls him a wise son. He is wise because –

• he is a child of God – He knows how valuable the Name of Jesus Christ he bears is. He knows he is not perfect and might unknowingly sin and hurt others. He is grateful for others who care enough to admonish him. He sees them as sent by His heavenly Father to help him be holy and to live a life pleasing to Him;

• he is teachable – Not to be teachable is to think one is perfect. Such a thought is the height of foolishness and arrogance. Only unbelievers will think in this manner. A child of God knows he has much to learn from the Holy Scriptures and life experiences. These life experiences include making mistakes, learning from them, and improving to become more like his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To stop learning is to stop conforming to the image of Christ;

• he is humble – He listens and evaluates his life according to the instructions. If the instructions tell him he is wrong and has sinned against God, he is grateful and humble enough to repent, knowing that his life of holiness returns with repentance.

The Attitude of a Scorner – The scorner is a person who mocks with his mouth after someone has said something. Others around him listen and nod in agreement, but the scorner rolls his eyes and silently mocks the speaker with his mouth. The scorner of Proverbs 13:1 “makes his mouth” before God. It is not that he does not understand God’s Word, he blatantly rejects it. What he rejects is the instruction of God’s Word that admonishes him. God’s Word tells him that he is living in sin, and he hates that. When God sends into his life a rebuke which is more severe (a stronger word than instruction), like a painful sore or disease or the collapse of his company, he continues to scorn without repentance. Isn’t this God’s description of an unbeliever’s sin and his need for the Saviour when the gospel is preached?

He might reject it because –

• he thinks he knows better – He is arrogant. He is self-righteous. He may be a successful businessman and sees himself as a self-made billionaire above everyone, including God! He has everything his heart desires and is not interested in anything concerning his “wrongdoings” or sins before God;

• he despises the speaker or teacher – He could be immune to God’s rebuke because he may be a professing believer with theological degrees or holding high honours such as the president of a Bible College or seminary or an ordained minister with a doctoral degree. How dare anyone rebuke such a “great” servant of God? When told he has sinned and the sickness is a message from God, he would scream and yell and call the rebuker his enemy;
  • he has no fear of God – His failure to see the rebuke to be from God’s Word is evidence that he does not fear God. He will bully all he thinks are beneath him because he has money and the power to do so and get away with it. His arrogance hardens his heart;
  • he is spiritually blind – The scorner
    cannot distinguish God’s Word from man’s words. He may see the Bible and the Holy Bible, but when the rebuke from God's Word about his sinful behaviour hits home in his heart, he rebels and rejects it like a blind man groping in the dark!

Conclusion – How resistant are you to instruction? Do you need a rebuke before you do some soul-searching and repent? A child of God will repent with instruction, but a scorner will not repent even when rebuked. Are you a son or a scorner?