He who corrects a scoffer* gets dishonor for himself,
And he who reproves** a wicked man gets insults for himself.
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,
Teach a righteous man and he will increase in his learning.
– Proverbs 9:7-9
Scoffers should just be left to their own foolishness. What scares me is that I have dishonored people who have corrected my foolishness. What’s scarier still is that scoffers don’t realize they’re wicked. They think they’re right all the time, whereas wise people love being reproved because it brings greater wisdom. Fools think they’re right. Wise people make sure.
So, to exercise my small (but growing!) wisdom muscles, I invite you to correct any error or foolishness you find in my blog. Leave a comment or email me: matthewbroadway@gmail.com. We’ll see if I hate you or love you for it…
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*Scoffer: one who mocks
**Reprove: to disapprove and correct with kind intention
