Proverbs 15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
Humility is an important character trait. We are talking of true humility here. Saul acted like a humble man prior to being anointed king of Israel. He soon proved who he truly was after that. He was a ruthless ruler who was extremely jealous. He was willing to waste his time and the resources of the nation of Israel to try to kill the man who he knew would be the next king and the man who was able to lead the armies of Israel successfully in battle.
It takes true humility to be willing to accept reproof. The fact is that we are all fallible. We get things wrong. Sometimes we are intentionally wrong. The wise person is willing to admit failure and is willing to learn from it.
The world says we need to protect our self-esteem. Self-esteem is just another word for pride. Pride is sin. Pride was the downfall of the devil. It was the downfall of king Saul and it is the downfall of our P.M. and many others.
In verse 32 we see that if we choose pride and refuse instruction, we actually despise our own soul. That is indeed a foolish thing to do. The soul of man needs to be made alive. We are born dead in trespasses and sin. God’s Word is going to expose our sin. That is why so many people stay away from God’s Word. That is why so many people attend New Evangelical social clubs called churches. They want to meet their buddies but they certainly do not want to meet God. They will never meet Him in those social clubs so they feel safe there.
The good news is that God has His ways of reminding the lost of their need to be saved. He is merciful and it is wise to listen to Him.
The person who hears reproof will gain understanding. We need to be able to understand life. We need to see what is truly important. We need to get away from all the diversions. It was mentioned this week that Mr. Carney is wasting time and taxpayer money travelling all over the place and now trying to get a deal with the E.U. because he refuses to make a deal with the U.S. He walked away from a good deal and lied about that. He will not show anyone the text of that deal. He expects us to believe him even tough he wears the sign “liar” all over himself. He ruined the British economy in the years he was there and he also ruined our economy in the years he was in charge of the Bank of Canada.
Worse than that, there are thousands of men and women who promote themselves as spiritual leaders, who are deceived and deceivers. They have no interest in truth. They love the praise of men. They have their reward now. They will have nothing in eternity.
In verse 33 we again see the importance of the fear of the LORD. A person will not accept real instruction of wisdom without that fear. Cain refused to hear God. Lamech mocked God with his boasting and shameful lifestyle. The people outside of Noah’s family perished because they refused the instruction of wisdom. They lacked the fear of the LORD. That has been a major problem for the world over the centuries.
Mr. Netanyahu lacks that important quality. God has allowed him to be P.M. of Israel several times. He has done some good things for Israel. However, on the things that truly matter, he has been a failure. He does not even know the true God. We do not know yet if he will continue to be the P.M. He needs to humble himself and get saved.
God tells us that before honour is humility. God is not talking of the praise of men. Apparently it is not that hard to deceive people. Many people who claim to be wise are actually quite gullible.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is another opportunity to attend a true, Bible-believing church. For those who have a good church, be sure to be faithful there. Be sure to pray for your pastor. He needs the prayers of God’s people. For those who are lost and shopping around for a social club, why not listen to the Holy Spirit and go to a good church. We would welcome those in our area to attend our services. As you can tell, we are not interested in scratching itching ears. We are interested in pleasing the Lord. When we do that, it will be a blessing to all who attend.
Be sure you are willing to receive the instruction of wisdom.
Pastor Bartel