Day 137, Year 1

Positively Facing Rebuke

“A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool.” (Proverbs 17:10 NASB)

“Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd, But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:25 NASB)

In today’s verses, the two words “understanding” in the two verses respectively come from the same Hebrew word biyn. Contrary to yesterday’s fools, the wise are willing to accept rebuke and can benefit from it. There are four key points today.

First, responsible people are not afraid of rebuke. It is because we distinguish our own responsibilities from those of others, and understand the saying “even Homer sometimes nods,” which means that regardless of how intelligent a person is, he or she might still make occasional mistakes despite careful considerations. Indeed, it is difficult for anyone living in this world to make no mistakes. However, we who are willing to take responsibility when we have made mistakes are not afraid of rebuke, as we see it as an opportunity for improvement.

Second, confident people are not afraid of rebuke. When people lack self-confidence, they might see a major decision they made as a basis for determining their entire worth. In contrast, one single inadvertent mistake does not define us as a failure. The confident are not afraid of unintended faults and rebuke, as we can separate our worth from successes or failures. We have the confidence and determination to improve ourselves with God’s help. And we understand that we, on a path of continuous self-improvement, view others’ rebukes as a catalyst for growth, as we are making fewer mistakes than before.

Third, people with strong discernment could rise above negative emotions when facing rebuke. People’s initial emotional reaction of rebuke is often unpleasant. However, the wise could overcome this momentary displeasure and filter the valuable insights from the rebuke. Of course, not all rebukes are valid or beneficial. However, ineffective or mistaken rebukes could reveal the perspective, motives, and character of the critics, and this is also a good opportunity for the wise to understand different people.

Fourth, people who introspect are more receptive to rebuke. The first verse points out that a rebuke can go deeper into the understanding. In other words, the wise are willing to reflect, especially when facing setbacks or their own mistakes. This mentality, where the more problems we encounter, the more we think about how to solve them, is one of the characteristics of the wise, for we long to gain knowledge. Finally, the first verse states that blowing into a fool is often useless. So, it is not always necessary to point out the mistakes of the fools.

Reflection questions:

1) How do you usually handle unpleasant feelings when facing rebuke? Are you willing to accept reasonable rebukes?

2) Are you a person who, the more problems you encounter, the more you think about the solutions, and then gets wiser? Why?