Proverbs 15:5 Commentary and Bible Study

The harmony of God’s community requires not only that we make good use of our tongues, but that we also make good use of our ears. It is not easy to receive instruction when it comes to us in the form of correction and reproof. To do this we must be willing to take the long view, because initially it is unpleasant and our instinct is to reject it. The child that will not hear the correction of his father and his mother is unlikely to pay heed to anyone else either, and so rebelliousness will inevitably be established in his heart when he refuses to learn from his father. Pride makes him do this, for some are so headstrong that they will set aside all the years of experience of their father and think that the little knowledge they have is worth far more.We must see that it is for our gain that we are corrected and that though the experience is hard at first, God is aiming at our lasting good. This therefore requires patience. If he is wise, the adult looks back on the correction of childhood as working to his advantage and would not have it any other way, but at the time, the child perhaps resented what was done to him. It is of great help to the child to remember that the character being formed in him by parental instruction will bear fruit throughout life. His father is training him to look after the family business and his livelihood will depend on it. So God is training his children for eternity, and it would be foolish to resent the discomfort of the present so much that we forfeit the eternal benefit. Part of God’s correction to us comes through mutual admonition. To receive correction from others is to let them touch us at the most sensitive point. Those who offer rebuke are trusted to be honest about what they say. Let them not abuse their position or overdo it, or fail to mix a due portion of encouragement with it.