611_The test of a teachable heart (Prov 9:7-12)
Proverbs 9:7-12 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
There is a story told of a seasoned violinist who had played for decades in concert halls across the world. One day, after a performance, a young student nervously approached him and said, “Sir, I noticed something in the way you held the bow during the second movement. Have you ever considered adjusting it slightly?” Those standing nearby gasped. Who was this student to correct a master? But the old violinist paused, smiled, took the bow again, experimented for a moment, and then said, “You may be right. Thank you for seeing what I missed.” Later, someone asked him why he was willing to listen. He replied, “The day I stop learning is the day my music dies.”
That simple moment captures a truth Scripture has been teaching for centuries: the greatest test of the heart is not knowledge, talent, or position, but teachability. Proverbs 9:7–12 places this test squarely before us. It shows us that correction does not merely shape a person; it reveals who they already are. How we respond when confronted, corrected, or challenged exposes the posture of our heart toward God, toward truth, and toward growth.
The book of Proverbs gives many ways to discern what lies beneath the surface of a person’s life, but few are as searching as this one. Teachability is something God consistently looks for in a disciple. It is the ability to listen to truth and to change one’s life on the basis of that truth. Teachability assumes humility. It assumes that I may not see everything clearly, that I still need instruction, that God often speaks through others. The teachable heart understands that correction is not an attack but an invitation to grow.
In contrast, Proverbs introduces us to the scoffer. A scoffer is not simply someone who lacks information. This person treats truth with contempt. They do not merely misunderstand correction; they resist it, mock it, dismiss it, or even weaponize it. Pride and self-justification dominate their response. Instead of examining themselves, they turn their energy outward, attacking the one who dared to correct them. Correction, for a scoffer, feels like humiliation rather than help. That is why one of the clearest tests of whether a person is teachable or not is how they respond when they are corrected.
Scripture gives us a sobering example in King Ahab. When Ahab wanted to go to war, he gathered prophets who told him exactly what he wanted to hear. Their words affirmed his desires and soothed his pride. But there was one prophet, Micaiah, who spoke the truth of God without flattery. Ahab’s response is revealing: “I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” Ahab did not say Micaiah was inaccurate; he said he was undesirable. Truth became offensive simply because it contradicted his will. Ahab imprisoned Micaiah and marched forward confidently—straight into his own death. His tragedy was not a lack of information, but a refusal to receive it.
That is why Proverbs 9:8 says, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you.” This is not a command to ignore evil or abandon moral responsibility. Rather, it is a warning about futility and danger. Scoffers do not interpret correction as concern; they interpret it as a threat. Instead of engaging with the truth presented to them, they redirect the conflict toward the messenger. Correction becomes personal warfare. Jesus echoed this wisdom centuries later when He said, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Some hearts are not ready for truth, and wisdom discerns when silence is safer than speech.
But Proverbs does not leave us in caution alone. It turns immediately to the beauty of a teachable heart. “Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” The wise person understands something the scoffer never will: correction is an expression of care. The wise see beyond the discomfort of discipline to its purpose. They recognize that correction, though momentarily painful, is designed to shape godly character. That is why they love the one who corrects them. Psalm 141 captures this spirit beautifully: “Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.” To the wise, rebuke is not poison; it is healing oil.
Proverbs continues, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Wisdom in Scripture is not static. The wise do not graduate from correction. They do not reach a stage where feedback is no longer necessary. Instead, wisdom is cumulative. Humility creates a positive cycle: correction leads to reflection, reflection leads to growth, and growth increases receptivity to further instruction. Teachability multiplies wisdom. This is one of the most hopeful insights in Proverbs, because it means growth remains possible at every stage of life.
At the heart of this passage is a penetrating truth: correction often reveals character more than it changes it. Correction usually does not create humility or pride; it exposes what is already there. The same rebuke that produces growth in one person produces bitterness in another. The difference is not intelligence, education, or even spiritual vocabulary. The difference is the posture of the heart.
The book of Proverbs returns to this theme again and again. “Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.” “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.” “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.” “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.” These are not random observations; they form a consistent biblical diagnosis. Ignoring correction is not merely unwise—it is self-destructive. Listening to reproof, however painful, is life-giving.
Jesus Himself emphasized this principle throughout His ministry. In Matthew 13:12 He said, “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance.” In context, “the one who has” is not the one with information, but the one with receptivity. Those willing to receive His teaching are given more understanding. Those who assume they already see clearly slowly lose even what they think they possess. Pride creates spiritual blindness; humility sharpens vision. Jesus reinforces this again in John 7:17: “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God.” Obedience and humility come before understanding. A closed will cannot receive open truth.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that discipline rarely feels pleasant in the moment. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” The key phrase is “trained by it.” Discipline only bears fruit in those willing to be shaped by it. Resistance turns discipline into resentment; submission turns it into righteousness.
Across Scripture, the pattern is unmistakable. Wisdom is not proven by how much one knows, how eloquently one speaks, or how confidently one leads. Wisdom is proven by how one responds when corrected. The wise listen and grow. The righteous increase in learning. The humble love those who tell them the truth.
This wisdom also teaches discernment. Not every truth must be spoken to every person at every time. Faithfulness is not measured by being heard. Sometimes wisdom means withholding correction rather than escalating conflict. Jesus Himself was silent before certain accusers, not because He lacked truth, but because they lacked ears to hear it.
As we come to the end of this reflection, Proverbs quietly turns the question toward us. When you are corrected, who are you? Do you instinctively defend, justify, deflect, or attack? Or do you pause, listen, pray, and ask God what He may be showing you? Growth requires relationships where truth is safe, where loving correction is welcomed rather than feared. Seek people who love you enough to tell you the truth and humble yourself enough to receive it.
Scoffers reject correction and attack the messenger. Wise people receive correction and love the messenger. The difference is not intelligence, experience, or gifting. The difference is humility. And there is a sobering warning here: when the Holy Spirit stops teaching us because we refuse to listen, there is no higher teacher left. May God give us hearts that remain soft, ears that remain open, and lives that continue to grow. The test of a teachable heart is ongoing, and by His grace, may we pass it again and again. God bless.