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,
