The Wise Person Who Accepts Instruction

[Proverbs 21:9-20]

Personally, when I think about the members of our church, I pray that they may be established as Christ-centered believers who stand firmly on the Word of God. To express this prayer in terms of Acts 17:11, I hope all the members of our church will be established as “noble Christians”:
“The Bereans were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Revised Korean Version),
“The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica because they received the word eagerly and examined the Scriptures daily to verify it” (Contemporary Bible).

What does “noble” mean here? Primarily, it refers to an attitude and disposition—respecting others, dealing with them gently, honestly, and politely. Literally, the word means to be born into a good family (Yoo Sang-seop), that is, to be of noble birth (Park Yoon-sun). In Acts 17:11, the meaning of “noble” indicates that the Bereans had a more refined spirit than those in Thessalonica (Park Yoon-sun). So, what is a “refined spirit”? It is an attitude of diligently examining the Scriptures every day (Park Yoon-sun). Therefore, saying the Bereans were noble means that they were people who diligently studied the Bible daily.

One characteristic of such noble people is that they receive God’s Word with eagerness (verse 11). Receiving God’s Word “with eagerness” means accepting it “with all zeal” (Park Yoon-sun) or “with all willingness” (Yoo Sang-seop). When Apostle Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bereans accepted the gospel with full voluntary willingness (Yoo Sang-seop). Just as a tree planted by a stream absorbs water flowing nearby, noble people have the capacity to receive God’s Word. Like a sponge squeezed tightly and then placed in a bucket of water, noble people eagerly desire God’s Word, diligently read it, learn it, and plant it in their hearts.

I pray that we all may have this capacity to receive the Word. Like a sponge, whenever we read, study, and hear God’s Word, may it sink deeply into our ears and hearts. — Page 504

Looking at today’s text, Proverbs 21:11 says:
“When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; when a wise person is instructed, they gain knowledge.”

This means that the wise person increases in knowledge by receiving instruction. Centering on this verse, under the title “The Wise Person Who Accepts Instruction,” I want to think about five kinds of knowledge that a wise person gains through instruction and receive the lessons it gives us.

First, the knowledge that a wise person who accepts instruction increases is that peace is better than strife.

Look at Proverbs 21:9 and 19:
“It is better to live in a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife... It is better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and angry wife.”

Friends, would you rather live in a large house or a small house? A small house is inconvenient in many ways, but a large house is comfortable in many ways. So, all of us probably want to live comfortably in a large house, right? But if you could live in a large house comfortably but your marriage is not peaceful and you often quarrel with your spouse, or live in a small house uncomfortably but your marriage is peaceful, which would you choose? Most likely, you and I would choose “peace” over a “large house.” This is because we all desire a peaceful family more than a large house.

Among the Proverbs we have already meditated on under the title “Peaceful Home,” focusing on Proverbs 17:1, we received four lessons on how to avoid quarrels and build a peaceful family. To review:
(1) A peaceful family covers each other’s faults. To avoid quarrels at home, we learned not to repeatedly bring up each other’s faults (verse 9).
(2) A peaceful family accepts each other’s advice. To avoid quarrels at home, we learned to humbly listen to each other’s counsel (verse 10).
(3) A peaceful family does not repay evil with evil. To avoid quarrels at home, we learned to repay good for good (verse 13).
(4) A peaceful family stops disputes before they start. To avoid quarrels at home, we learned to stop arguments before they begin (verse 14).

Thinking about these four lessons, how do you apply them in your family, especially in your marriage? Do you cover each other’s faults well? Do you accept each other’s advice? Do you repay good for good? Do you stop arguments before they start? — Page 505

In Proverbs 21:9, the Bible says “quarrelsome wife,” and in verse 19, it says “quarrelsome and angry wife.” The reason is that the cause of quarrels is uncontrolled anger and rage. How do we know this? Because Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict.” But it also says, “A patient person calms a quarrel” (verse 18).

Friends, in marriage, if you cannot control your anger and easily become angry, quarrels will inevitably arise. Why? One reason is that when angry, we speak harsh words (verse 1). So, when we meditate on the “quarrelsome wife” or the “quarrelsome and angry wife,” Proverbs 19:13 says, “A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof” (also see 27:15). What does this mean? A wife who habitually quarrels with her husband often has very few peaceful days. And when a quarrel starts, she keeps talking incessantly like water dripping constantly (Park Yoon-sun). If a wife, dripping like water, keeps arguing and pouring out words in anger, how will her husband respond?

Friends, King Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, says in Proverbs 21:9 and 19 that it is better to live in a hut or wilderness than with a quarrelsome and angry wife in a large house. What does this mean? It means that it is better to live uncomfortably but in peace than comfortably with ongoing quarrels. We must receive this lesson and put it into practice. We must become wise people who pursue peace rather than quarrels. This is because the Lord has given us “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). All of us, whether at home, church, or anywhere, should be peacemakers.

Second, the knowledge that a wise person who accepts instruction gains is that the heart of the wicked longs for evil.

Look at today’s text, Proverbs 21:10:
“The heart of the wicked desires evil, and their neighbor finds no mercy in their eyes.”

Do you know what the heart of the wicked is like? In Proverbs 12:12, which we have already studied, the Bible says that the wicked desire unjust gain. This is because the heart of the wicked follows wantonness (verses 11–506). The wicked person’s heart, which follows wantonness, is full of greed, and that greed chases after fantasies and worthless things. Thus, the wicked will use all unrighteous means to seize what belongs to others. Their thoughts are twisted (verse 8); they do not consider working with their hands (verse 11) but only plan to seize others’ possessions.

Also, in Proverbs 13:2, which we have studied, the Bible says the heart of the wicked is “craving for violence” (or “violent desires”). This means that the heart of the wicked is dishonest and longs for violence. And the wicked, whose hearts crave violence, not only do violent deeds but also speak deceitfully.

Today’s passage, Proverbs 21:10, says the heart of the wicked desires evil against others. The English Bible translates this as “craves evil,” which is a better translation of the original Hebrew. Friends, to say the wicked’s heart craves evil can be understood as being almost addicted to evil (Walvoord). Therefore, Proverbs 4:16 says:
“They cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.”

The wicked cannot sleep unless they commit evil or cause someone to fall — isn’t this just like an addiction to evil? Why do the wicked commit evil to this extent? Ecclesiastes 8:11 explains:
“Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, the hearts of men are filled with schemes to do evil.”

The reason the wicked crave and commit evil as if addicted is that punishment is not quickly executed. Thus, the wicked are bold in doing evil. How bold? Proverbs 21:10 (second half) says that the wicked desire disaster for their neighbors and never show mercy to them.

As a result, Proverbs 21:12 says the righteous Lord who watches over the house of the wicked will throw the wicked into trouble. Surely, the just God will judge the wicked in His timing and bring about their ruin (14:11). And Proverbs 21:18 says God causes the wicked to become a ransom for the righteous. What does this mean? It means that when the wicked try to kill the righteous, they themselves will die instead (Park Yoon-sun).

An example is Haman in the book of Esther, who sought to kill the righteous Mordecai but ended up being killed himself (Esther 6:1–7:10). Dr. Park Yoon-sun said, “Because the wicked devise all kinds of plots to kill the righteous, which is an extremely evil act, God specially intervenes and judges them” (Park Yoon-sun).

Therefore, we must not crave evil like the wicked. Rather, as those who have become righteous in Jesus Christ, we must long for righteousness. To long for righteousness means that, having been justified through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave (Romans 4:25), we should show mercy to our neighbors (Proverbs 21:10). This is because we have been saved and made righteous entirely by God’s grace.

Therefore, we must show mercy to our neighbors. In short, as Jesus commanded, we must be devoted to loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Thirdly, the knowledge that a wise person who receives instruction gains is that wisdom is obtained through discipline.

Look at today’s verse, Proverbs 21:11:
“When the scoffer is punished, the simple learns prudence; when the wise are instructed, they increase in learning.”

Friends, among the things we must watch out for to guard our hearts well, besides the “quarrels” mentioned in Proverbs 21:9 and the “longing for evil” in verse 10, there is also “arrogance” mentioned in verse 11. In other words, we must be cautious and vigilant not to let our hearts become arrogant. The reason is that when our hearts become arrogant, we become so proud that we even despise God (Park Yoon-sun).

Look at Proverbs 29:1:
“Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.”

How do we know if our heart is arrogant? It is because we do not accept loving correction. We not only refuse correction from anyone, but even reject correction from God. As Proverbs 15:12 says,
“The scoffer does not love one who reproves him.”

Therefore, Proverbs 9:8 says,
“Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you.”

The reason given is, “He will hate you; he will not seek your advice” (9:8). As a result, we disobey God’s commandments and sin against Him. Even then, we neither repent nor have the heart to turn back. The reason is that when our hearts become arrogant, we do not regard sin as sin, nor can we even recognize it as such. Once it comes to this state, the only thing left for us is God’s discipline.

In Proverbs 21:11, the Bible says that when God’s discipline comes, “the simple also learns prudence.” Here, “the simple” refers to one who has an open heart but does not know the truth well and follows the arrogant. These people can be corrected with proper guidance (Park Yoon-sun). The problem is that because they do not know the truth well, they lack wise judgment (7:7; 9:4, 16). Therefore, they believe every word and do not restrain their actions (14:15).

As a result, the simple fall into sin when tempted by the “foolish woman” (9:4, 16). Also, even when they see danger, they do not hide or flee but instead go forward and suffer harm (22:3; 27:12). So, these people gain wisdom by seeing the arrogant punished.

Friends, a similar verse to Proverbs 21:11 is found in Proverbs 19:25, which we have already meditated on:
“Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke the discerning, and they will gain knowledge.”

Reflecting on this, I believe Proverbs 21:11 talks about three types of people: the arrogant, the simple, and the wise.

The arrogant person, even when beaten or punished, does not learn but continues to harden their neck. This is because “the arrogant do not seek wisdom, or it will not be found” (14:6). As a result, the arrogant will ultimately be destroyed (29:1). The simple who follow the arrogant may learn wisdom (right discernment) by seeing the arrogant destroyed, and stop following them and turn to the right path.

The wise person not only learns from the downfall of the arrogant (21:11) but also receives correction (19:25) and gains wisdom.

Friends, what kind of wisdom do you think the wise gain? I believe the wisdom the wise gain is the wisdom to repent when they have sinned and been corrected. A great example is King David from the Old Testament. When the prophet Nathan rebuked him for taking Uriah’s wife, David did not hesitate but sincerely confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13) and repented.

This ability to repent is the wisdom that is added to the wise. How great a grace and blessing this is! Don’t you want to long for this wisdom? Don’t you want to ask God for the wisdom to repent like David?

Besides this wisdom, there is another kind of wisdom in Proverbs 21:20:
“The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.”

Here, “fools gulp theirs down” means fools waste all the precious treasures and oil in their house. They waste everything living a lavish life. On the other hand, the wise save material things for the Lord. They give generously to the Lord but do not waste on themselves (Park Yoon-sun).

King Solomon, the author of Proverbs, compares the wise to the ant in Proverbs 6:6-8:
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

This means that the wise, like the ant, work diligently during the harvest to prepare and save. That is why their house has “choice food and olive oil” (21:20).

Friends, Proverbs 9:9 says that the wise who receive instruction will become even wiser.

So the simple, who follow the arrogant but see the arrogant punished, also gain wisdom (21:11). They gain not only the wisdom to repent but also the wisdom of the ant—to turn from sin, walk the right path, work diligently, prepare, and wisely save resources.

May we also have this kind of wisdom.

Fourth, the knowledge added by the wise person who receives instruction is that doing justice becomes a joy.

Let’s look at today’s main text, Proverbs 21:15:
“When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”

In Proverbs 21:7, which we have already reflected on, the Bible says:
“The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just.”
This means that the wicked refuse to practice justice (righteousness).
Why is that? Why do the wicked hate and reject doing justice?
The latter part of Proverbs 19:28 explains it this way:
“… the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.”
In other words, because the wicked pursue sin with insatiable desire, they neither love nor practice justice—nor can they.

Think about it: can someone who relentlessly seeks sin out of unquenchable desire truly enjoy practicing justice?
What satisfies the sinful desires of the wicked is not justice, but injustice.
In fact, if we translate the Hebrew of Proverbs 21:15 more literally (according to Park Yoon-sun), it reads:
“Doing righteousness is joy to the righteous, but it is destruction to those who do iniquity.”

Here, the writer of Proverbs, King Solomon, contrasts those who do what is just with those who do what is unjust.
Reflecting on this in light of Proverbs 21:7, we can conclude that the unjust hate and reject practicing justice.
To what extent do they hate it? To the point that doing what is right feels to them like falling into ruin or destruction (Park Yoon-sun).
Isn’t that a reasonable observation? For the unjust, doing righteousness feels like torment—like destruction.

Conversely, we can say that the joy of the unjust lies in practicing injustice.
Consider Proverbs 10:23:
“A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.”

On the other hand, the righteous—those who are just—take joy in practicing justice (21:15).
And to them, doing injustice brings pain.
Dear friends, as those who have been justified by faith in Jesus, our joy must be in practicing righteousness, and at the same time, doing injustice should grieve us.

Why should doing justice bring us joy?
Because it pleases God (Proverbs 21:3).
Therefore, we must delight in practicing what pleases God—justice.

So what is the justice we ought to practice?
First, we should reflect on the fourth beatitude from Matthew 5:6:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
In other words, we must first become those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
But we must not become like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, who pursued self-righteousness.
That is, we must not live by trying to achieve righteousness through our own efforts or deeds.
Instead, we must long for the righteousness of God.

Longing for the righteousness of God, grounded in the redemption of Jesus Christ, means believing that Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross to pay for our sins, forgiving and saving us.
When we believe in Jesus Christ, who is the righteousness of God, we will experience the joy of true satisfaction.

In that context, the justice we must seek is what is written in Matthew 6:33:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
We must seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first.
We must take joy in doing His will.

Also, like King Asa of Judah in 2 Chronicles 14:2–5 and chapter 15, we must do what is just in the eyes of God.
Who was King Asa?
He was a king who, during a time of great turmoil and distress (15:6), heard the prophecy of Azariah (15:4), strengthened his heart (15:8), and led a religious reformation.
He did what was good and right in God’s eyes:
He removed foreign altars and high places, smashed sacred stones, cut down Asherah poles, commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord—the God of their ancestors—and to obey His law and commands, and removed the high places and incense altars in every town of Judah (14:2–5).

To what extent did Asa lead the people to seek God?
He made a covenant stating:
“Whoever does not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, shall be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman” (15:13), and all the people solemnly swore to seek God with all their heart (15:14).
Because they sought God with all their heart and soul, God allowed Himself to be found by them and gave them peace on every side (15:15).
As a result, the kingdom of Judah enjoyed peace before God (14:5).
Because God gave Asa peace, the land was at rest and had no war for many years (14:6).
During Asa’s reign, the land was peaceful for ten years (14:1).

If we want our nation to be at peace, and if we want peace in our society, churches, and homes, then we must earnestly seek God, like King Asa and the people of Israel did.
In doing so, we must remove the sinful things from our families, churches, communities, and country.
As Christians, we must repent and return to God.

May you and I be those who truly live by doing justice and righteousness before the Lord.

Fifth and lastly, the knowledge added by the wise person who receives instruction is the outcome of those who depart from the path of understanding and those who love pleasure.

Look at today's passage, Proverbs 21:16–17:
"A man who strays from the path of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead. He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich."

Friends, if we could know the outcome of our choices in advance, what kinds of decisions would we make?
Let me give you an example. Have you ever seen those TV commercials showing what happens if someone continues to smoke? Former smokers appear in them—some even with holes in their throats. Have you ever seen ads like that?
I’ve watched them several times and always found them horrifying. I even wondered how such ads could be aired on TV. But it turns out they’re effective. In other words, people who used to smoke watched those commercials and then quit.
According to a study, after such an ad aired on TV in March 2012, about 200,000 smokers quit within three months (source: Internet).
I didn’t realize those ads could be that effective. But seeing 200,000 people quit in just three months shows they are indeed worthwhile.

In today’s passage, Proverbs 21:16–17, the Bible speaks about the outcome of two kinds of people.
The first group is those who have left the path of understanding (v. 16).
These are people who have intentionally turned away from the path of wisdom (Walvoord).
Dr. Park Yun-sun explains that “those who leave the path of understanding” refer to apostates who have departed from the truth of God.
Because they have willfully abandoned the way of godly living, the Bible says they will dwell in the assembly of the dead.
In short, their end is death.

The second group is those who love pleasure (v. 17).
Simply put, these are people who love worldly pleasures.
Not only do they enjoy pleasure—they are so attached to it that they cannot let it go (Park Yun-sun).
To put it simply, those who love pleasure in today’s passage can be understood as addicted to worldly pleasures.
And what is their end? The Bible says they will not become rich but will be poor.

In 2 Timothy 3:4, the Bible warns that in the last days, during difficult times, people will be
"lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."
And we are living in exactly such times.
In this era where pleasure is loved more than God, the message we all need to hear from God is this: Those who love pleasure will become impoverished.

Proverbs 28:19 says,
"Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty."

When we turn away from God’s truth, reject a godly life, and instead chase after worldly pleasures and live in excess, we will inevitably face poverty.

Therefore, the wise person who receives instruction listens to the Word of God and takes warning.
But the fool rejects correction, and as Proverbs 13:18 says, ends up in poverty and shame.

I hope that you and I will be wise people who receive instruction.

Let me conclude this meditation.
Brothers and sisters, we must become Christians who receive the Word of God with earnestness, zeal, and a willing heart (Acts 17:11).
We must be wise people who diligently receive instruction and increase in knowledge (Proverbs 21:11).
We must never listen to teachings that lead us away from the word of knowledge (Proverbs 19:27).

Today we learned five kinds of knowledge that the wise who receive instruction gain:

1. First, the knowledge that harmony is better than strife.

2. Second, the knowledge that the heart of the wicked craves evil.

3. Third, the knowledge that wisdom is gained through discipline.

4. Fourth, the knowledge that doing justice is a delight.

5. Fifth and finally, the knowledge that the outcome of those who depart from the path of understanding and those who love pleasure is death and poverty.

I pray that this knowledge will become ever more abundant in your life of faith and mine as we receive today’s instruction.