Avoid the Scoffer

Proverbs 15:12

“A scoffer [unlike a wise man] resents one who rebukes him and tries to teach him;
Nor will he go to the wise [for counsel and instruction]”

The definition of a mocker is “a person who laughs at somebody or something in an unkind way, especially by copying what they say or do.”

You become who your friends are. I heard this growing up and never took a minute to really understand it until I was a parent. Seeing it all unfold from the outside is always a good global perspective. As I watched different friends and company move in and out of my daughter’s lives, I was granted a rare glimpse of Proverbs 15:12.

I watched as my daughters would hang around the people who complimented them most of the time, and who could blame them? Fitting in is a big deal in the teenage years. I also noticed they gravitated toward people with like-minded views, and sometimes were drawn in by someone else’s more powerful tone and reasoning about life.

Through it all, we would pray for godly friendships and wise counsel. Proverbs 15:12 always came to mind. If my daughters were under the spell of a more boisterous mocker, they too would avoid the wise, which are the rare friendships that could keep them out of trouble or steer them away from sin. Yes, good and great friendships, along with iffy and downright bad ones, came and went.

My prayer has always been for me to understand Proverbs 15:3. It reads, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Today, realize that the ones you spend the most time with will shape you as a person.

Our verse today is a warning for all those who seem to be hanging around only the ones who compliment you and agree with you. Correction comes from the wise and the not-so-wise. It all depends upon your circle of friends. A test: do you listen to correction, or when someone speaks out with correction, do you end the conversation and move on? If so, then you may be avoiding the wise.

Prayer: Father, a simple yet profound lesson for us all is to avoid the scoffer who resents correction. I pray that my heart will stay moldable and pliable like clay for your correction. I pray that I only seek wise counsel and never ungodly, worldly counsel. Help me to make the right choice between the two. In Jesus’ name, amen.