Receiving Instruction

"Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge" (Prov. 19:27, ESV).

Most people would do well to take a course on listening. Although, the difficulty with such a class is that those taking it would, most likely, lack the skills and ability to listen to there instructor. I am convinced that most of us need to learn how to listen. When I say listen, I do not mean hear. I mean the ability to actually (and accurately) understand what the other person is trying to say. Sometimes, what we hear and what we think we hear are two different things. It's easy to tune someone out, because we don't want to hear what they are saying.

However, Solomon warns us not to tune out. He states, "Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge." Ceasing to hear instruction means that one is not heeding that instruction. The words are perceived by the ear, but not by the will. Unwillingness to learn is a moral problem not intellectual. What is being warned against hear is the rejection of wisdom.

To stray from the words of knowledge is to stray from the truth. It is to stray from life. The path of folly is one that ends in destruction. Foolishness kills those who indulge in it. Thus, the wise are those who forsake foolishness. The wise surround themselves with wise counselors and heed instruction. They look to those who have seen more, who know more. They accept responsibility for their mistakes, and receive rebuke where necessary. Those who walk in the words of knowledge hear instruction. How well do you receive instruction?