“Making a Mouth”

April 15

Read: Proverbs 9 ( Part 2)

“Making a Mouth” at Someone

“Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;” (v.7-8)

Some conversations are better off NOT had. This is a BIBLICAL truth. The Hebrew term “scoffer” here is describing one who is “arrogant, mocking, or scornful”. It’s root comes from the idea of “making your mouth funny”, mockingly trying to speak another’s language. For this reason, this same root is used to describe an interpreter or ambassador. Now hear me out - ambassadors and interpreters are both roles designed to bridge the gap between different people. These are roles designed to help one group connect with another group despite their differences (in language and culture specifically). So what is the big picture here? The general idea is that communication with arrogant, mocking, and scornful people who PRETEND to want to connect / bridge the gap between different people groups who are different in language and culture will just end up with them “making a mouth” at you, abusing you, injuring you, and hating you. This is why proverbs says “don’t waste your time”.

This truth is most painful when it occurs in the ones we love… or those we are earnestly seeking to serve. Loving correction and reprove is met with hatred, violence, and abuse. As our culture is more and more arrogant and divided, we will see this phenomenon increase. As those around us “virtue signal” as if they want to be “understanding, tolerant, and accommodating” we will have greater instances of the scoffing interpreter… pseudo -ambassador… whose real goal is not to understand but to mock and make faces. In these moments stillness and patience is the true answer. Do not be surprised when you are baited into a conversation that is under the guise of “seeking understanding” and you find out it was actually a moment of abuse, anger, and attack. Christ endured many like this… and so will you.

So how do we know who to speak to? We LISTEN to the SPIRIT OF GOD within us. He will tell us who we need to speak to. We begin to ask him, “What does this person need to hear from you? What should I tell them?” We do not have the platform to “correct” or “rebuke” everyone. Sometimes it is a waste of time… not productive. This truth applies to us as well. We MUST NOT become arrogant interpreters… pseudo-ambassadors… who pretend to love and want to bridge the gap but in the end only make faces. Christians sometimes do the same things. We become the scoffers. This is not good! Sometimes when people speak to us… correcting or reproving… we hand them back abuse, injury, and hate. Sometimes we are the ones pretending to care about them but really not. What happens if we do that to God himself when he corrects us and rebukes us?

The flip side is the picture of wisdom:

“reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” (v.8-9)

This is how we live as God’s people. Open to correction. Open to engagement. We need to face that sometimes we - God’s people - have become the scoffers! Other times we need to realize that it is a fool's errand to correct and rebuke the arrogant. Only God will soften the heart of a scoffer. God prepares the scoffer to hear the truth of the Lord. Then when HE tells you to speak… it BEARS FRUIT. There are times when God will ask us to engage the scoffer… I know it because I have experienced it! In those moments, do not be discouraged at the outcome. But know this - when there is hatred, abuse, and injury after a conversation of correction and reprove, it means that there is an arrogant, “mouth making”, scoffer in the mix somewhere… just pray to the Lord and make sure it is not YOU. lol! Love you all. - JDP