![\"Proverbs](\"http:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Proverbs_The_Bible_01.jpg\")
by Chris Banescu –
\nThe Bible warns us that confronting and trying to correct and rebuke scornful and wicked individuals can be harmful. The Proverbs caution that “he who corrects a scorner [scoffer] gets shame for himself” and “he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself” (Proverbs 9:7). The Scriptures further instruct us to “not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you,” but instead “rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8).<\/p>\n
A scorner<\/strong> (or scoffer<\/em>) is typically someone who treats others with disdain and contempt, someone who unjustifiably considers others as despicable and unworthy.<\/p>\n Scoffers and the wicked unfairly dislike and disrespect anyone they disagree with, even on the smallest of points. They insult and ridicule those who try to correct and rebuke them, frequently responding with open hostility and outright hatred. They always resort to attacking the messenger and ignoring the message. The more reasonable, logical, and true the messages are, the greater the insults and anger that scorners direct at the messengers. <\/p>\n This wisdom from Proverbs has been proven true in my own life experiences. No matter how reasonable and considerate we are in our approach and how well defended our arguments are, scorners and wicked men will not acknowledge our message or reply in kind. They will instead respond with foolishness, mockery, and hatred. The harder we try to persuade them and help them to see the truth, the greater their animosity toward us. This should come as no surprise to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Our Lord and Savior condemned the wicked men of His time who also \u201chated Him without a cause\u201d (John 15:25).<\/p>\n As it is written in the Book of Proverbs, this unjustified hatred causes harm to those who seek goodness and truth. The spiritual darkness and intense contempt of evil men do affect us. We inevitably lose our inner peace and become troubled when we interact with scorners.<\/p>\n The longer we engage wicked individuals, the more unsettled and disquieted our hearts will be.<\/b> The spiritual dimension of the battle between good and evil takes its toll on us. \u201cFor our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,\u201d writes St. Paul the Apostle (Ephesians 6:12).<\/p>\n Sometimes we cannot easily discern if the person we\u2019re correcting or rebuking is a scoffer or a wicked individual. But once we notice the warning signs and sense the increasing hatred and spiritual darkness assaulting us, we must disengage and walk away. It is a lost cause. As Christ Himself teaches us \u201cif anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town\u201d (Matthew 10:14).<\/p>\n 7 \u201cHe who corrects a scorner [scoffer] gets shame for himself, 8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; by Chris Banescu – The Bible warns us that confronting and trying to correct and rebuke scornful and wicked individuals can be harmful. The Proverbs caution that “he who corrects a scorner [scoffer] gets shame for himself” and “he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself” (Proverbs 9:7). The Scriptures further instruct us to … [read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,54,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-scriptures","category-wisdom"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orthodoxnet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAnd he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.<\/p>\n
\nRebuke a wise man, and he will love you.<\/p>\n
\nTeach a just man, and he will increase in learning. (Proverbs 9:7-9)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"