Commentary - Proverbs 19:25

Bird's-eye view

This proverb sets before us two distinct methods of instruction, tailored for two distinct kinds of pupils. The world is not a uniform classroom where one teaching style fits all. God, in His wisdom, has ordained that knowledge can be acquired in different ways, depending on the state of the student's heart. The first path is for the hard-headed and the naive; it is a lesson learned by observing the painful consequences that befall another. The second path is for the teachable; it is a lesson learned through the quiet reception of a verbal reproof. The proverb is intensely practical, providing guidance for magistrates, parents, and anyone in a position of authority. It teaches that discipline has a ripple effect, and that the wise know how to receive a word of correction and grow from it, while the fool must be dealt with more forcefully, for the benefit of others.

At its core, this is a lesson in educational psychology, grounded in a biblical anthropology. Men are not all the same. There is the scoffer, the simple, and the man of understanding. A wise society, a wise church, and a wise father will know how to distinguish between them and apply the appropriate form of instruction. To rebuke a scoffer is to waste your breath, but to strike him is to educate the simple. To strike a man of understanding is needless cruelty, but to rebuke him is to make him wiser still. Wisdom is knowing what to do, with whom, and when.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is relentlessly concerned with the antithesis between wisdom and folly. This contrast is not abstract or theoretical, but is fleshed out in a host of character studies: the wise man, the fool, the sluggard, the diligent, the prudent wife, the adulteress, and so on. Proverbs 19:25 fits squarely within this framework by distinguishing not just between the wise and the foolish, but by giving us a more nuanced breakdown of the foolish category. We have the scoffer, who is hardened in his folly, and the simple, who is naive and untaught but still teachable. This verse is part of a larger collection of sayings that deal with discipline, correction, and the path to wisdom (cf. Prov 9:8; 13:1; 15:5; 17:10). It assumes that words are not always enough. The rod and reproof are both instruments of wisdom (Prov 29:15), and this proverb provides a key for knowing which instrument to use.

Key Issues

Two Kinds of Students

The modern, egalitarian impulse is to treat every student as though he were precisely the same as every other student. This is a pedagogical disaster because it is untrue. People are different. Specifically, their posture toward wisdom and correction is different. This proverb gives us three categories of people: the scoffer, the simple, and the man of understanding. The scoffer is arrogant and contemptuous of wisdom. The simple man is naive, uneducated, and easily led. The man of understanding is one who already has a foundation of knowledge and is eager to build on it. A wise teacher, whether a father or a magistrate, must know who he is dealing with. You cannot effectively teach the simple and the man of understanding if you are unwilling to deal rightly with the scoffer. The scoffer's punishment is the simple man's tuition.

Verse by Verse Commentary

25 Strike a scoffer and the simple may become prudent,

The first clause deals with the hard case. The scoffer, or mocker, is the man with a "brass forehead," as the Puritans would say. He is contemptuous of correction. To offer him a gentle rebuke is like trying to reason with a tornado. The instruction here is not to reason with him, but to strike him. This refers to formal, painful consequences, such as those administered by a civil magistrate or a father. Now, the striking thing about this instruction is that its primary goal is not the reformation of the scoffer. It may stop him in his tracks, which is a mercy, but the proverb is not optimistic about his personal growth. The intended beneficiary of this action is the simple man who is watching. The simple are the naive, the impressionable, the ones who haven't made up their minds yet. When they see the painful and public consequences that befall the arrogant scoffer, they learn prudence. They learn that a certain path leads to ruin, and they think to themselves, "I do not want that to happen to me." This is a second-hand education, a lesson learned from someone else's mistakes. This is why public justice is so important, and it is why when a father disciplines one child, he is really teaching all of his children.

But reprove one who has understanding and he will understand knowledge.

The second clause presents a different student and a different method. Here we have "one who has understanding." This is the man who is already on the path of wisdom. He is not perfect, and he still needs correction, but his heart is soft and his mind is open. For this man, a physical blow is unnecessary and counter-productive. All he needs is a reproof, a word of correction. When you rebuke a wise man, he doesn't get defensive. He doesn't make excuses. He receives the criticism, processes it, and integrates it into his life. The result is that "he will understand knowledge." His existing stock of wisdom grows. This kind of learning is less violent, more direct, and far more efficient. It is the conversation that happens between two mature believers, or between a wise father and his maturing son. The wise man loves those who rebuke him (Prov 9:8) because he loves wisdom, and he is grateful for any help he can get in acquiring more of it.

Application

This proverb is a bucket of cold water in the face of our modern therapeutic sensibilities. It teaches us that not all problems can be solved with gentle dialogue. There is a time for the rod and a time for reproof, and wisdom knows the difference. As parents, we must recognize that the discipline of a rebellious child is not just for his sake, but for the sake of his observant siblings. They are learning what the boundaries are by watching what happens when he plows right through them. We must not grow weary in this, because in striking the scoffer, we are making the simple prudent.

At the same time, we must be careful not to use a club when a word will do. With a teachable child, or a fellow believer who has erred, a sharp, unloving, or heavy-handed approach is out of place. We are to reprove, correct, and rebuke, but we are to do it with all patience and instruction. And for ourselves, we must cultivate the heart of the man of understanding. When correction comes, do we bristle, or do we incline our ear? Do we shoot the messenger, or do we thank him for the intelligence he brings? The path to wisdom is paved with humbling corrections. The gospel works on us in both ways. The cross of Christ is the ultimate striking of the scoffer. There, God struck His own Son, our substitute, and in that terrible judgment, we who are simple see the consequences of sin and are made prudent unto salvation. And now, as children of God, the Holy Spirit reproves us through the Word, and as we listen to that reproof, we grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.