Wisdom and Rebuke

Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Psalms 141:5 ¶ Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; It is oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it, For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.


To be rebuked is to have another's favor. It is a hater who will not reprove another for his evil deeds, when reproving is appropriate to the time and individual. There are times when reproving or rebuking is not appropriate, especially when it a matter of someone just sticking his nose into someone else's business or when the person needing rebuked is a fool--one who just will not listen (Proverbs 9:7,8). There are scriptures that tell us not to rebuke such an individual as it will lead to no good. Nevertheless, the wise of heart will accept rebuke from anybody (Proverbs 15:31,32; 17:10; 29:15), even if it is done by one who has no business doing it or it is totally out of line. King David took the severe harassment from an enemy as being from God (1 Samuel 16;5-13).

To be wise is to be corrected, to accept the care of those who are willing to help one out in that way. Rebuke, or reproof, is not a blight but a blessing from God and is to be counted as greater than gold. The rebuker is not an enemy but the greatest friend one could have (Proverbs 25:12).

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.