Proverbs 13:18 - Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses
instruction: but he that regards reproof shall be
honoured.
This brief statement informs us
in a very straight-forward and frank way, that when you refuse instruction, you
set yourself up for, and make yourself vulnerable to, a life of poverty and
shame, and you would not be justified in blaming anyone else but yourself. A
person certainly does not wish for either poverty or shame, but to have both of
these embedded in one’s life would be a terrible, double-curse.
Material poverty is a
condition where one never has enough to meet the bare necessities of life, and
there persists a constant struggle to pay bills and put food on the table.
Spiritual poverty is when one may indeed have plenty of resources but the fear
of never having enough or losing it all, grips the life. Neither of these are the
intention of God for anyone. God desires to bless His children and supply what
they need. He wants them to live in a state of peace and security; that is His
heart. However, there are laws of life that constantly work and they will not
be set aside, for if they were arbitrarily set aside, we would have disorder
and chaos. While it is true that God cares deeply for all people, the laws themselves
do not care for people, and they do not regard, or make distinctions between
people. Those law-principles operate continually, unmoved by the pain and
suffering that certain choices may bring.
Possibly even more damaging
than carrying the constant weight of poverty, is residing under a dark and
heavy cloud of shame. Psychologists and therapists, and all those who work in
the counselling field, tell us that shame is a central issue that fuels
compulsive and self-destructive behaviour, and it is at the root of all
addictions. There is no doubt that a relentless, nagging sense of shame captivates
people and holds them in the vicious cycle of defeat. It is a sad fact that
many people have been raised in a culture of shame. Many homes perpetuated
shame without realizing it. Many churches, tragically, have done the same.
Shame is both invisible and invasive; it is hard to detect and even harder to
destroy. It does not promote positive change, instead it reinforces the inner
voices of self-disdain and strengthens the lies that have held people down.
Thank God, we can break free from all of that by understanding and applying the
principles of God.
Instruction is that which is
given for the benefit of the student. It contains correction, warnings, and
much-needed discipline. All of these elements are required in every person’s
life, and there are no exceptions. If we want effectiveness and satisfied fulfillment
in our lives, then we must never refuse instruction. The sad reality is,
however, that most of us do refuse instruction and correction. When someone
corrects us, quite often our first tendency is to defend ourselves and justify
our actions, and by so doing, we are refusing the correction. There are many
people who have refused correction and instead hid their shortcomings, or their
sin, or their crimes, and when the truth came out, it brought with it both poverty
and shame. Accepting correction and changing one’s life could have saved the
person from all of the humiliation, loss and heart ache.
In contrast to the one who
refuses to accept correction, is the one who regards reproof, and, Oh, what a
contrast it is. He that values reproof, or correction will eventually be
honoured. Those who despise correction live under a heavy cloud of shame, but
those who are humble enough to receive the correction, and know that they need
it, will be those who live under the heavy blessing of God, enjoying peace and
satisfaction. I use the word, heavy, because that is what it means to be
honoured. It is a word that is connected to the glory of God. Scholars tell us
that the Hebrew word for honour, or glory describes all that God is; He is
heavy-laden with blessing, goodness, wisdom, power and wealth. That is what God
wants to do for the one who values and submits to correction and discipline. By
going through this process of submission to correction, we become people of
character whom God and this world can entrust with great honour. Poverty and
shame, or great honour? Which will you and I choose?