Wise Guys

Proverbs 9:8-10

Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

"The wisdom of this world is" as foolishness to Christ according to 1 Corinthians 3:19. Christ has been made unto us wisdom as in 1 Corinthians 1:30. Wisdom gives instruction on when to speak and when to hold silence. There are different types of people who can be rebuked and instructed. Their deeds show whose master is being served in Matthew 6:24. The kingdom of righteousness has no hold over the kingdom of darkness.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The knowledge of the Holy One is the beginning of understanding. Satan is seen arguing in Jude 1:9 with the archangel Michael over "the body of Moses." Michael's response was "the Lord rebuke you;" the power and spiritual authority come from God and find their ending in him. The only rebuke given is the blood, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Folly, the seat of mockers, is high and lifted up because everything not of Christ is not his. Notice the inversion. What is wise to man is considered foolish to God. Because of 1 Corinthians 1:30, it is possible for your college professors to teach you nonsense. It may be a best seller and yet still be foolishness. Folly's close cousins are nonsense and insanity. This is why it is truly sad when someone refuses the call of the Lord. Some, like those in Jonah 1:3, prefer to do nothing or to do the opposite. Note the lack of spiritual understanding that can be found from not knowing him. We know Christ and "the power of his resurrection" in Philippians 3:10 because he is worth it. There are consequences for spiritual disobedience. 1 Samuel 15:23 states rebellion is grounds for spiritual rejection. Not knowing him can mean either not accepting or knowing yet still rejecting him.