Always Learning

“Give [instruction] to a wise [man], and he will be yet wiser: teach a just [man], and he will increase in learning.” (Pr 9:9 AV)

Meant to encourage instruction towards those who will receive it and use it, Solomon inadvertently points out another absolute.  There is no time frame listed above.  There is no qualification of when this might end.  There is no indication that the wise and just man will come to a point when instruction is sufficient.  The wise and just man is always learning and applying.  This also means that no matter how old and disciplined we are, there is always a flaw that needs addressing.  This also means that if we are perfectionists, we can be concerned with our flaws, but we cannot be discouraged.  We cannot think ourselves as total failures because of the flaws we have.  After all, there are far more that have been overcome.  Solomon speaks words of encouragement to the instructed as well as the instructor.  To the instructor, discretion is the point.  Don’t waste your time on someone who wants nothing to do with wisdom.  To the instructed, there is hope that lessons will keep coming and failure is normal.

There are three types of people.  There are those who don’t care about defects.  Life goes on.  There are those who see them and try to overcome them while accepting what cannot be changed.  Then there are those who are so obsessed with flaws that it controls their lives.  This type of individual is never happy because they cannot live with the imperfect.  The first person is in error because he or she does not seek change where change can happen.  The third person is miserable because they are proud perfectionists.  They cannot live with the imperfect, and often the imperfection is their existence.  Somewhere, the contented saint has to learn to live as the second person.  He or she must examine and change.  This is a process that will not end until heaven is met.  Confession, forsaking, and changing are the way of life.  Learning, growing, maturing, applying, etc., are the steps of the believer.  There are always things that can be learned.  There are always new experiences that need to be lived.  This is the way of life.

This verse is special to those who struggle with his or her walk with God.  Struggling with it is an indication of spiritual life.  It is also an indication that God is still working, teaching, guiding, and empowering.  It is very encouraging to know that we will never know it all.  Perfect is possible, but not probable.  The old man still fights back.  The key is to have more victories than defeats.  When we begin to realize that no matter how hard we work at it, there will always be more work to do, then we can relax and not demand out of ourselves something we cannot, in our own power, attain.  It matters not how old we are.  It doesn’t matter if we are on our deathbeds.  There are things we can learn.  There are things we can apply.  Praise the LORD!  You are not a failure.  The measure of wisdom and being just above in not the success measured only by outward markers.  Rather, the wise and just man or woman will accept instruction and try to live by it.  Even if we fail and fall flat on our faces, the fact that we accept instruction and seek to live by it means we are wise.  Praise the LORD!