A number of years ago I read an interesting article about cancer researcher Dr. Robert Good. He was described as a hard-driving individual with an enormous faculty for new ideas and the ability to make use of any information that came to him. I was most impressed, however, with a statement that credited him with a willingness to recognize an error in his theories and abandon them faster than anyone else in medical research. An associate said, "Dr. Good never gets married to his hypotheses, so he doesn't go through the pangs of divorce when one is proven wrong."

Proverbs 9 puts a high premium on such readiness to see one's error and admit it. It describes a wise man as one who wants to learn from his mistakes. When challenged, he resists the urge to get his back up like a threatened tomcat. Instead, correction becomes a faithful friend and a necessary means to improvement (v.9). On the other hand, when a "scoffer" is rebuked, he responds with anger and hate (v.8). Because of his overinflated ego, he won't listen when told he has erred.

We always need to follow the path of wisdom by giving heed to words of reproof. To be truly wise, we must remember that at times we too have played the fool!  — Mart De Haan