Proverbs 9:9-10 (ESV)
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
A “wise man” is one who agrees that he doesn’t know everything and has room to improve. The wise one seeks biblical wisdom, founded upon healthy respect of the Lord. God is unlike any other being in the universe, and he alone is qualified to determine which human behaviors are right and which are wrong. How silly and even stupid we must seem when we pontificate about what attitudes and actions we think God should deem acceptable. The wise woman drinks up the instruction of the Lord like a parched soul in a desert drinks the fresh water of an oasis, unashamed of her need. Did you drink up the last correction you received? Did you long to take it in, or, offended, did you spit it out? Don’t let pride keep you from wisdom any longer. Instead, put the godly advice you have received into practice today.