“A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”

– Proverbs 13:1

Fundamental to all that Proverbs teaches is the notion that we do not in and of ourselves think correctly about life and that we each need the corrective instruction…

• of God – “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke.” – Proverbs 3:11
• of our parents – “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching” – Proverbs 1:8
• of God’s people – “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” – Proverbs 10:17

It should come as no surprise then that to reject the corrective instruction of God and others is to reject the fundamental principle of wisdom: the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).