Biblical Wisdom Books: Reading: How Teachable Are You? (Video Slides)

How Teachable Are You? (Proverbs)
By David Feddes

The English Lesson

We'll begin with box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be pen?
And I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet,
But I give a boot... would a pair be beet?

If one is a tooth, and a whole set is teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?
If the singular is this, and the plural is these,
Why shouldn't the plural of kiss be kese?
Then one may be that, and three be those,
Yet the plural of hat would never be hose.
We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim.
So our English, I think you will agree,
Is the trickiest language you ever did see.

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
Watch out for meat and great and threat,
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt)
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear.

A dreadful language: Why, man alive,
I'd learned to talk when I was five.
And yet to write it, the more I tried,
I hadn't learned it at fifty-five.

How teachable are you?

1. Do you trust God or yourself?

2. Are you wise in your own eyes?

3. Do you treasure truth?

4. Are you taught or suckered?

5. Are you calm and sober?

6. Do you listen to advice?

7. Do you talk too much?

8. How do you respond to rebuke?

9. Are you facing your faults?

10. Are you in a ruinous rut?

Do you trust God or yourself?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8)

Are you wise in your own eyes?

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (12:15)

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. (28:26)

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (26:12)

Do you treasure truth?

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (8:10-11)

How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. (16:16)

There is gold and abundance of costly stones,
but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. (20:15)

Humble eagerness

Teachable people realize they don’t know much and trust that truth can be known. They have humble eagerness to learn.

·Know-it-alls are unteachable because they think they already know everything there is to know. They are wise in their own eyes.

·Ignoramuses are unteachable because they think nothing can really be known. They do not treasure truth.

Are you taught or suckered?

When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well whatis before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. (23:1-3)

Desirewithout knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. (19:2)

Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet. (29:5)

Careful, not careless

The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautiousand turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. (14:15-16)

Whoever gives thought to the wordwill discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. (16:20)

Are you calm and sober?

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. (19:11)

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. (29:11)

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (20:1)

Who has strife? Who has complaining? … Those who tarry long over wine… Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. (23:29-35)

Do you listen to advice?

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (12:15)

The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. (10:21)

Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. (15:22)

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (19:20)

Do you talk too much?

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. (10:19)

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. (17:27)

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. (18:2)

How do you respond to rebuke?

A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise. (15:12)

The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. (15:31-32)

Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. (25:12)

How do you respond to rebuke?

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (27:6)

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. (12:1)

A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. (17:10)

It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. (Eccl 7:5)

Pearls don’t enrich pigs

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. (9:7-9)

Are you facing your faults?

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. (16:2)

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. (21:2)

There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. (30:12)

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3)

Are you in a ruinous rut?

When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. (19:3)

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. (26:11)

A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed —without remedy. (29:1)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (14:12)