The Rebuke of the Wise

If a wise man strikes you on the mouth,
Fold your hands and ask, “Why?”.
What is their rebuke about?
Maybe you were on your way to die.

The rebuke of the wise,
May come as a surprise,
But still your bleating cries,
And open, wide, your eyes.

A wise one’s rebuke,
Can often feel like a shove.
But the strike from their duke,
Is a message come from above.

Crouch down, get low,
Be refreshed by the dew.
Don’t act quick, but go slow;
Ponder on it and chew.

If they lack not credibility,
Accept knowledge with humility.
For it’s never an impossibility,
That to err, we have the ability.

We’re all fallible and finite,
And the sight of others indeed helps,
Us to straighten up and fly right;
We must recognize we are whelps.

But even if they made a mistake,
In their assessment of you,
Learn from what they spake;
Something in it is true.

For those who easily take offense,
And rush to their own defense,
Do so at the high expense,
Of growing in grace immense.

So listen to what they say;
Calmly, humbly think it over.
Cast not hard truths away;
Be of them, an eager trover.

All wisdom comes from God,
And in wisdom we all lack.
Do not despise the rod,
Of a wise man’s verbal attack.

But let us endeavor to be gracious,
When we communicate the truth.
Lest our words be viewed fallacious,
Because we said them with sharp tooth.

For Christ Jesus came to us,
Full of truth but also grace.
And as with us He did discuss,
He did not spit in our face.

He descended from above,
To tell us we had erred.
As He did so in love,
He didn’t compromise what He declared.

True wisdom leads to Him,
Who desires to give us life.
He extends to us a limb,
To grab and be pulled out of strife.

Blessed be the Lord;
From Him truth and grace is poured.
All who trust Him are restored,
Forever cherished and adored.