(箴言 17:10)
“一句責備話，深入聰明人的心，強如責打愚昧人一百下。”
這裡談到一個人的心是否受教。如果一個人是聰明的，意思是他懂得判斷，有行正確事情的技巧，那麼只要一句責備的話，就能深入他的心底。深入這個詞很有動感，就像你拿著啞鈴然後鬆手掉在地上那種沉入心底的感覺。這代表一個聰明的人如果偶然有失誤，你講他一句，他就能接收到，並且願意改正，而不是聽完就算。
那愚昧人又是怎樣的呢？愚昧人最大的特點就是怎麼都不肯改，非常頑固。你就算打他一百下都沒有用。這告訴我們，重點不在於管教的方法，而在於那個人的心。他有沒有一顆願意悔改、願意受教的心。愚昧人通常伴隨著驕傲，心想為什麼要聽你說。
在我們的生活裡經常會發生這樣的事。例如一個人去上班，做錯了事，人難免會做錯事。如果老闆或同事提醒他，他馬上就改，那就沒事了。但有些人被提醒完、被罵完，卻完全沒有反應，甚至最後被開除了也不肯改。換了第二份工作，結果又因為同樣的原因被開除，這就是被打了一百次也不改。
又例如有些人染上賭癮，一旦賭博就必定會上癮，沒有別的路。輸了錢，明明很痛苦，但他卻覺得要再來過，輸得越多就賭得越大。對這種人來說，無論有多大的教訓完全起不了作用。
所以，我們能不能在生命中走回正路，關鍵在於我們的心是否願意受教，是否要做一個聰明人。我們可以反省一下現在經歷的事情，神是否已經透過聖經，或者透過你身邊的人在提醒你？你有沒有聽完之後去改正呢？
(Proverbs 17:10)
“A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.”
This speaks to whether a person’s heart is teachable. If a person is wise, it means they understand how to judge and have the skill to do what is right; thus, a single word of reproof can go deep into their heart. The word entereth carries a sense of movement, much like the feeling of holding a dumbbell and letting go, watching it sink heavily into the ground. This signifies that if a wise person occasionally makes a mistake and you say a word to them, they can receive it and are willing to change, rather than just letting it go in one ear and out the other.
What about the fool? The greatest characteristic of a fool is that they refuse to change no matter what, being incredibly stubborn. Even if you strike them a hundred times, it is useless. This tells us that the point is not the method of discipline, but rather the person’s heart. Do they have a heart that is willing to repent and be taught? Folly is usually accompanied by pride, thinking, why should I listen to you?
This often happens in our lives. For example, a person goes to work and does something wrong; it is inevitable that people make mistakes. If the boss or a colleague reminds them and they change immediately, then there is no issue. But some people, after being reminded or even scolded, have no reaction at all, and refuse to change even if they are eventually fired. They move to a second job and end up being fired again for the exact same reason; this is the equivalent of being struck a hundred times and still not changing.
Another example is those who fall into gambling addiction; once they start, they are bound to become addicted, seeing no other path. Having lost money, they clearly feel the pain, yet they feel they must try again, gambling even larger amounts the more they lose. For this kind of person, no matter how great the lesson, it has no effect at all.
Therefore, whether we can return to the right path in life depends on whether our hearts are willing to be taught, and whether we choose to be a wise person. We can reflect on the things we are experiencing now: is God reminding you through the Bible, or through the people around you? Have you listened and then made the change?
