Life Lessons: The Scoffer

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Life Lessons

The Scoffer

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There's an old saying that goes, "Don't mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it.  If it is unfair, keep from irritation. If it is ignorant, smile. If it is justified, learn from it." An important aspect of personal growth and success is the ability to take constructive criticism and ignore unwarranted criticism.

Another bit of wisdom says, "Any fool can criticize, complain, condemn, and most fools do." It seems that no matter how important or successful an endeavor may be, there are people who thrive on criticizing and ridiculing. In the book of Proverbs these kinds of people are called scoffers.

Points to build on

A scoffer likes to correct others, but can't take correction.

Proverbs 9:7: "He who reproves a scoffer, gets shame for himself..."

Proverbs 9:8: "Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you."

Proverbs 13:1: "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a scoffer doesn't listen to rebuke."

Proverbs 15:12: "A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, nor will he go to the wise."

A scoffer is so wrapped up in his own opinion that he can't learn wisdom.

Proverbs 14:6: "A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands."

Scoffers are motivated by pride and arrogance.

Proverbs 21:24: "A proud and haughty man—'Scoffer' is his name; he acts with arrogant pride."

Scoffers create conflict.

Proverbs 22:10: "Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; yes, strife and reproach will cease."

Proverbs 24:9: "The devising of foolishness is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men."

Proverbs 29:8: "Scoffers ensnare a city, but wise men turn away wrath."

Usually scoffers can only learn through the school of hard knocks.

Proverbs 19:25: "Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wary; reprove one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge."

Proverbs 21:11: "When the scoffer is punished the simple is made wise; but when the wise is instructed he receives knowledge."

All of us have to live with the consequences of our decisions and approach to life.

Proverbs 9:12: "If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff, you alone will bear it."

Application

Scoffers will always criticize the efforts and accomplishments of others. When confronted with a scoffer in your life remember the words of Theodore Roosevelt: "Far better it is to dare mighty deeds, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

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Dear friends, How should we deal with criticism?

Comments

  • SeekingtheTruth

    I think that the one being corrected is usually the one who decides if the other person is a scoffer or wise. Usually, the one being corrected is to proud to recieve correction and therefore is being talked to by a scoffer and not a wise person. If you reflect honestly, isn't this usually the case? And it doesn't matter who's being corrected, their education, their position, whatever.....all that shows itself in most cases is the pride. I believe that some day, that won't happen anymore because Jesus will be the authority instead of pride. That day is coming.

  • KARS

    Either way quoted. I have neither heard nor read about former President Roosevelt's speeches before. Thanks for the history lesson.

  • Tom Nichol

    Please accept my apologies for thinking that your earlier quote from Mr. Roosevelt was an erroneous one. In looking through other quotes on the same website I mentioned in my earlier comment, I found that the exact text of the quote you used was in fact an extract of a quotation from Mr. Roosevelt's book, "The Strenuous Life." Nevertheless, I would hope that the quote I supplied would prove to be a useful supplement to the one you chose.

  • Tom Nichol

    An excellent posting, Mr. Petty! I thought you might find the exact wording of that quote from Theodore Roosevelt to be helpful. It reads as follows:

    "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

    "Citizenship in a Republic,"
    Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

    (The above quote was supplied by **Link removed to comply with comment policy**, the official website of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, and is reported to be "one of the top three most requested quotes" from Mr. Roosevelt.)

  • KARS

    Hi Mr. Petty,
    Thanks for your lesson today and the awesome quote from former
    President Roosevelt. I never heard this before.
    Thanks,
    K.

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