On Rebuke...

Rebuke: a sharp reprimand (noun); to reprimand sharply, to reprove (verb).

Rebuke, it sounds so negative, so utterly repulsive, and yet, it is the herald of wisdom (as stated in the book of Proverbs) as she calls one unto herself. What a new perspective! So often one may think life is meant to be perfect, simple, and easy; but there are occassions where it is not meant to be this way. These are the times when rebuke must teach her lessons...

How would a fool know of his foolishness? Or the scorner of his demeaning and scornful manner that oppresses others? And the lazy, how do they come to realize they need to exert themselves in order to find the true rest that God's Word promises? These all would not consider even pondering another path except that the course they presently take prove to be treacherous, and to their own harm and detriment. (Not to mention that such a course provides nothing to God's purposes and glory...but this is an even further stretch of the mind: to divert so far in order to consider someone else, save themselves, while their present course is already twisted.)

A man who walks such a course of selfishness must first find benefit unto himself if ever he is to divert from it. This is when wisdom calls unto him, encouraging him to consider his ways. Only when he begins to trek this newly discovered higher road, will he ponder long enough to consider the benefit his life can be unto another; and should he ponder long enough, he might even realize how his life can ultimately be lived as an adornment unto his Creator, and not simply unto himself.