Homilist Proverbs 17:10 A reproof enters more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. I. THE ONE IN ITS SPHERE IS AS LEGITIMATE AS THE OTHER. Look at the sphere of each. 1. The sphere of the moral. It is for the wise. The "reproof" is for men open to reason and impression — men whose natures are susceptible to moral arguments and appeals. 2. The sphere of the corporeal. It is for "fools." Of what service is an argument to an ox, or a whip to a soul? II. THE ONE IN ITS SPHERE IS MORE THOROUGH THAN THE OTHER. "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool." 1. The one is more painful than the other. What is pain arising from a few lashes on the body compared to the pain arising in the soul from a conviction of moral wrong? What pain did reproof give David! (Psalm 51.). What agony did the reproving look of Christ give Peter! 2. The one is more corrective than the other. Corporeal chastisement will never do the fool any moral good. You cannot whip the moral devil out of men (Proverbs 27:22). But moral chastisements correct the wrongs of the soul. The fires of moral conviction separate the gold from the dross. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.WEB: A rebuke enters deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred lashes into a fool. |
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