In the biblical context, servants are often depicted as individuals who are expected to demonstrate loyalty, diligence, and obedience to their masters. However, the Scriptures also provide insight into the characteristics of wicked servants, particularly highlighting their refusal to submit to correction. This trait is seen as a significant flaw, leading to further disobedience and ultimately, judgment.

Proverbs and the Refusal of Correction

The Book of Proverbs frequently addresses the theme of correction and the consequences of rejecting it. Proverbs 15:10 states, "Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die." This verse underscores the severity of ignoring correction, equating it with a path that leads to death. A wicked servant, therefore, is one who despises discipline and refuses to alter their course, despite the guidance offered.

The Parable of the Wicked Servant

In the New Testament, Jesus provides a vivid illustration of a wicked servant in the Parable of the Wicked Servant. In Matthew 18:32-34 , the master confronts the servant, saying, "'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?' In anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed." This parable highlights the servant's failure to learn from the mercy shown to him, illustrating a broader principle of refusing correction and the resulting consequences.

The Stubbornness of Israel

The Old Testament often uses the nation of Israel as an example of a people who, at times, refused to submit to correction. In Jeremiah 5:3 , the prophet laments, "O LORD, do Your eyes not look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent." This passage reflects the stubbornness and hard-heartedness that characterize those who reject correction, akin to the behavior of a wicked servant.

Consequences of Rejecting Correction

The refusal to submit to correction is not without consequence. Proverbs 29:1 warns, "A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery." This proverb serves as a stark warning that persistent rejection of correction leads to irreversible ruin. A wicked servant, by ignoring the opportunity to change, ultimately faces destruction.

The Call to Heed Correction

While the Bible clearly outlines the characteristics and consequences of wicked servants who refuse correction, it also offers hope and redemption for those willing to change. Hebrews 12:11 reminds believers, "No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it." This verse encourages a posture of humility and openness to correction, contrasting the path of the wicked servant with the promise of growth and righteousness for those who submit to discipline.Proverbs 29:19
A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Morality and Doctrine
... if you do not find the lively characteristics of these ... natural to man has said that
to the wicked. ... the least things; when he reproves his servants, he desires ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section vii morality and doctrine.htm

Funeral Oration on the Great S. Basil, Bishop of C??sarea in ...
... own servants, and also of his fellow servants, he attended ... and cedars, now being
ravaged by that wicked wild boar ... Because," said he, "this is not the will of my ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xliii funeral oration on.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... and possessed of such strongly marked characteristics that only ... Men in the mean time
became wicked; they lost the ... I caused all my family and my servants to go ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire ...
... hosts of her men-servants and maid-servants; that every ... he, with perfect consistency,
regarded the wicked as also ... creature itself willed, so by the will of the ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period ii the church from.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... six Amesha-spentas, with their several characteristics, are enumerated in ... Asha-vahista
will condemn to hell the cruel ... woman, the ugliest and most wicked it had ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

part ii
... then should not we, God's servants, labour for ... well-principled children, forgive
their wicked, capricious, and ... give way to temptation: "He will not suffer thy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

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