Chapter 12 continues to offer individual statements of common sense and godly wisdom.
I want to really highlight the first verse of this chapter. To summarize it… A wise person takes correction and criticism into consideration. The contrast to this is the one who refuses to hear those corrections. Such a reaction marks the person as 'stupid.'
"The use of the terms 'love' and 'hate' here must be understood in their ancient contexts. Solomon is not primarily speaking about emotions. Rather, this implies an extreme contrast between preferences. The point is not that godly people 'enjoy' being corrected. Rather, it's that they welcome constructive criticism and seek to apply it because they understand that’s where growth can be found. Those who ignore those lessons have chosen to 'hurt' themselves and are acting 'stupidly.'
In life, there are a lot of things we learn through our mistakes. Maybe you learned you need to study for tests after failing one. Maybe you learned not to touch a hot stove, because you got hurt. Maybe you learned foil can’t go in the microwave, after you saw it lit on fire …(maybe that one is just me) Just like a parent who corrects their child's misbehavior, we all make adjustments when we realize we're on the wrong track. Similarly …refusing to get help from others, not desiring correction or advice, is simply learning the hard way. You're going to learn eventually…. it may just be from touching the stove instead of listening to your parent. It's silly or “stupid” to learn the hard way when God has given us an abundance of wisdom through His Word and His people.
We also see in verse 15 a similar verse. That a wise person listens to others, but a foolish person thinks their own way is right. A wise person understands their natural bent towards sin and wants people to keep them accountable. A wise person desires godly counsel and wisdom because they fear being outside of God’s best.
Questions