At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)
“As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear” (Proverbs 25:12).
The way this proverb begins, it makes us think of a very different one. “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion” (Proverbs 11:22). This would be a study in contrasts—a piece of fine jewelry that clashes with the swinish reality it adorns. The beauty of the woman is the jewelry, and the lack of discretion is the pig.
But this proverb is one that represents true adornment. It does not try to be the woman’s beauty, or to hide the woman’s spiritual ugliness. What jewelry does is augment, supplement, highlight what is already there. But in order for it to do that, the reality must already be there.
In this case, when a person is receptive to admonition, that is called an “obedient ear.” The end result of what happens here is that such a person is adorned as a consequence of what happens. But notice that it is not just any old reprover. This is a wise reprover.
A wise reprover is like a talented jeweler, who knew how to set the stone. He was a cunning man, who knew how to shape the gold, fashioning it into something that would make a beautiful woman far more beautiful. So in the parable, receptivity to correction is compared to a natural beauty. The man who brings admonition in all wisdom is a talented jeweler, who knows how to avoid doing too much, and how to keep from being ineffectual by doing too little.
And notice also that to be the recipient of a wise reproof is nothing to be ashamed of. Wear it with your head held high.
