Articles
Proverbs To Live By (28:23)
He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor 5han he who flatters with the tongue.
We must remember that proverbs are general maxims and not absolutes. In the above proverb, it is certainly possible to offer a word of correction and lose a friend in the process. But the saying differentiates between a relationship based on shallow pleasantries and one that results in true introspection and increasing maturity.
Many of us look back and appreciate the teachers who were “tough,” who were disciplinarians and challenged us to do better. We do not grow without confronting our faults, and sometimes we are the last to see those faults. A trusted, concerned friend who has no selfish agenda can show us where we have erred and encourage us to make meaningful changes.
Flattery, on the other hand, is essentially selfish. Some exaggerate praise or give empty compliments in order to keep someone close rather than help them grow. Of course, our “no judgment,” “positive self-esteem” society discourages the very thing this proverb advocates.
