Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬-‭10‬). 

Sometimes it’s not worth trying to correct someone who is off course. Sometimes what we think should be a helfpul debate will quickly become a heated argument. 

But how do we know when someone qualifies as a "mocker" and when they are simply guilty of having a mocking attitude from time to time? 

Some people may be shallow and prideful and unteachable, and therefore they are a "mocker." Thus, according to this passage, it may not be worth it to engage with them in a debate or comment on their post because things will go crazy fast. 

When I first became a pastor, I had a relative make fun of me when he saw me. He called me Father Chris and bowed to me. I didn't see the point in trying to engage in a serious conversation about Jesus. He seemed to be a mocker. 

Others may be wounded and hurt, and they mock as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened. But if they are shown love and if they can be disarmed, we may find that they are in fact teachable. 

We need wisdom to know the difference because our time is limited and we only have so much relational bandwidth. 

The fear of the Lord will give us the wisdom to know who to invest in, and who not to. If God is big in our own hearts, then we can rely on Him to make it clear which conversations are worth engaging in, and which people are open to growing.

We just have to be careful not to label folks permanently. That relative I mentioned above - he became a follower of Jesus a few years later and is a very humble guy now.

God can turn mockers into worshippers. 

AND PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY.....

We must make sure we are not mockers ourselves.

Are we open to learning and growing or do we scoff at new ideas? 

Are we able to take correction or do we roll our eyes at people after they confront us? 

Does the fear of the Lord create in us a humility that leads us to love instruction or do we want to be treated like we have completed the growth process? 

It's easy to see the mocking spirit in others, but may God show us when it is over-taking our own hearts.