The Virtue of Criticism

In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, a collection of wisdom writings gathered, and sometimes authored by King Solomon, in the 13th chapter these words are recorded…

“If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept criticism you will be honoured.” (Psalm 13:18 NLT)

Now, I don’t know about you, but these are very tough words for me to swallow! Personally, I think that criticism is difficult to hear for most of us, whether we think we deserve it or not! The reality is, no one likes to be told that they have chosen poorly, or they failed to live up to some expectations, or someone’s expectations! So, for most of my life I grew up with the attitude that is pretty familiar to many of us and that is the outlook that comes from the old adage that says…

“Nobody likes a critic!”

However, in this verse Solomon, one of the wisest people to have ever walked this planet states that to ignore criticism causes us to end in poverty and disgrace! Solomon tell us that to ignore, to turn our backs to our critics causes us to fall short (to put it mildly) in life and faith!

Now, the Hebrew word that is used here is the word “muwcar” (pronounced moo-sawr’) and it literally means “to discipline, chasten, or correct”. Other translations of this verse use some of these words instead of the word that makes many of us flinch and that is the word criticism. Still, I think the reality remains the same no matter what word we use in our translation attempts, because most of us don’t like to be disciplined by someone, much less to be corrected or chastened!

But in this verse, Solomon echoes a theme that runs throughout this Old Testament book! In chapter 15, verse 31 we read these words…

“If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.” (Proverbs 15:31 NLT)

And in chapter 29, verse 1 we read…

“Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken beyond repair.” (Proverbs 29:1 NLT)

You see, in each of these verses and many others that instruct us on this difficult issue, we are challenged to understand the virtue of criticism. When we are criticized for something in life Solomon reminds us that a more godly and appropriate response is to take the criticism raised and to listen and reflect… rather than to respond and react! A wonderful mentor of mine, and an incredibly godly example to me, has often reminded me that in life and ministry that I need to walk towards my critics, rather than turn and run from them! Now, I have to admit that for many years this has been a challenge but over time I have come to learn that there are many things I can learn from some of the criticisms that come my way if I am willing to listen and reflect!

Now, let me say that one of the best ways to reflect on some of the things that come our way from the critics in our lives is to take them to trusted friends who know us well. We need to be willing to share with them what has been brought to our attention and to ask them to be honest with us! We need to be willing to ask them to honestly respond to the criticisms that have been brought our way. And then we need to be willing to listen carefully to their response! The truth is, we may be surprised what by what is shared with us. Also, and just as importantly I believe that we need to take these same criticisms before our Lord! We need to take some time with God to reflect on the criticisms and the comments of our trusted companions along the journey of life and faith! We need to ask God to make known to us the TRUTH that we need to learn from the things that have been revealed to us! And then we need to make every effort to implement into our lives what we have learned through this process!

Now, I believe this is what Solomon is trying to tell us to do in this passage. Because what we learn from embracing the virtue of criticism, can lead us to make changes where necessary that allow us to live more God honouring lives! They can challenge us to switch directions in areas where we might not be walking with the kind of values and integrity that we may truly desire in life!

You know, the old famous preacher and evangelist Charles Spurgeon gets the last word on the virtue of criticism, speaking to a group of people he once said this…

“Get a friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man, what an intolerable nuisance to a fool!” (Leadership Magazine Vol. 3, no. 2.)


Praying that you may always walk towards your critics…

Rev Trev