“If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.” (Proverbs 9:12)
The only wisdom that is true wisdom comes from above. It is God’s wisdom, unmixed with the “wisdom” of man. If any lack this wisdom, it is readily available to all.
“She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.” (Proverbs 9:3-6)
Wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective. He is always willing for His thoughts and our thoughts to be perfectly aligned. Scorners resist the wisdom God would give them. They especially don’t like to be corrected. “A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise” (Prov. 15:12).
God has much to say to every one of us. What do we have to gain or lose by the quality of our hearing? We are the greatest beneficiaries of a hearing ear. “If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself.” We also do ourselves the greatest harm by refusing to hear. “… but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.”
We can claim to love ourselves all we want. But if we are not listening to God, we are doing just the opposite.