Proverbs 5:13

The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about listening to teachers:

Proverbs 5:13 (ESV)

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

or incline my ear to my instructors.

One of the fears we should all have is that we fail to heed the instruction of our "teachers."  The Hebrew word used here for "teacher" is one of the best "picture" words we have in the Hebrew.   The word comes from the same source word as "archer" or "arrow."   The picture that this word gives us is that "Teachers" or "Instructors" are their to put us on "target", like an archer shooting an arrow.  When we fail to "listen" to the teacher we miss the mark .. we miss the way we should go.   God wants us to obey and follow "instruction" just because that is the way God puts us on target.  Sometimes we focus on the rule or the discipline.  Instead we need to focus on the "shot" or on the "target."   Instructors and teachers are there for us to learn to follow God's plan.  When we fail to listen to them we will soon regret it.  In the New Testament we read about a lot of challenges in the early church with false teachers (Jude, Galatians, 2 Peter, 2 John).   Those teachers were “aiming” for the wrong mark.   Chapter five of proverbs is warning us to listen to those who “aim” correctly and help us “aim” our own lives at the target of righteousness.