Proverbs 5:13

 The book of Proverbs gives us a lot of instruction on a lot of different subjects. One subject that can keep us in God’s wisdom is Godly Follower-ship. Who we follow; where we follow; how we follow are all spoken about in Proverbs. Here is one of them about listening to teachers:

Proverbs 5:13

I have not listened to the voice of my teachers,

Nor inclined 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.