Wise words!
Have you ever felt like God’s wisdom is some kind of elusive thing only meant for certain people—but not you? Today we’ll continue looking at Proverbs chapter one where that idea is soundly debunked. Wisdom? It’s necessary for a life well lived, and it’s all yours for the taking.
Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
(Proverbs 1:20-33 ESV)
Wisdom is not hidden
Is. 45:19 says “I have not spoken in secret.” In my Christian experience there was more of an emphasis on “God’s still small voice” than on the fact that God has made His wisdom loud and clear for everyone who wants to listen. It kind of made me feel like I had to jump through hoops to get God to notice me and be involved in my life. And then I had to really strain to hear the quiet voice of wisdom lest I miss it. And I SO didn’t want to miss anything He said!
But hey! Here it says Wisdom cries out loud, raises her voice, and cries out. Where? In a quiet forest with nobody around for miles and miles? No, in the busy streets where all the people are. God isn’t hiding, for crying out loud. He is crying out. Loud. He seriously pursues people. He actively engages us.
God’s wisdom is available to everyone, and He really, really, really wants everyone to have it. I don’t think I ever believed that. This probably sounds dumb, but I think deep down I thought He was hiding it, and it was my job to look for it. I got the second part right. I do need to look and listen. But He’s not hiding in a dark corner whispering at people. He’s loudly expressing the opportunity to grab as much of His wisdom as anyone on the street (that includes ANYONE – not just certain kinds of people) wants to have.
What is Wisdom?
According to Matthew Henry’s commentary, wisdom here is plural, meaning “wisdoms” – which means infinite wisdom. Ephesians 3:10 calls it the “manifold wisdom of God.” That is incredible. He wants us to have access to that powerful, all encompassing, colorful, miraculous, redeeming, life giving wisdom. Who are we to be offered such a gift? When Solomon asked God for wisdom, the Bible says “it pleased the Lord that Solomon asked for this.” (I Kings 3:10) It gives God pleasure to give us His wisdom.
Henry points out there are different kinds of wisdom:
Human understanding (Job 38:36)
Civil government (Ps. 75: 4)
Divine revelation – law (Is 1:18)
Christ himself (Luke 7:35)
To have discernment, understanding, humility, and graciousness; to have an apt answer in any given situation; to know when to speak and when to be silent; to know what is just and to give justice—these are all found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And when we belong to God, we have all this wisdom available to us through the Holy Spirit of God and His Word. This amazes and awes me. He is so good!
Who Is Excluded?
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?”
God includes every single man, woman, and child regardless of race, gender, or ability. But some people exclude themselves. Who are these people?
The Simple
These are people who have simplistic ideas about what is right and wrong. They lack discernment or the ability to judge another person’s character. They trust blindly, like a child, believing whatever they are told without studying things out for themselves. They are tossed like a wave depending on what direction the breeze is blowing.
The Scorner
Scorners are arrogant people who mock others, mock the word of God, and mock anything holy and good.
The Fool
Fools hate knowledge, despise reproof, and aren’t interested in learning and growing. (“A fool is right in his own eyes.” Proverbs 12:15)
How long?
How long? How long? Can’t you just feel the strong, aching desire God has for them to turn away from their naivete, arrogance, and ignorance?
“If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.”
He offers them His Spirit to reveal His words and wisdom. He gives them a chance in spite of themselves. He is merciful, long-suffering, and patient with these characters. Anyone can read the Bible (“my words”), but not everyone knows what they are reading. God wants us to know. But here is what people often do:
What simple, scorner, and fool-type folks do:
Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
God gives them a chance—no, chances. He gives them lots of time. He cries out to them. He makes it public and stretches out His hand. Jesus did the same. He went to the public places and taught. The ones who scorned him, interestingly enough, were the religious ones. The ones who thought they were good enough already.
But no one listened. It wasn’t important to them. They trampled this valuable gift. They ignored His counsel and wanted nothing to do with His reproof.
What God does eventually:
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when terror strikes you,
when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
God doesn’t hold out His hand forever. Some people think if you are a Christian, you need to extend your hand to scorners and mockers and fools until you die. But Jesus didn’t. God actually laughs and mocks when terror and calamity strike. These things come on suddenly, like a storm or whirlwind. They are powerful. You wonder if there is justice? There will always be justice. Either God visits it upon His Son on our behalf – or on us. This is good news because it means we don’t need to rely on our own devices to bring about our own version of justice. We can rest, knowing He will do what is right and good. But it also means we don’t need to place ourselves under the control of fools and mockers. It isn’t wise. To do so puts us in the “simple” category.
This section ends by saying that at some point, even if they do turn to Him, He cannot be found. He is no longer offering His hand. Even if they seek Him desperately.
Why?
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
Because they didn’t want to know better. They didn’t want to learn. They actually hated it! They didn’t choose the fear of God. Instead they refused to listen to Him. They despised His reproof.
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
There will come a time when they eat the results of their choices, and they will have their fill of the consequences of foolish behavior. The simple ones turn away out of blind ignorance, and they are killed. Imagine a child foolishly running toward a busy freeway, refusing to listen to the cries of their parent. And the fool? Fools are complacent. They don’t try. They don’t care. They are lazy about life and already know everything. Picture a person drinking while digging a pit. You warn them they are tipsy and should probably not dig pits while drinking. But they don’t listen to you. They don’t need you. They are wise in their own eyes. Eventually they topple into their own pit.
Matthew Henry writes: “Those that will not admit the fear of God lay themselves open to all other fears, and their fears will not prove causeless.”
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
Alternatively, those who listen to God will live securely at ease and don’t need to be afraid of suffering the same fate. When God says, “Watch out!” they listen and watch out. They don’t trust themselves. They don’t think they know it all. They fix their eyes on Christ with total trust.
And that, my friends, wraps up chapter one.
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