Proverbs 1:20-33 The Call of Wisdom:
20Wisdom calls aloud [a]outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the [b]chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “How long, you [c]simple ones, will you love [d]simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the [e]turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be [f]secure, without fear of evil.”
Let’s dive into what God opened my eyes to in these verses. It is important to understand that what I am going to be talking about is what God showed me, which may be different from what He opens your eyes to. Dive into the verses yourself as well and allow God to speak to you individually.
I used a couple different websites when studying these verses. I will drop the links down at the bottom of this post. To me, it is important to truly understand what God is meaning in the verses. It is easy for us as humans to interpret verses the way we want to, not how God is meaning it. Because of this, I like to look at websites, sermons, and even reach out to mentors to truly understand what God is saying.
The first two verses speak on how wisdom works and finds its way to us. Wisdom calls out to us and begs us to accept it. Not only is this wisdom, but it is God’s wisdom. God wants us to have His wisdom and to use it. This is why He sends His wisdom into the craziest times and places to call out to us. Therefore, the most exciting thing I learned from the first two verses is that God sends His wisdom to us. How amazing is that? He SENDS His wisdom to us. We do not have to frantically search for it. It is there, calling out to us.
The problem is some people ignore this wisdom. We turn our heads away from it and continue on the path we want. Verse 22 is where I learned that we stay in foolishness for far too long. It makes me think back to just a few months ago when I was living in this foolishness. When I was turning my head away from the wisdom that was calling out my name in the midst of a storm. It should have been clear to me that I was on the wrong track. Actually, it was very clear to me, yet I chose to continue down the wrong path. But, the wisdom and the conviction became too loud for me to ignore anymore. God makes it obvious and shows us when we are on the wrong track. The question is will you listen?
I loved learning about God’s continuous love and help in these verses. I learned how God knows that we are not listening to Him, yet he persists. Even though He knows we are being foolish and ignoring wisdom, He still reaches out His hand to help us. Many believe God is not with them during storms they have gone through, trust me, I have been there. But I learned here that He never leaves. He actually stays the whole time trying to reach out and help. Those times when I felt He abandoned me, I actually just abandoned Him. I lived with constant conviction thinking those feelings meant He left me. Even though I knew better, I felt He left. That conviction came from God. This means He never left my side. Yes, I felt miserable, but that was because He was calling out my name, wisdom was calling for me. I was being told I was going down the wrong path, I was just abandoning God and my faith.
When God begins calling out to you during your disobedience, listen. When His wisdom is screaming at you saying you are going down the wrong path, listen. It may be hard to hear God over the loudness of the storm, but He is there. He is calling out to you. That conviction you feel? that is God telling you that you are on the wrong path. Turn your head towards God, not away, and reach your hand out to His.
Find time this week to dig into these verses yourself and seek God. Ask Him to open your heart to what you need to learn and what He is trying to tell you. Dive deeper into what you get from these versus by using google, books, etc.
