The Choice Before the Youth – Seeking Wisdom
and its Rewards 1:20-33
20
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth
her voice in the streets: 21 She crieth in the chief
place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying], 22 How long, ye simple ones,
will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in
their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I
will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man
regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I
will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and
your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon
you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me
early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did
not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they
despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own
way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the
simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet
from fear of evil.
Just like sinners
can “invite” young people participate in unrighteous lifestyles, so Wisdom
sends out an invitation to the youth to learn to live in wisdom. Because of the
contrast of outcomes of those who reject the teaching with those who listen to
it, this teaching becomes highly effective.
In verses 20-21 we
see the “omnipresent” call of wisdom – she appears everywhere, in every
situation seeking for students to learn from her. Wisdom is beneficial in all
situations and circumstances of life.
There are three specific people which Wisdom is addressing. These
represent different levels of those who are stubbornly rebellious to God’s
wisdom.
The simple one is one who is easily led, gullible and silly.[1] These
naïve ones are void of wisdom,
simple-minded, and have a
tendency of not wanting to know. The
Book of Proverbs seem to hold out some hope for the
simple. In 1:4 we find the purpose of the book was to give subtilty
to the simple. Sometimes, the simple one can only learn through the punishment
of others (19:25), but if he does not learn his lessons he digresses to a more
serious condition from which there seems to be no remedy (14:18). Kidner states: “the simple…is no half wit; he is a person
whose instability could be rectified, but who prefers not to accept
discipline…” (p. 39).
Scorners (scoffers) share some of the same characteristics as the fool
mentioned below. Because of his mocking of God and truth, he, like the fool, is
virtually incurable. They are plagued with a desire to know and yet cannot
receive truth because of their disposition (14:6). Those who seek to reprove
scorners earn dishonor themselves (9:7). Ultimately, God will mock at the
calamity of the scorner (3:34). The only useful thing about a scorner is that
he provides a means by which the simple ones are warned about their own
directions in life (19:25).
A fool is not necessarily one who does not believe in
God, but one who rejects God by ignoring His truth and seeks to understand life
by divorcing God from his life. Though
there are 3 different Hebrew words translated as “fool” they all essentially
mean the same thing. The fool is one who is obstinately opposed to God, just as
the Psalmist said that a fool says there is no God (14:1). Fools are those who
despise wisdom (1:7) and knowledge (1:22), and they laugh at the idea of sin
(14:9). So insensible he is to wisdom and knowledge, that not even physical
punishment can turn him from his foolish ways (17:10). Proverbs holds virtually
no hope for a fool – he is set in his ways – unless it is caught very early on
in the child’s developmental years (22:15). Those who neglect in correcting
their foolish children early, must be prepared for a life of misery and shame
(17:21).
These three people typically rebel against truth. Wisdom is graciously
calling out to them, but for the most part they will not and do not heed her
wisdom. Therefore the consequences they suffer are fully justified. This is
hinted at in verse 23. Wisdom is calling them to respond to her correction
(reproof). This correction came because they were not willing to listen to
Wisdom att the beginning and now they are suffering
the consequences of their actions in some way.
Wisdom’s appeal to them was given with a promise. Those who seek wisdom
will find it. However, these three are showing varying degrees of refusal –
they don’t care for it, they make fun of it or they ignore it – therefore they
will never seek it nor find it. So although these three are receiving an
invitation, it is clear that they will not respond as they ought. This,
however, does not mean that their inability removes them from responsibility,
as Kidner notes: “if, elsewhere in the book, fool and
scorner appear to be fixed types, it is their fault, not their fate: they are
eating of the fruit of their own way
(30, 31)” (p. 60).
The outcome of those who refuse Wisdom is seen in verses 24-32. In these
verses, we find the “tables turned.” Wisdom will laugh at the calamity that
these rejectors face because they laughed at God’s
truth (1:24-26). This calamity will come swiftly, without warning,
and the implication is that they will be caught off guard and have no time to
remedy the situation – it will be too late (1:27).
Not only will Wisdom laugh at their calamity, but She will not listen
when they call to her because they ignored her when she called to them
(1:28-32). They will seek to make changes too late (1:28). But this is justice.
What they will experience will be that which they deserved (1:29-30). Their
ruin will come from the very thing that gave them pleasure (1:31). The desires
that they went after will turn on them and destroy them (1:32).
Those who find security are those who are willing to listen to God’s
wisdom (1:33). They will live securely and shall find comfort and ease from the
fear of evil.
The question that needs to be asked at this point is:
“How does one recognize whether
they are a fool, a scorner, a naïve or a wise person?” The answer is that they
simply need to look at how they respond
to wisdom because wise people are those who accept it and grow in it (1:5; 9:8,
9; 10:8, 14; etc.).
Furthermore, the wise person in Proverbs would be parallel to a “saved” person in the New Testament.
Those who have been born again by the Spirit of God have the Holy Spirit
residing within them. The Holy Spirit causes the believer to hear, learn and
accept truth (1 Cor 2:14). Believers are
characterized as those who listen and follow the voice of God (John 10:4-5). The
proof of salvation is seen in the person’s reception of and obedience to God’s
word. This reception and obedience does not make one saved, but is merely a proof that that person has been saved.
Similarly, the wise person in the Book of Proverbs is not necessarily a person
who knows everything, but is open to wisdom and willing to learn (1:5). This
willingness to learn is only a result of the Holy Spirit residing within.
Therefore, when looking at a text like this, we do not see a “saved”
person in any of these labels of those who reject truth. Saved people are not
simple, nor scoffers, nor fools as a specific designation of their character.
However, this does not mean that a saved person could not occasionally act in a naïve manner or in a scornful
way, or even in a foolish manner.
This then, is the value of this passage to a believer. As a believer
witnesses the calamity and end of those who reject truth, he is then challenged
to be vigilant in receiving truth that he might grow by it. God uses the truth
that “whatever a man sows, this he will also reap…” (Gal 6:7) for the purpose
of instructing those who listen to Him to walk in the ways of wisdom.
Have you received Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour?
The first step to becoming a wise person is being rightly related to the God of
Truth.