Learning a Father’s Wisdom (Proverbs 1:20-33)

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” is a common saying adapted from William Congreve’s ‘The Mourning Bride’ (1697). It shows that there are consequences to our actions. Scorning a woman isn’t something to be done lightly. Particularly, we should not scorn the Woman of Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs or we will reap what we sow.

“Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares. She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:” (Proverbs 1:20-21 WEB). Wisdom is not just for people with lofty degrees and advanced education. Wisdom is for everyone. Wisdom is living right among us and is shouting out to us. She is not secretive as the sinners of Proverb 1:10-19, she does not hide her wisdom. It is available to all. All we have to do is answer her call. We answer her call by: praying to God, studying our Bibles, seeking advice from sound Christians, etc. No matter where we live, we always have access to wisdom.

“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?” (Proverbs 1:22 WEB). Here, Wisdom tells us three possible reasons people refuse to hear her call:

1. They could be naïve and love simplicity. They do not see complexity in the world, they only see their point of view. They are not willing to open themselves the new and possibly better ways of living. They are happy where they are (i.e., ignorance is bliss).
2. They could be scoffers who delight in sarcasm, cynicism, and ridiculing wisdom. Often when people don’t know something or they are jealous, they make fun of it. They know they don’t have the answer, they don’t want to understand, so they make fun of it to make themselves feel better and to save face. They would rather crack a joke than apply their mind to wisdom.
3. They could be fools who hate knowledge. They hate work it takes to gain knowledge and understanding. It is too difficult for them, or they do not have the diligence required so they hate knowledge all together.

If we would answer Wisdom’s call and separate ourselves from the above groups: 

1. We must be willing to open our minds to God’s point of view. If we look only to our own understanding, we will perish (cf. Proverbs 14:12, 16:25). 
2. We must not shrug off or think lightly of wise advice. There is a place for humor (cf. Proverbs 17:22), but constant joking can get in the way of learning wisdom. 
3. We must roll up our sleeves and prepare ourselves to work. We need to learn new ways of thinking and acting and it takes work and diligence to accomplish this goal.

“Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you.” (Proverbs 1:23 WEB). Wisdom is telling the naïve, scoffers, and fools of 1:22 how they can change the course of their lives. They need to listen to Wisdom’s reproof. A reproof is a correction of someone who is at fault, and to turn to reproof is to be convicted of your error and desire to change. An invitation to humble yourself and admit your faults does not sound appealing, but it is the wisest course of action.

When we let Wisdom reprove our lives, Wisdom will bless us abundantly. We learn of Wisdom’s nature and character—we will learn how to act wisely in our lives. We will learn the words of wisdom that will guide us and enable us to give wise advice. All we have to do is humble ourselves and put forth the effort and time to learn from Wisdom.

“Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention; but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof” (Proverbs 1:24-25 WEB). Despite all of Wisdom’s efforts at reaching out, many reject her advice. Many have ignored and neglected Wisdom. They refused to change their lives and stayed in their error (cf. Proverbs 1:22). Now, they are going to have to deal with the consequences.

“I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you, when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you.” (Proverbs 1:26-27 WEB). Wisdom is saying: “I told you so!” They laughed at wisdom (Proverbs 1:22), but Wisdom will have the last laugh. Look at damage rejecting Wisdom brings into your life: calamity, dread, distress, and anguish. Some of the tragedies in our lives are our own doing. They could have been avoided or lessened if we had heeded the wisdom found with the Bible. The wisdom of the Bible will provide us with peace and security (cf. Proverbs 1:33), but if we reject it we lose this protection.

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.” (Proverbs 1:28-29 WEB). Solomon is continuing to show us the consequences of rejecting wise teachings (cf. Proverbs 1:22-27). After tragedy finally comes, many will recognize the value of wisdom and seek it, but at this stage wise advice will do little to nothing. Prevention is the key. We must turn to wisdom now, before it is too late. The sooner we start our search for wisdom, the better it is for our lives.

Spiritually, this is essential. If we put off repenting of our sins or coming to Christ, we can put off too long. Jesus warned of this in Luke 13:22-30. We have only the time given to us to act. We cannot change the past. We do not know if we will have another day. Now is the time to make our lives right and seek wisdom.

“They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.” (Proverbs 1:30-31 WEB). If we would just realize the consequences of our actions, we would live wiser lives. Notice the following principles of reaping and sowing: 

1. You can only sow what you have (Luke 6:39-45). If you are blind you cannot lead. If you are ignorant you cannot teach. If you are struggling, you cannot help someone who is stumbling. If you are filled with wickedness, you cannot produce good fruit. Likewise, those who do not know God’s Word cannot teach about God and those who do not know God’s ways cannot practice them. Each of us must come to God first and receive His instructions if we want to sow good in our lives.
2. You will reap what you sow and only what you sow (Galatians 6:7-9). You don’t sow apples and reap grapes. Likewise, you don’t sow gossip and reap trust. You cannot sow laziness and reap respect. You cannot sow sin and reap salvation. It is time to take responsibility for your actions and seriously ask yourself: “Do I want to reap what I am sowing?”
3. You will reap more than you sow (2 Corinthians 9:6). Whatever you sow, God is going to return it to you bountifully. Our actions have a way of snowballing and having greater results/consequences than we ever considered. You may think a little white lie won’t hurt, but white lies have a way of growing into big problems. You may think a little alcohol won’t do any harm, but alcohol has a way of grabbing people and taking control. Sin is serious and should not be dabbled in. 
4. You have to eat what you reap (Proverbs 1:31). There is nothing else to eat except what you have sown. You cannot eat what another has sown. You cannot go to the store and buy something else. You alone will bear the results of your harvest and there is no escape (cf. Ezekiel 18:20). If you don’t want to eat a bad crop, we must sow good seed; there is no other way.
5. You will become what you reap (Proverbs 1:31). Those who have rejected wisdom and sown foolishness will eat of their foolishness to the point of being satiated (i.e., filled to the point of being stuffed). Often when we eat too much, we are filled with regret and nauseated. It is often the same with our lives. 

Too many look back on their lives with shame and regret. They see wasted years, misplaced priorities, and vain accomplishments because they have spurned wisdom. They see friendships ruined and families torn apart out of selfishness and backbiting. We do not have to look back with regret, however, if we will follow God’s instructions.

“For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.” (Proverbs 1:32 WEB). Apathy is dangerous. The problem with fools is not that they do not have opportunities to benefit from wisdom. The problem is they turn away from it or ignore it. They do not think it is worth their time and effort. We cannot afford to be apathetic towards wisdom.

“But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm.” (Proverbs 1:33 WEB). Proverbs 1:24-32 described men struggle with dread, calamity, ignorance, death, and destruction. All they had to do was listen to wisdom to avoid these pitfalls. We often don’t realize the value of following God’s instructions for wise living. It makes life simpler, more peaceful, and more enjoyable. 

By Jeremy Sprouse

Jeremy has been married to Erynn since August 1999. They are blessed with six children: Jaden, Isaiah, Isaac, Ean, Joseph, and Evelyn. Jeremy preaches for the Patrick St. church of Christ in Dublin, TX and is the author of To Train Up a Knight.