James tells us, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).
Humans stand condemned when they know what is right but refuse to do it.
Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
And 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 panic strikes you,
When panic strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you. (Proverbs 1.24-27)
Notice the ways that we reject God’s wisdom. We refuse. We won’t heed. We ignore. We’re not willing to have any of it.
Wisdom is not just a friend at a lunchroom table, sharing a good tip. Wisdom is the wisdom of God. We refuse God’s wisdom at our peril.
The idea of wisdom laughing at our calamity may seem a bit harsh. However, Bruce Waltke has a very good explanation of why it is not.
He writes, “Wisdom rejoices in turning the present, upside-down world right-side up. When wisdom overturns folly, righteousness ousts wickedness and knowledge overcomes ignorance. Humility topples pride, and life swallows up death.”
We live in a time where misinformation, disinformation, and alternate facts seem to be the norm of public discourse. This is never more evident than in the idea of the anti-vaccination movement.
I recently heard Dr. Peter Hotez, one of my heroes, discuss how anti-vaccination cost the lives of 200,000 people. This was particularly true in the South after vaccines were both readily available and free to the public.
Hotez’s primary mission is to provide patent-free vaccines for third-world countries at incredibly small prices.
The fact that he becomes the object of someone’s interest for political gain paints a tragic picture. It shows how wisdom is rejected, as opposed to embraced.
Further examples in politics and religion illustrate how people blatantly reject wisdom.
I wish I could exclude myself from this picture, but I know there have been times in my life when wisdom has come calling and I have not listened.
May we heed the truth of Proverbs and respond with repentance, faith, and obedience.
Unanswered Prayers
Prayer is as powerful as God is mighty. However, God calls us to align with His will and His purposes for prayer to be effective.
When we blatantly disregard God’s will, we move into a place of unanswered prayer.
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 be sated with their own devices. (Proverbs 1.28-31)
We recently defined the fear of the Lord as first, living in a loving relationship with God; second, humbly following God’s guidance; and third, obeying the direction God gives us.
When we refuse to live like this, we put ourselves in a place where our prayers will go unanswered. This continues until we repent and follow what God has shown us to be his will.
When we refuse to follow wisdom and choose self-sufficiency instead of reliance upon God, the result is that God will allow us to have our way.
Instead of God’s very best for our lives, we will have only what we can accomplish through our own devices.
A Warning
Solomon’s strong words are spoken to the gullible, the simple, and the naive. His goal is to awaken their conscience, to turn them away from the foolishness of fools to the wisdom of the wise.
We need to heed what Solomon says and follow the prescription outlined in the fear of the Lord. Live in a loving relationship with God. Humbly listen for His guidance and then follow it.
When we do this, life will go well for us.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 