Wise Up: Proverbs 1
Proverbs 1 (NIV)
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot”—
15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.
Wisdom’s Rebuke
20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
V. 23 & 27
Repent to gain wisdom.
Better lots of humility and having a teachable attitude than enduring calamity and disaster from my own doing.
I guess we can never be immune since we can get caught in the craziness that others create without wisdom. But better to orbit the giant hairball than to be caught in it. More wisdom please.
“23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.”
How wonderful that God’s thoughts and wisdom are readily available to me, only if I respect/reverence/fear Him for who He is anyway, come before Him in humbleness (which is the only realistic response to an almighty God) and take the time to actually listen.
This verse stood out to me as well. In the Amplified Version it reads,
“If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you.”
I love that our God is so willing to share His wisdom and words with us. This verse is a reminder to be aware of and listen to the guiding of the Holy Spirit. If I am too loud, I cannot hear the reproof.
Have a great Friday!!
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Thank you Lord that you give us so many promises that we can cling to in order to live without fear. Psalm 27 is another of my favorites “Lord, you are my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? You are the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Tricky when the fool is a dearly loved son of 16. I have faith that this season will pass and entrust him to You Lord. Please show me what to do and say in love.
I pray this prayer with you, Michelle.
I also pray this with you both … I have a 17 year old son. ❤️
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
What is right, and just and fair. Sometimes hard to determine that – for this I need wisdom!
I feel that verses 22-33 aren’t about present day separation but eternal separation. If we do not heed the commands and convictions our Father gives us now, the afterlife when we are eternally apart and crying out to him, this is when he will mock and ignore us! Imagine that for a moment and let it sink in. Presently we have a golden opportunity to have a relationship with God. We feel him in our daily lives, from a whisper in our ear to a blaring rebuke we know and feel him with us, Immanuel! Can you even comprehend eternity without him? Now, we cry out and he hears, he response. Imagine our cries falling on deaf ears… He always keeps his promises. I look at this one and ask why would this one be any different? He only asks one thing from us, to accept him as our savior and we won’t be infinitely separate… I’d say that’s worth it!
Great insight!
Solomon identifies “Wisdom” personna as a Women stating:
20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
She makes her speech at the city gate for all to hear and to learn from her. She shares insights of life, truths, and instructions from God to assist in guiding those who seek advice to live godly lives.
This really stood out for me! Has me looking at the scriptures a bit differently this morning!
God is so kind to not leave us to ourselves. I’m so grateful that our Abba
Is continuously reaching out to us to help know what is needed in every situation.
I love Him!
Prob. 1:20 & 21
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud
She raises her voice in the public square
On top of the wall she cries out
At the city gate she makes her speech
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Peace, acceptance, understanding, guidance, wisdom and ease of life can only be found in God. The word “listens” spoke to me. The is no time period associated with it. So it instructs me to begin and to never end. The result of listening will be peace (ease of life) and no fear (because I know God).
Amen