Wisdom……. It is all something we desire and something we look for, but do we listen? Not just hear wisdom, or hearing the words; but listening requires not just hearing but action on our part.
Like I have always told my kids, there is a big difference in just hearing and actually listening.
As we search out wisdom, lets continue in the book of Proverbs 1:28 today about what happens when we do not listen or heed to the voice of wisdom.
To back up and summarize the last half of Proverbs chapter 1, it is a poem about wisdom personified as a woman. She first is crying out in the streets telling people to listen to her urgent message. As we see people refuse or reject wisdoms call, counsel and correction. She is then asking people to respond to her call because of a storm or calamity that will come in life (VS 27). Now today in (VS 28) we see if we don’t listen, she (wisdom) tells what will happen.
Proverbs 1:28 says “Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me” (ESV).
So when is THEN? If we back up to Verse 27 it is when and after that storm or calamity hits, its at that point in that disaster or distress; THEN they are interested in wisdom (VS 28).
And wisdoms response? She will not answer. They will seek wisdom, cry out for help, but at that point it is too late. At some point the door is shut, like that door of the Ark. God seals up that door of the ARK and that was peoples last chance or end of options to turn to Him. As we all have probably heard the story of Noah and the ark, we talk about the animals, noah and his family, their faith; but we may forget there was a whole world who lost their lives in the flood. Because it was too late.
This is the aspect of God’s wrath expressed in His abandonment of sinners. In the book of Romans 1:21-22&28 we see God speaking out “For though they knew God they did not glorify Him as God, or show gratitude. Instead their senseless hearts were darkened claiming to be wise”. (VS 28)”they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God. God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right”. Those who have not listened.
But God leaves us with a promise. In Proverbs 8:17 says “I love all who love me, those who search”. God wants us to seek Him and find Him and He is not saying that searching will not lead us any where. but todays verse tells us there is a danger, there is a point where it can become too late.
Wisdom Was calling and they refused to listen. So now, they are calling and she does not answer. We need to listen and respond when she calls, the offer will not be forever.
So here are some questions to ask ourselves. ….
Are you willing and interested in putting in the work responding to wisdom when she calls?
Do you tend to be one of those who prepares for a storm? Or when you get in the middle of it you find yourself drowning and need rescue? (Certainly no one is perfect in this, and this is not saying you put all your effort in saving yourself; it can’t be done.”)
But those tendencies can show up in our spiritual lives too. We can be people who think we have to rely on our own effort. We do all this preparing and we will be prepared and it will go the way we want. Or we can be people who completely ignore preparation or spiritual work until we are in the middle of a storm.
If we are people who only look to God when it storms; are we really loving Him?
Do we really have an authentic relationship or is He more like a spiritual vending machine? (To clarify, God will rescue us from storms and allows them for reasons to get our attention. But if He has been calling and calling and our hearts are hard and unrepentant, there will be a point where He will abandon us to our own selves.) This is the warning of this poem.
Is there anything that God has been calling out to you about that you have been ignoring?
As I pray through these questions in my own life: I am thinking what does it mean to put in the work when wisdom is calling? As I go through these studies and other studies, I see there are things I haven’t done in the past that I should be doing to take and develop to listen to wisdom. It only takes one step in the right direction. One decision to develop habits to a better change.
What about You?
Blessings,
Christy C.
My Messy Beautiful Life 