He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Ignoring The Proverbs Brings God’s
Displeasure Upon Us: Prov 1:29-33
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.
INTRODUCTION:
Solomon continues His
explanation of the cost that is incurred when the wisdom of God is ignored.
EXPOSITION:
29) For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the
LORD:
Solomon
describes those who ignore these proverbs as enemies of the truth with no desire
to reverence, honor or submit to the Lord.
They have no respect for the Lord’s holiness, His power or His hand of
chastening.
“Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What [is] the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should
we have, if we pray unto him?” Job
21:14-15
30) They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
There
is no acceptance of His advice which results in the brushing off all of the
Lord’s corrections.
“But this thing commanded I them, saying,
Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye
in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not,
nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels [and] in the imagination of
their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.” Jer 7:23-24
31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be
filled with their own devices.
Because
the seed of mistreatment of the Lord and His Word is sown, they reap a fitting
harvest. They have brought this bitter
reward upon themselves resulting in them being “filled to their limit”,
disgusted, with their own sinful
inventions that have brought such sorrow upon them.
“Say ye to the righteous,
that [it shall be] well [with him]: for they shall eat the fruit
of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him]: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” Isa 3:10-11
32) For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the
prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Solomon
continues to emphasize their responsibility by reminding us that, when the
naïve depart from the truths of God, it will result in their eternal death and
destruction. Likewise, when the foolish
choose the riches of the world over the things of God, they, too, will face
eternal ruin.
“And to Jesus the mediator of the new
covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that
of] Abel. See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth,
much more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh]
from heaven:” Heb
12:24-25 (KJV)
33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet
from fear of evil.
In comparison, by hearing
with attention, understanding, and a desire to obey, a place of refuge for the
listener is made secure. Within this
refuge there will be peace and serenity in the midst of dreadful alarming
adversities.
“O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been
as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:” Isa 48:18
SUMMARY:
This
is a continuing explanation of the results of ignoring the wisdom that God has
so graciously given to us through the pen of Solomon. Especially, we can see that we are held
accountable by Almighty God to receive His words and apply them to our lives. When we purposely walk away from His
teachings, refusing to learn nor apply them to our lives we can only expect a
dreadful, deserved end.
As
we look back at the entire chapter we can see that Solomon has made a very
strong case for the need to study these teachings and seek by God’s grace to
apply them to our lives….
1.
Introduction – 1:1
2.
Proverbs Equips Us For Service – 1:2-4
3.
Proverbs Brings Blessings Upon Those Who Embrace Them – 1:5-9
4.
Proverbs Gives Us Direction To Avoid Evil – 1:10-15
5.
Proverbs Gives Us Reasons To Avoid Evil – 1:16-19
6.
Proverbs Reveals The Value Of Godly Wisdom – 1:20-23
7.
Proverbs, When Ignored, Brings Upon Us God’s Displeasure – 1:24-33
What
better reasons could we have to diligently search the Proverbs for all their
hidden treasures?
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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