He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Ignoring The Proverbs Brings God’s
Displeasure Upon Us: Prov 1:24-28
24) Because I have called, and ye refused; I have
stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25) But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and
would none of my reproof:
26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock
when your fear cometh;
27) When your fear cometh as desolation, and your
destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28) Then shall they call upon me, but I will not
answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
INTRODUCTION:
Solomon explains the
grave consequences that are faced when wisdom of God is ignored.
EXPOSITION:
24) Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Wisdom
now explains what will take place if her gracious invitation is refused….
She
has called out, issuing a personal invitation to come and hear her words, which
was utterly rejected. She has extended
an open hand of offering and yet no attention was given to it.
This
is describing the WILLFUL rejection of the words of wisdom. It is making an INFORMED CHOICE to not heed
its call, nor respond to its offer.
“I
have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in
a way [that was] not good, after their own thoughts;” Isaiah 65:2
25) But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would
none of my reproof:
Those
who have chosen to reject wisdom’s offer has dismissed (or sent away) wisdom’s
advice and be content knowing the correction is awaiting them.
“But my people would
not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.” Ps
81:11
26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when
your fear cometh;
Because
wisdom has been purposefully refused, the results of that choice must be faced without
divine comfort and aid…
1.
Wisdom will find pleasure (shown in laughter) in justice being issued. This justice will be in the form of
withholding of grace resulting in ruin.
2.
Wisdom will bring to remembrance the rejection of her invitation (the purpose
of the mocking) when the rejecters are facing dreadful, alarming times.
Here,
again, we see the Lord’s knowledge of justice eventually being performed as a
source of His pleasure...
“The Lord shall laugh
at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.” Ps
37:13 (KJV)
27) When your fear cometh as desolation, and your
destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28) Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer;
they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
When the troubles rush down
like a windstorm resulting in the uprooting of life (like a tornado); when there
seems to be no escape and troubles must be faced there will be no hope. This is because the Lord does not honor the seeking
of Him, when forced to do so.
In this case, He is
sought for personal gain alone apart from any desire to submit to, nor trust in,
Him. He will not respond, nor will He
show Himself to rebellious, selfish seekers.
Throughout the Old
Testament, we have example after example given of those who reject the Word who
then face troubles as a result. We are
to learn from these examples and seek the application of His truth in our lives…
“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 12:25
SUMMARY:
Solomon
graciously warns each one of us of the results of our rejecting Wisdom and the futility
of seeking the Lord out of self-serving motives. These result in displeasure before the Lord
and His ultimate rejection. By God’s
grace, let us all heed the words of Wisdom and come before His presence
trusting in Him and in submission to His will.
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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