Reflections From The Proverbs: Wisdom Ignored

Wisdom Ignored

Proverbs Chapter 1
24. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25. Since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
26. I in turn will laugh at your disaster; 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.
We discussed earlier the wonderful reward available to us when we have a reverent acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God. Today we will look at the results when wisdom is rejected and godly advise is ignored.
These verses don’t say if your life becomes a disaster or if calamity overtakes you, or if disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind. It says when calamity overtakes you and when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, and when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
These things are guaranteed to happen apart from the leadership of God. God knows where all the land mines are. He can guide you around them. On our own we will probably hit every one.
Difficulties come even in the lives of those who are following the leadership of God. He allows these times to be times of teaching and growing. But going through difficult times with a strong hand to hold is better than going through difficult times all on your own.
God tells us the outcome of following our own way instead of his way. And, when we follow our own way and arrive at the for-warned outcome of calamity God finds it laughable that we are surprised and overwhelmed,. He is not heartless, it is just that truth will be so obvious. And he reminds us that He is not found in the midst of disobedience. We have a choice. We can choose to fear the Lord, or we can choose to not fear the Lord. Our choice will affect our life with either reward or with calamity.
The New Testament says you will reap what you sow. These Old Testament verses say you will eat the fruit of your ways. There is a law here that will not be interrupted. If you plant corn, corn is the only thing that can come up. No matter how badly you want peas, the corn will only produce corn. The fruit of our ways will bear fruit after the likeness of our ways. No matter how we wish the outcome were different.
The good news from these sad verses is this. We do have a choice. Joshua 24:14-15 says: "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
We have a choice. It is my prayer that we will be a nation of people choosing the wise leadership of a wise and loving God.