“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” – Proverbs 1:20-23
You are as wise as you want to be. Wisdom is crying out to you as you go about your life (e.g., in the streets, in the markets, at the gates). How long will you ignore her?
As a CPA, I was asked by clients if they should take their social security benefits early, at the standard retirement age, or wait until they could get the maximum monthly benefit. My answer would be, “Well, that depends on how long you’re going to live!” Yet that is the unanswerable question.
How long will you ignore God? You should not be calculating best-case and worst-case scenarios with God like you do in financial decisions. Maybe you think you have plenty of time, but the truth is, you don’t know. So, turn your ear to God’s merciful cry to pour out his spirit on you. He desires to make his word known to you, but you must repent.
God desires that all come to him. Wisdom is addressing the “simple,” the “scoffers,” and the “fools.” These are three different types of people, in various stages of rebellion against God. Yet, they all have an opportunity to turn at His reproof. From the gullible, naive person, who believes everything the world throws at him, to the proud, arrogant mocker, who despises God and makes fun of His word, everyone is invited.
There is a promise for anyone who will repent when they hear God’s voice: he will pour out his spirit on you and make his words known to you. These four verses in Proverbs sound quite similar to Peter’s sermon found in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. When he preached in the street, the people who heard were greatly affected, and they asked him what they should do. What was his answer? He said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
How long will you ignore God? I hope you answer, “Not one more second!” Whether you need to respond to the gospel for the first time for salvation or you just need to grow in wisdom, stop ignoring God now and turn to him for life and true knowledge. He is not only inviting you: He is crying out to you!
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