Prov 1.20-33 The People of Proverbs 110213AM@TBC

 

 The Complementing Perspectives of

The Law

Leviticus 19:35-37

³⁵ 'You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. ³⁶ You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ 'Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the Lord.' "

The Prophets

Zechariah 5

 4 "I will send out the curse," says the Lord of hosts; "It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with its timber and stones."

The Sages

Proverbs 10.2

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

PROVERBS outline

Part 1: Messages of Solomon (1-9)

Part 2: Short Proverbs of Solomon (10-22)

Part 3: Five Collections (22-31)

CONTEXT of passage

The conflicting calls of

sinners, 1.10-19

My son, if sinners entice you...

Wisdom,  1.20-33

Wisdom cries aloud…

and the wicked  Chapter 2

My son,  you receive my words...

the evil … the immoral woman

BIG IDEA:

Your character has consequences.

Character in the sense

not one of the attributes or features

but main or essential nature

Proverbs is a “how to be” book, not a “how to” book.

Consequences often temporal,

but especially of an eternal nature.

I. Appeal of Wisdom to the simple(1:20-23)

²⁰ Wisdom calls aloud outside;

   She        raises her voice in the open squares.

²¹ She       cries out in the chief concourses,

At the openings of the gates in the city

   She       speaks her words:

²² "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

²³ Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

A. Setting of the Appeal.

1. The Broad Appeal

· We tend to have a stereotype of wisdom as some ascetic guru up on some remote mountain.

· This picture is more like your mother standing at the front door and calling you in to supper at the end of the day.

· “The image of the prophet helps to convey the urgency of wisdom’s challenge.”  —New Bible Commentary

· Wisdom’s call is

PUBLIC— speaks to all sorts of people in all sorts of places—no light under the basket here.  (missions/evangelism )

PERSISTENT—Lady Wisdom is not a gentle persuader; she is patient, not dissuaded by rejection

PERSUASIVE—not leaving children to decide for themselves whatever they want to think “about religion”  (parenting application)

2. The Nature of Wisdom & 

Wisdom חָכְמָה (ḥā∙ḵemā(h)): n.fem.; ≡Str 2451; TWOT 647a—1. the capacity to understand and so have skill in living, implying adherence to a set standard

Dt4.6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
Wisdom
Proverbs 1:2; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 2:2; Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 2:10; Proverbs 3:13; Proverbs 3:19; Proverbs 4:5; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 4:11; Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 7:4; Proverbs 8:1; Proverbs 8:11-12; Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 10:31; Proverbs 14:6; Proverbs 14:8; Proverbs 14:33; Proverbs 15:33; Proverbs 16:16; Proverbs 17:16; Proverbs 17:24; Proverbs 18:4; Proverbs 21:30; Proverbs 23:23; Proverbs 24:3; Proverbs 24:14; Proverbs 28:26; Proverbs 29:3; Proverbs 29:15; Proverbs 30:3; Proverbs 31:2
wise
Proverbs 1:2; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 2:2; Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 2:10; Proverbs 3:13; Proverbs 3:19; Proverbs 4:5; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 4:11; Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 7:4; Proverbs 8:1; Proverbs 8:11-12; Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 10:31; Proverbs 14:6; Proverbs 14:8; Proverbs 14:33; Proverbs 15:33; Proverbs 16:16; Proverbs 17:16; Proverbs 17:24; Proverbs 18:4; Proverbs 21:30; Proverbs 23:23; Proverbs 24:3; Proverbs 24:14; Proverbs 28:26; Proverbs 29:3; Proverbs 29:15; Proverbs 30:3; Proverbs 31:26

· God fearing and humble

Proverbs 3.7

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

· Teachable

Proverbs 10.8

The wise in heart will receive commandments:

but a prating fool shall fall .

· Prudent

Proverbs 14.16

A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: 

but the fool rageth , and is confident .

· Seeks knowledge

Proverbs 18.15

The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,

And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

· Self-control

Proverbs 29.11

A fool vents all his feelings,

But a wise man holds them back.

B. Recipients of the Appeal.

²² "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

²³ Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

1. The Simple   &  

Simple I. פֶּתִי (pě∙ṯî): adj. [oth n.masc.]; ≡ Str 6612; TWOT 1853a;  simple, naive, i.e., pertaining to persons that are easily deceived or persuaded, showing lack of wisdom and understanding, yet having some capacity to change this condition (Ps 19:7)

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure , making wise the simple.

ylt, kjv, nkjv, esv, niv—simple; nasb—naïve; nlt--simpletons
·simple Proverbs 1:4; Proverbs 1:22; Proverbs 1:32; Proverbs 7:7; Proverbs 8:5; Proverbs 9:4; Proverbs 9:6; Proverbs 9:16; Proverbs 14:15; Proverbs 14:18; Proverbs 19:25; Proverbs 21:11; Proverbs 22:3; Proverbs 27:12

  Lack of good sense

Proverbs 7.7

And saw among the simple,

I perceived among the youths,

A young man devoid of understanding,

· Gullible

Proverbs 14.15

The simple believes every word,

But the prudent considers well his steps.

· Lack of foresight

Proverbs 22.12

A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,

But the simple pass on and are punished.

Proverbs 1:4; Proverbs 1:22; Proverbs 1:32; Proverbs 7:7; Proverbs 8:5; Proverbs 9:4; Proverbs 9:6; Proverbs 9:16; Proverbs 14:15; Proverbs 14:18; Proverbs 19:25; Proverbs 21:11; Proverbs 22:3; Proverbs 27:12

· She addresses only the gullible (vv. 22a, 23). Her aside, however, lumps the gullible together with fools and mockers and implicitly warns them against a progressive hardening in apostasy;

——Bruce Waltke in NICOT

 2. The Fool  &  

כְסִי (kĕsîl) n.masc.; ≡ Str 3684; TWOT 1011c;  I. Fool, dullard. This noun, except for three occurrences in Ps, is found only in Prov and Eccl. In Prov three words are rendered fool, kĕsîl referring to the dull or obstinate one, referring not to mental deficiency, but to a propensity to make wrong choices. 

· Enjoys trouble and mischief

Proverbs 10.23

To do evil is like sport to a fool,

But a man of understanding has wisdom.

· Trouble to those around him

Proverbs 13.20

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise :

but a companion of fools shall be destroyed .

· No heart to learn

Prov 17.16

Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

· Overly self-confident

Proverbs 28.26

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

3. The Scorner  &  

לִיץ (lîṣ): v.; ≡ Str 3887; TWOT 1113; (qal) mock, scorn, formally, talk big, i.e., speak words which show no respect for the object, and make fun of the object, with a possible focus of speaking in the situation with confidence and authority

ylt, kjv, nkjv—scorners; nasb, esv—scoffers;

niv, nlt--mockers

· Resents Correction

Proverbs 9.8

Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee:

rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

· Arrogant pride

Proverbs 21.24

A proud and haughty man--"Scoffer" is his name;

He acts with arrogant pride.

· Contentious troublemaker

Proverbs 22.10

Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;

Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

———————————————————-

²² "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

²³ Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

C. Message of the Appeal.

1. The Rebuke

תֹּוכַחַת   (tô∙ḵǎ∙ḥǎṯ): n.fem.; ≡ Str 8433; TWOT 865a—1. rebuke, correction, i.e., speak words which show strong disapproval, with possible actions of punishment to follow

Proverbs 29:1

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, 

Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.  

Proverbs 12:1  

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, 

But he who hates correction is stupid. 

· “Wisdom’s teaching will never set us on a course of irresponsible self-fulfillment.  Her warnings prevent us from thinking too highly of ourselves and too little of God.” 

  —Paul Koptak in NIVAC

2. The Call to Turn

שׁוּב (šûḇ): v.; ≡ Str 7725; TWOT 2340; 1. (qal) return, i.e., make linear motion back to a point previously departed; 2. (qal) turn, i.e., make a change in direction; 3. (qal) change, turn back to, return, i.e., cause a change to a previous, preferable state

· an OT term for repentance

· “If they turn back, their action will in itself imply their repentance, for they will have humbled themselves and acknowledged that Wisdom is right and that they have been in the wrong…”

——Bruce Waltke in NICOT

Proverbs is a “how to be” book,

not a “how to” book.

· The promises are encouraging.

APPLICATION # 1

What kind of soil is your heart?

“And seeing you will see and not perceive;

For the hearts of this people have grown dull.”

Matthew 9:14b-15a

——————————

We cannot afford the luxury of pride before God.

APPLICATION # 2

Has your pride made you sluggish and unwilling to turn?

Proverbs 29:23

A man's pride will bring him low,

But the humble in spirit will retain honor.

Daniel 4:37 NKJ

30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

II. Belligerence towards Wisdom’s Rebuke (1:24-25)

24 Because I have called and you refused, 

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,  

25 Because you disdained all my counsel, 

And would have none of my rebuke,

A. Called / Stretched

· Two words that reinforce Wisdom’s efforts to reach out to the simple.

B. Refused /Regarded / Distained / Have none

>>Refused

מָאַן (mā∙ʾǎn): v.; ≡ Str 3985; TWOT 1138—1. (piel) refuse, i.e., not agree or consent to a proposition or situation (Ge 39:8; Ex 22:16[EB 17]); 2. (piel) resist, i.e., be in a state of rebellion and defiant to an authority

regarded / distained

ylt, kjv, nasb, nkjv—refused, esv—refused to listen; niv—rejected; nlt—wouldn’t come

no one regarded

>>no one regarded

קָשַׁב (qā∙šǎḇ): v.; ≡Str 7181; TWOT 2084—(qal) listen,

Ylt—none is attending; kjv, nkjv—no man/one regarded; esv—heeded; niv—gave heed; nasb—no one paid attention; ylt—paid no attention

>>distained  פָּרַע (pā∙rǎʿ): v.; ≡ Str 6544; TWOT 1822—

(Lit.) (qal) be unkept, i.e., pertaining to a state of the hair that ranges from wild and uncombed to merely long hair not bound in some fashion

1. (qal) be out of control, i.e., have a mob or group have no restraint in activities, implying open defiance of a known standard or authority (Ex 32:25b+); be lawless (Pr 29:18+);

2. (qal) ignore, disregard, i.e., pay no attention or give no serious thought to proper actions or response (Pr 1:25; 8:33; 13:18; 15:32+);

4. (qal) avoid, i.e., keep away from an association as a figurative extension of not walking down a common trail or path (Pr 4:15+);

Nasb—neglected; nkjv—distained; esv, niv, nlt—ignored

>>would have none 

same word at in 1.10

My son, if sinners entice you;

Do not consent.

Jkv, nkjv, esv—have none of; nasb—not want; niv—not accept; nlt—would not accept

· The fourfold rejections matches the fourfold call in verses 20-21.

· It reinforces the obstinate rejection.

III. Calamity  of ignoringWisdom’s Call (1:26-31)

²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸ "Then they will call on me,

but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently,

but they will not find me.

²⁹ Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the Lord,

³⁰ They would have none of my counsel

And despised my every rebuke.

³¹ Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

A. “Your terror”

²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

²⁷ When your terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

1st  Their calamity will come.

2 Peter 3

³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." ⁵ For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, ⁶ by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

2nd  It will strike fear in their hearts.

3rd  It will be devastating.

destruction like a whirlwind

4th  There fright will turn to despair.

distress and anguish

· The wordplay in the Hebrew that we loose in the translation makes these phrases more memorable.

· The break from the normal parallelism with this third line, draws attention to it and makes it a point of emphasis.

B. Wisdom’s silence

²⁸ "Then they will call on me,

but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently,

but they will not find me.

· Note the turn to 3rd person in verse 28

· The shift from direct address to indirect address underscores that at the time of judgment “distanced replaces intimacy; separation displaces involvement,” as P. Trible noted.

—Bruce Waltke in NICOT

· The also (v. 26) points us back to how the scorner scorned and the fools and simple ignored Wisdom’s call.

· Now the tables are turned.  They will get what they gave.

C. “The fear of the Lord”

²⁹ Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the Lord,

³⁰ They would have none of my counsel

And despised my every rebuke.

This phrase is mentioned 30 times in the OT

     14xs in Proverbs

· The wise one is constantly thinking about how God looks on his character and deeds.

· It is an acknowledgment of God’s supreme position.

· It is an awareness of God’s position as judge.

· It is a daily and hourly acknowledgment of  a wise believer’s covenant relationship with the Lord.

In John Bunyan’s book, The Holy War (also retold by Ethel Barrett as The Chronicles of Mansoul), Diabolus provides the citizen’s of  Mansoul with his own armour.  Instead of the helmet of salvation he gives them

'1. My helmet, otherwise called an head-piece, is in hope of doing well at last, whatsoever lives you live. This is that which they had who said, that they should have peace, though they walked in the wickedness of their heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. A piece of approved armour this is, and whoever has it, and can hold it, so long no arrow, dart, sword, or shield can hurt him. This, therefore, keep on, and thou wilt keep off many a blow, my Mansoul.

· “Satan wants us to think that we can grab the bait and avoid the consequences.”  —Warren Weirsbe in Be Skillful

· “The fear of the Lord is the awareness that God is watching, weighing, and rewarding all I do, say, and think.”

· The gentle and wholesome fear of the Lord now is much better that the distress and anguish of the day of judgment.

“People deny the doctrine of final judgment because they do not want to give this life such dignity that decisions now affect an eternal future in a decisive and definitive way.”  

 —Bruce Waltke in NICOT

³¹ Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

fancies  מֹועֵצָה     (mô∙ʿē∙ṣā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 4156; TWOT 887b—1.  plan, scheme, i.e., what is part of the faculty of reason and thought  2. counsel, i.e., advice which gives wisdom and knowledge (Pr 22:20+); 3. customs, traditions, i.e., what is a particular pattern of practice (Mic 6:16+)

ylt—counsels; kjv, nasb, esv—devices; niv, nlt—schemes;

APPLICATION:

Whom do you seek to please?

What are you feeding on?

They shall “…be filled to the full with their own fancies.”

Proverbs 1:31b

IV. Destiny of Decisions about Wisdom (1:32-33)

³² For the turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³ But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,

And will be secure, without fear of evil."

A. Complacent

complacency 1 self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies 2 an instance of complacency

MW Collegiate Dict. (11th Ed.)

שַׁלְוָה    (šalwâ). Quietness, prosperity. A blessed character trait in anybody’s life (Ps 122:7; Prov 17:1). Yet it can become an open door to disaster. Note that one of Sodom’s sins was “abundance” of idleness (šāqaṭ, Ezk 16:49). It may produce “carelessness” (Prov 1:32). And a political platform promising peace at all costs can be nothing more than a subterfuge and a personal expedient.

Ezekiel 16:49

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom:

She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness;

neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

ylt—security; kjv—prosperity;

nasb, nkjv, esv, niv, nlt—complacency

 B. Secure

שָׁאַן   (šā∙ʾǎn): v.; ≡ Str 7599; TWOT 2304

This word as a good sense and a bad sense.  The context here indicates the good sense.

A person who hearkens to wisdom shall be quiet (šāʾan) according to Prov 1:33; and, according to Job’s lamentation, death also gives rest (šāʾan) (Job 3:18). The Lord, however, is the ultimate giver of true tranquility, and using this verb in both Jer 30:10 and 46:27, he promises eventually to restore the nation of Israel and she shall be quiet (30:10) and be at ease (46:27), “And no one shall make him (Jacob) afraid!” This condition of peace, full restoration and utter freedom from fear for a converted Israel has never yet occurred: it is awaited.  —TWOT

2 Peter 2.9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

“And, oh! be it remembered, that every inattention, every willful neglect, is a burden, then a scorn.  The fool may seem to be spared from judgment.  But his prosperity is his destruction.  To desire ease therefore, is to embrace a deadly enemy.  Who that knows his own heart will not feel it a matter, not of congratulation, but of deep and anxious prayer.”

—Charles Bridges in The Geneva Series of Commentaries

"Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior"

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,

Hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

Refrain

Savior, Savior,

Hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

Let me at Thy throne of mercy

Find a sweet relief,

Kneeling there in deep contrition;

Help my unbelief.

Refrain

Trusting only in Thy merit,

Would I seek Thy face;

Heal my wounded, broken spirit,

Save me by Thy grace.

 Refrain

Thou the Spring of all my comfort,

More than life to me,

Whom have I on earth beside Thee?

Whom in Heav’n but Thee?

 Refrain

Benediction

Forsake foolishness 

and live, 

And go in the way of understanding.

Prov 9.6