PROVERB PRACTICALS  

 

Proverbs 1:20-23,  Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Isaiah 55:10,11,  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God does not intend that his word be confined.

The word of God is not a secret and no man has a monopoly on the word of God.

Isaiah 55:10,11 tell us that the word of God is as free as the rain coming down to the earth and as free as the snow from heaven.

It is designed to cover the earth with refreshment and not only to cover the earth but to enable the earth to bring forth fruit.

The word of God has a mission and that mission will be realized because God Almighty so ordains it to be realized.

In our proverbs for today we are told that wisdom cries without.

This simply means that wisdom is not confined to the inside, wisdom is not confined by man made walls or man made fences.

Insides are made by men but outsides are made by God.

Where does God point us to see his work?

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.

Wisdom is not confined by stately church buildings or by the minds or hands of men.

The mind of man is not the source of Wisdom and man cannot confine wisdom.

Like the freedom of the word of God so is the freedom of wisdom.

They are one and the same in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the word made flesh and he is the personification of wisdom.

Jesus Christ, the word of God, is wisdom.

And God is a God that makes way for wisdom to cry out to men.

Did not Jesus Christ tell us that he came to seek and to save that which was lost?

Do not these proverbs tell us that wisdom does the same?

The word cry in verse 20 means to shout out aloud for joy, a triumphal shouting.

Not a begging cry, not a mournful cry, but a triumphal shout.

This is not a Woe is me, no one is listening to me, cry.

This shout is not in a barrel or a well to be muffled or muted.

It is a public shout in the manner of the shout that the Lord in:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 shouts,  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Wisdom crieth without: This shout, this cry is outdoors, it is abroad, it is on the highways and streets.

The same highways and streets where Jesus Christ walked.

This cry is designed to be heard by the multitudes.

Shouted with purpose it results in that which wisdom pleases.

It will not return to wisdom void or empty.

It is shouted in the chief place of the concourse.

To us that would mean it is shouted at the intersection of two interstate highways where a multitude of traffic coincides.

Wisdom shouts at the gate, not at a closed gate that no one comes to but at the open gate which attracts the throngs to the city.

A place of passage where multitudes of people come.

You see, wisdom announces itself in the major marketplaces.

In our vernacular Wisdom uses CNN and ABC and CBS and NBC.

Wisdom does not hide from the multitudes.

Wisdom makes sure her message is heard!

Wisdom insures that the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Wisdom insures her message is so broadcast that they are without excuse.

Who are they that wisdom aims her message at?

Wisdom carefully directs her message to a select group.

Wisdom is concerned that the individuals of this group be without excuse.

Wisdom takes every means to insure that her message be clear to the simple ones, that her message be clear to the scorners, that her message be known to the fools.

She shouts in a voice full of triumph: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

There is no excuse for ignorance of wisdom because God himself declares that he will pour out his spirit of knowledge to the simple, to the scorner or to the fool.

Does not James 1:5 declare,  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

He directs this message at degrees of unbelief, the simple, the scorner, and lastly the fool who has decided no God for him.

Simple ones, wisdom says! You who love simplicity. You who are so susceptible to seduction.

You who consider all truth to be but a bother to your apathy.

You who shun or turn away from all knowledge of the Holy One as disturbing to your comfort in this life.

Simple ones who consider not that God sees them and are accountable for their sins.

Simple ones who think that all things will come out alright.

Everything is wonderful, I'm OK, You're OK!

Simple ones who refuse to be disturbed with reality!

Behold, (Ye simple ones) I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

She shouts in a voice full of triumph:

And next scorners! You who have no fear of God, you who make a mock of sin, you who not only scorn but delight in scorning, you who delight in the fall of the righteous.

You who are at least not apathetic against the things of God but take an active position against God.

Behold, (Ye scorners) I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

She shouts in a voice full of triumph:

And lastly Wisdom addresses the Fools!

Those who in their heart have declared God dead.

Those who not only refuse knowledge but hate knowledge because knowledge upsets the foundation of their heart.

Knowledge only alarms them of their fragile condition.

Knowledge will open their eyes to the reality of life and death.

So they willingly exclude knowledge of God by declaring no God for me.

Worse than the scorners because they exclude even the knowledge of God.

But God does not forget the fool, or the scorner, nor does he forget the simple ones.

He continues to cry out in triumphal shouts in the streets in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying:

Behold, (Fools) I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Simply turn you at my reproof Wisdom cries. God simply looks for a repentant heart.

His grace is unbounded and reaches out to the simple, to the scorner, and to the fool.