Proverbs 1:28-33,  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

We are told that Wisdom crieth without. Wisdom has made every effort to influence the simple, the scorner, and the fool.

Wisdom has loudly called: by his creation, by his word, by his providence, by his servants and by conscience given to every man.

Wisdom is longsuffering but we learn in our proverb for today that there comes a time when the unbeliever will call upon wisdom and wisdom will not answer.

Wisdom is patient but wisdom's patience is not forever!

There will come a time when wisdom chooses not to respond to the cries of the simple, no matter how pleading and emotional.

There will come a time when wisdom rejects the call of the unbeliever in the same manner that wisdom was rejected by the simple, the scorner and the fool.

Reaping of that which is sown by unbelief will occur because God is true, God is just. God does not relax his principles!

When he says that: Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap, it is not a idle remark!

It is a truth we can depend upon!

Rejection of the call of wisdom by the sinner will result in rejection by wisdom when the sinner calls.

Prayers of faith will always be heard but prayers of desperation based upon the self interest of the rebel will not be heard.

The cries of the unbeliever resulting from calamity,

from personnel destruction and desolation and distress and anguish will not be met by the compassion of wisdom.

There is a time to find the Lord, but there also is a time when the Lord cannot be found.

There is a time when the Lord hides himself from unbelief.

Do not sinners who love sin, repent in order to continue in sin?

One writer has said, True repentance is never too late, but late repentance is seldom true.

In other words don't count on a deathbed repentance to be heard!

Listen to the outwardly repentant sinner of:

Hosea 7:13,14,  Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds:

Were there not two thieves next to Jesus Christ on the cross?

The faithless one who only wanted to be free from desolation, proclaimed, "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us."

No true repentance in his call to Jesus Christ, the personification of wisdom.

His call was based only upon desire to be delivered to sin again and again.

Get me out of this mess Lord, I've got a lot of living to do.

Which being interpreted, I've got a lot of sinning to do!

While the truly repentant cried in his prayer, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

You see the truly repentant was not trying to get out of the mess he was in so he could continue to sin.

He called out in faith to be remembered on the other side of the grave.

He recognized Jesus Christ as Lord and he recognized him as the King who could deliver him to sin no more.

True repentance is never late, late repentance is seldom true.

This is the crux of the matter. They hated knowledge.

By their hatred of knowledge they would not choose the fear of the Lord because knowledge of the Lord reveals a God who hates sin.

And to fear the Lord is also to hate sin.

Fearing the Lord is hating what the Lord hates!

But they did not hate sin so they chose enmity or hostility against God rather than the fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord will bring true repentance because God hates sin.

But love of sin repels repentance. Love of sin repels the counsel of God.

Love of sin brings one to despise reproof because reproof is given for the purpose of discontinuing sin.

Despising reproof is an indicator of the love of sin because reproof is designed to stop sin.

God is not to be blamed. Wisdom has done her job in calling the simple, the scorner, and the fool.

The unbeliever is to be blamed.

No excuse is found outside of the simple, the scorner, the fool.

No doubt the trouble is with unbelief! Wisdom cannot be blamed.

God does not intervene. The harvest will take place.

The seed that is planted by unbelief is allowed to bring forth its fruit and the unbeliever eats to the fullest.

God will not cancel his truth for unbelief.

The simple, the scorner and the fool will eat the fruit of counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing.

They shall eat the fruit of doing despite unto the Spirit of grace.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: There is a payday of the unrepentant sinner.

Again we see who is responsible for the sinners doom.

He is responsible because by his will he turns away from the beseeching voice of Wisdom.

He turns away from the only help.

There is no other fountain where thirst is quenched.

And yet he turns to fountains of his own construction found in the depths of his deceitful heart.

And the fool counts on his prosperity to convince him of his safety.

He refused to take the outstretched hand of wisdom.

Instead he stretched his hand toward the wealth of this world and therefore eats the fruit of this life to the fullest.

He refuses to admit that the same fruit will lead him into Hell.

But God closes this passage with a continuing call, a beseeching voice of Wisdom when he promises in:

Proverbs 1:33,  But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

We are to get under the covers with God and only there will we dwell safely.

Only there can we cry out to God and be heard.

His children will have no fear of the destruction and desolation that will come upon the ones refusing to hear the cry of Wisdom.