Proverbs 1.20-22
“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?”
This passage says that the voice of wisdom competes with the noise in the marketplace. Wisdom must “cry aloud in the street” in order to be heard above the commotion. Wisdom speaks “at the entrance of the city gates.” In biblical times, the gate or entrance of a town was a central gathering place. It was the place of debate, advice, and ruling. This is where wisdom is being proclaimed … but you must have eyes to see it, ears to hear it, and a heart that is open to it.
The picture being painted here is that of Wisdom, surrounded by the noise of everyday life, standing and appealing to anyone who will listen, calling them to hear the words of the Lord and to embrace his truth. In order to be heard, “Wisdom” has chosen to be where the people are.
The point is that truth is not hidden. The moral standards that the Lord has built into the universe are self-evident. In most situations, people know the right thing to do. The question is this: How long will foolish people continue to do foolish things? How long will people ignore God’s standards? How long will people listen to the noise and fail to listen to the voice of truth?
“Simple” is the Hebrew pethi, and it refers to people devoid of understanding. These are people who are morally bankrupt.
“Scoffers” is the Hebrew lits, and it refers to people who are arrogantly contemptuous toward God. It is people who show insolent ridicule toward the Lord and his standards.
The pethi (morally bankrupt) and the lits (arrogantly contemptuous) are foolish people who do not want to be instructed. They hate knowledge; they despise clear standards; they reject God. Fools fail to see God’s truth embedded in reality. They live in denial of the principles that God has inscribed on the universe he has created.
Throughout the book of Proverbs the opposite of wisdom is called foolishness. Fools are people who are willfully out of touch with reality. They believe foolish things, say foolish things, and do foolish things. They care nothing about what God says in scripture; indeed, they are insulting and derisive about God, scripture, and the Christian faith.
The ultimate foolishness is to reject Jesus and to reject his truth in scripture.
Jesus described the foolish person this way: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7.24-25)
Jesus described the wise person this way: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:26-27)
May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and the heart to obey the truth of Jesus.
