Pro 1:20-22 | KingComments | STEP | After the father has spoken, now Wisdom comes to speak. The father has warned his son about the company of sinners. This was done in the private sphere of the domestic circle. Now Wisdom is speaking to sinners. That happens in public. Starting in , there is a long call from Wisdom to sinners who are outside. There is an insistence heard in Her voice that is not heard that way in the voice of the father. She addresses Herself to sinners who have already made their choice. We can also think of young people who have ignored their father’s warnings. They have joined the bad company of sinners despite all warnings and are now fully part of it. Yet Wisdom does not abandon them to their fate, but goes after them and holds out to them where their path ends. She calls them to reflect and repent in order to escape that end. Wisdom is shown here as a Divine Person Who shouts loudly in public places (“in the street”, “in the square”). There is much noise around Her, so there is a great danger that Her voice will not be heard ( ). Therefore, She lifts Her voice. She does so wherever people are busy doing the daily things that can so engross a person. But life consists of more than making money. She even goes to the “entrance of the gates in the city”, the place where people enter the city to trade and make a profit. That is also where the judges are found who are often only after their own benefit. There She speaks Her words to call those present to repent. Wisdom begins with the complaint “how long?” ( ). This question implies that there is a possibility to return from the path of the sinner and at the same time that there will come a moment that it is no longer possible. After the question, She addresses three groups of people. She addresses the “naive ones”, “scoffers” and “fools”. The naive one is someone who does not think about life and lives it as it comes. He believes everything, except God, and investigates nothing. He does not think about God and the future. Any call made to think about life is seen by him as a disturbance of his peace and an intrusion on his privacy. He sees it as a disturbing, nonsensical alarm. The scoffer is the rebellious and cynical freethinker. He thinks he knows everything and is without any fear or shame. Regret is unknown to him. He is blunt and crude in his dealings and in his words. All decency is lacking. Scoffing is a favorite pastime of his. To him, religion is something for backward people. The fool is the morally corrupt, insensitive wicked. He shuts himself off from everything that could make him wise and happy. Of many other things he has knowledge, at least he thinks so, but of the beginning of true knowledge, the fear of the LORD, he wants to know nothing. The knowledge of other things makes him blind and insensitive to true knowledge. Wisdom calls them all to turn to Her reproof, that is, to obey it ( ). When that happens, She will pour out Her Spirit on them and as a result She will make Her words known. She promises that the Bible, which until now has been a closed Book, will open to them and they will understand its contents. We need that Spirit of wisdom to understand the words of God (cf. ).

‏ Proverbs 1:20-22

Wisdom Shouts

After the father has spoken, now Wisdom comes to speak. The father has warned his son about the company of sinners. This was done in the private sphere of the domestic circle. Now Wisdom is speaking to sinners. That happens in public. Starting in Pro 1:20, there is a long call from Wisdom to sinners who are outside.

There is an insistence heard in Her voice that is not heard that way in the voice of the father. She addresses Herself to sinners who have already made their choice. We can also think of young people who have ignored their father’s warnings. They have joined the bad company of sinners despite all warnings and are now fully part of it. Yet Wisdom does not abandon them to their fate, but goes after them and holds out to them where their path ends. She calls them to reflect and repent in order to escape that end.

Wisdom is shown here as a Divine Person Who shouts loudly in public places (“in the street”, “in the square”). There is much noise around Her, so there is a great danger that Her voice will not be heard (Pro 1:21). Therefore, She lifts Her voice. She does so wherever people are busy doing the daily things that can so engross a person. But life consists of more than making money. She even goes to the “entrance of the gates in the city”, the place where people enter the city to trade and make a profit. That is also where the judges are found who are often only after their own benefit. There She speaks Her words to call those present to repent.

Wisdom begins with the complaint “how long?” (Pro 1:22). This question implies that there is a possibility to return from the path of the sinner and at the same time that there will come a moment that it is no longer possible. After the question, She addresses three groups of people. She addresses the “naive ones”, “scoffers” and “fools”.

The naive one is someone who does not think about life and lives it as it comes. He believes everything, except God, and investigates nothing. He does not think about God and the future. Any call made to think about life is seen by him as a disturbance of his peace and an intrusion on his privacy. He sees it as a disturbing, nonsensical alarm.

The scoffer is the rebellious and cynical freethinker. He thinks he knows everything and is without any fear or shame. Regret is unknown to him. He is blunt and crude in his dealings and in his words. All decency is lacking. Scoffing is a favorite pastime of his. To him, religion is something for backward people.

The fool is the morally corrupt, insensitive wicked. He shuts himself off from everything that could make him wise and happy. Of many other things he has knowledge, at least he thinks so, but of the beginning of true knowledge, the fear of the LORD, he wants to know nothing. The knowledge of other things makes him blind and insensitive to true knowledge.

Wisdom calls them all to turn to Her reproof, that is, to obey it (Pro 1:23). When that happens, She will pour out Her Spirit on them and as a result She will make Her words known. She promises that the Bible, which until now has been a closed Book, will open to them and they will understand its contents. We need that Spirit of wisdom to understand the words of God (cf. Eph 1:17).