To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
Summary: In the movie “Forrest Gump” Forrest says, “Stupid is as stupid does.” There is a lot of wisdom in those five words. So what is wisdom, and why is she making so much noise?
What should we say about this passage? Wisdom obviously isn’t very picky about who she hangs out with. It sounds like she would like to impart her benefits to everyone on the planet. In fact, looking at the first three verses of this chapter, it appears that she works very hard to get everyone’s attention.
So how is she doing? How many people do you think are “wise”?
It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? You see people all the time doing things that are… well… stupid. Sometimes these people up their game and aspire to the title of, “Just Plain Stupid!” (It turns out “Stupid” is the Number One antonym for “wisdom.”) Why do we do stupid things? Why do we get in a rush or try to take a shortcut? (It is the shortcuts that really bite.)
Wisdom is calling us to be thoughtful about what we say and do. Is that so hard?
It turns out that when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, two things happened. One was a sudden separation from God (Genesis 3:10). Left untreated, this separation is fatal. We are spiritually dead.
The second thing that happened was having our minds opened to good and evil (Genesis 3: 5). The ramifications of this are boundless, and they are almost all bad.
Instead of living in childlike innocence, Adam and Eve and all their descendants have unfiltered access to the infinite range of possibilities that are available to us. Like a kid in a candy store, we can see all the choices before us, but we don’t know the consequences until we actually try the candy. (Those Red Hots look really good until they start to burn!)
And what happens when we eat too much candy? In the short term, we might get sick and “lose our cookies.” In the long term, we might succumb to any number of diseases brought on by the imbalance of sugars in our body.
The same is true spiritually. Maybe we do something and end up just a little sick or with a little burn. That wasn’t too bad. Let’s try more next time and… soon our adventures take on a higher level of risk.
We need wisdom, and we need our Lord. Humility is the necessary welcome mat for both of these dignitaries. When we invite Jesus into our hearts, he brings wisdom with him.
Application: If you need more wisdom in your life, ask for it (James 1:5).
Food for Thought: What kind of people listen to wisdom when she calls?
I think it would be the same people who search for wisdom and understanding in the first place. We are encouraged to seek wisdom like we would seek for silver and search for wisdom like hidden treasure. That implies activity to pursue wisdom as that which is of greatest value. Proverbs 2: 1 – 5.
Jesus said “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5: 6). We are blessed when we long for God like we long for our daily sustenance. The same people who seek, find – those who knock will have the door opened to them (Mathew 7: 7 – 8).
The same people who value God’s wisdom and desire a closer walk with God will likely listen to God’s wisdom and respond to His truth.
Rich,
Your comment is intriguing. There is a connection between valuing God and valuing wisdom. I agree.
My grandfather used to tell me that wisdom calls out to three types of people: the simple (young or unknowledgeable), the scorners (mockers), and fools.
Proverbs 1:20-24
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
“How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teaching
Wisdom calls out to them because they are missing a component of God’s intension for their life: His Word (Wisdom) living in their hearts. Wisdom calls out to them because they don’t recognize what is going on around them and in their hearts.
What kind of people listen to wisdom when she calls?
Honest, humble, and mindful people.
Interesting point. And the next phrasen in this passage concurs:
O naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom.
If wisdom is not out calling for the wise, then those who listen are not yet wise, but will be. They are those who are willing to change. Those who are willing to consider having been wrong. Those who are perhaps just curious to see what else is out there.
But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”
Matthew 9:12
Now, once we have listened to wisdom once and seek wisdom, is she calling out to you on the street? Or do you just visit her like a friend?
A –
I like the comparison with Jesus’ words about the healthy and the sick. (Similar to what Rich said.) Then you pose the question of whether we are always listening to wisdom or just occasionally. This also parallels a question that plagues thinking believers. When we accept Jesus as Lord do we always submit to Him or just “visit like a friend?”
This brings Romans 14:4 to mind where Paul writes, “And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” If listening to wisdom made us suddenly wise, we would not need wisdom because we would BE wisdom. But we are not, we we continually need wisdom to teach and guide us.
Thank you, Chris.
I think your grandfather must have been an honest, humble and mindful person. I think you are following in his footsteps. 🙂
Thank you for that, that is very encouraging.
03-21-2022, Proverbs 8:4, What kind of people listen to wisdom when she calls?
The word of God is the wisdom of God for all mankind. He does not withhold His Wisdom from anyone, but gives to all that ask in faith.
Proverbs 5:1, James 3:17
“In the beginning was THE WORD, and THE WORD was with God, and THE WORD was God. And THE WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:1, John 1:14
Christ calls to all by the Holy Spirit and will give whatever the
humble, weary and broken ask for in faith.
John 16:8-13, Matthew 7:7-11, 11:28, Mark 11:24,
Ron,
I like your straightforward approach: God’s Word = Wisdom
I think this approach is both valuable and important because it avoids any confusion with what we might call “worldly wisdom.”
🤗