Proverbs 1:20-33

Ok, finally part 2 of Proverbs chapter 1.

Proverbs 1:20-33 (New International Version)

Warning Against Rejecting Wisdom
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares;
21 at the head of the noisy streets [a] she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

So I didn't know what a gateway was and had to do a little research to find out. A gateway was where the leaders of the city met to hold court and where the marketplace was located.

22 "How long will you simple ones [b] love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?

23 If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.

I kind of reworded this verse for myself after doing some research on the word poured. The word "poured" in this instance was used to describe God's actions as a fountain. My bible says "poured like a fountain, constant & continuous" So I reworded the verse for me to say, "If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you like a fountain and made my thoughts constantly and continuously known to you" But the key word in that verse is "if" "if we had responded". Can you imagine how much of Gods word we have missed out on because we didn't respond to Him?

24 But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

25 since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,

My bible referenced these two verses back to Isaiah 1:4 and 5:24 when God was rejected by Israel, and Matthew 23:37 when Jesus was rejected by the people of Jerusalem.

26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.

Pretty self explanatory but can I just interject here and say knife in the heart!

29 Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,

30 since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,

31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

Basically we reap what we sow, we pay the consequences of our actions. Again, knife in the heart!

32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."



So there it is for Proverbs 1.