The call of Wisdom

 

Location. Location. Location.

            I recently visited a park and noticed a beautiful old stone fountain. Most of its surface was covered with moss. Dark, damp, and weathered. Yet one small area was squeaky clean, as if it refused to give in to the decay surrounding it. It felt like a picture of life itself. A reminder that where we position ourselves can make all the difference.

Location doesn’t just apply to real estate. It applies to where we stand when Wisdom calls.

In the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom doesn’t whisper quietly from a hidden room. She stands in the town square, calling aloud, begging and pleading for people to listen:

“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 teachings.’”

(Proverbs 1:20–23)

            Why do these words have different effects on different people? Why can one person walk by and be changed forever, while another shrugs and moves on? What separates the simple, the mockers, and the fools? And where do I stand among them?

A Call to Hear  and a Call to Act

Imagine this scene:

            You’re standing in a bustling square. The world spins slowly. Voices echo, bouncing from walls until you can’t make sense of any of it. You want to shut your ears, to block it all out. The sound is overwhelming. Confusing.

            But then, the camera shifts focus. Suddenly, you can hear clearly. The noise gives way to crisp, hopeful words. The sun shines down upon friends and guides. Voices of comfort, reason, and, yes, admonition. The distortion was never in the sound itself. It was in the way you were listening.

Have you felt like that? I have.

            I felt like a person rescued from deep water, gasping for air, choking, trying to comprehend the temporary safety I had been offered. The confusion and pain didn’t vanish instantly. Instead came the sobering clarity:

            I am seen. I am offered a way out. But now, it is on me to respond. To cough, to draw breath, to swim. To rise and to walk.

The Lord’s Words to the Hesitating Heart

              “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”                 (Proverbs 22:3)

“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 teachings.” (Proverbs 1:22–23)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Psalm 32:8–9)

 If I still refused to listen, the Lord shook me awake with this passage: 

“With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.’ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, ‘Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!’” (Genesis 19:15–17)

The Hard Truth

            I hate to think that I am like Lot; slow to respond, hesitant when urgency is required. I hate to imagine myself as stubborn as a horse or as senseless as a mule. But these moments of hesitation are a mirror, a reflection of a heart that must surrender fully to the voice of Wisdom. The call is clear. The path is laid out. The hand of mercy is extended. It’s on me to take that hand. To walk forward. To trust the voice of the Shepherd. To leave the moss-covered walls and step into the clarity of living water.

The Call of Wisdom

I thought I would take Wisdom at her word and seek to understand what she has to say. So, I opened the book of Proverbs, ready to learn. The book of Proverbs promises that you will gain wisdom and instruction.

It promises that you will understand words of insight.

It promises that you will receive instruction for prudent behaviour.

It promises that you will learn to do what is right, just, and fair.

It promises to give prudence to the simple.

It promises to give knowledge and discretion to the young.

But just like a moss-covered stone beside a clean fountain, the effect of these words can be different from person to person. The Proverbs introduces several characters:

The Young

Learn your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. If sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. Do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths.

The Simple

The simple love their simple ways. The waywardness of the simple will kill them.

The simple, despite their waywardness, have an open door to gain wisdom and knowledge. They have an opportunity to gain prudence, and if they choose to gain insight and change their ways with discretion, they can become teachable.

But if they reject wisdom and instruction, they turn into mockers.

The Mocker

The mockers delight in mockery. They hate knowledge and do not choose to fear the Lord. Left unchecked, complacency turns into folly.

The Fool

The fool hates knowledge. The complacency of fools will destroy them. Fools reject wisdom, hate knowledge, and have no fear of the Lord.

These are the very people Proverbs warns the young man about.

The Sinful

The sinful rush into evil, quick to shed blood. The path of those chasing ill-gotten gain will cost them their life.

The Discerning

The discerning turn their ear to wisdom and apply their heart to understanding. They call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. They gain guidance for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

The Wise

The wise fear the Lord and this is the beginning of knowledge. The wise listen and add to their learning.

The Foolish Woman

The adulterous or wayward woman’s words are seductive. She has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. Her house leads down to death. Her paths lead to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Her lips drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil. But in the end, she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double‑edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, and she does not realize it.

The Gullible Woman

They are weighed down with sins and swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:6)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

 and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

        The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright. He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair, every good path. The Lord gives wisdom. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. It will prolong your life and bring you peace and prosperity. You will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.

To understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God:

     Accept Wisdom’s words.
     Store up her commands within you.
     Turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding.
     Call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding.
     Let love and faithfulness never leave you.
     Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
     In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
     Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil.
     Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first fruits of all your crops.
     Do not despise the Lord’s discipline, nor resent His rebuke.
     Do not fear sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked.
     Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act.
     Do not falsely accuse anyone when they have done you no harm.
     Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus,

I now realize that I lack wisdom, and Your Word says that if any of us lacks wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. I ask in faith, and I do not doubt, knowing that the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Keep me from being double‑minded and unstable in all I do.

Thank You for giving me access to the treasure house of wisdom. Your Word.

Help me not to deceive myself by being just a listener of Your Word, but to be a doer. Let me be like the one who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, continuing in it and not forgetting what I have heard. Let obedience lead to blessing.

Give me wisdom, knowledge, and clarity to walk in Your will. Give me the courage to take the next step and to live out the truth You have revealed.

Amen.