Proverbs 1:31-33

King James Version Proverbs 1:31-33
“31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

Complete Jewish Bible Proverbs 1:31-33
“31 So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes.
32 For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;
33 but those who pay attention to me will live securely, untroubled by fear of misfortune.”

It seems that we have learned in this chapter that seeking His Wisdom is vastly more important to our own well-being than seeking our own mindless pleasures.
For in seeking HIS Wisdom; we only enhance our lives, instead of the opposite. Whatever we may do to “chase our dreams” without Him seems to generally fail. Is it that we place too much importance on “chasing our dreams” and not enough importance on seeking Him? “So they will bear the consequences of their own way and be overfilled with their own schemes.” Sounds a bit familiar in this world. Sadly, I have met a few people who were convinced that their own self-importance took more precedence in this life than any mere wisdom learned by prayer and seeking Him. I imagine that you have met people like that, too.
“For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;” How many time have we seen a project fail when the master mind was so filled with his own confidence and self-worth that he “couldn’t see the forest for the trees”? Time after time, we can all become so blinded by our own egotism that we fail miserably in our attempts. When we become so self-absorbed in our own arrogance that we believe we are right and everyone else is wrong.
“but those who pay attention to me will live securely, untroubled by fear of misfortune.” In those Words; we have His Promise. Through Him we will not fail! When we stop long enough in our hamster wheel of life… we might actually see HIM! We might see His Glory when we take off our self-imposed blinders of self-importance. When we seek Him.. when we pay attention to Him… all other things become much more insignificant. We learn to live securely in Him.. without fear. Our Trust is in Him…the One Who holds the world in His Hands! The One Who created the world!
Who better to trust than the One Who is I AM? The One Who is Alpha and Omega? The One Who is EVERYTHING?

Proverbs 1:20-30

Proverbs 1:20-30 King James Version
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:                                                                                                                            26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Complete Jewish Bible
20 Wisdom calls aloud in the open air and raises her voice in the public places;
21 she calls out at streetcorners and speaks out at entrances to city gates:
22 “How long, you whose lives have no purpose,will you love thoughtless living?How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking? How long will fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent when I reprove —I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make my words known to you.
24 Because you refused when I called, and no one paid attention when I put out my hand,
25 but instead you neglected my counsel and would not accept my reproof;
26 I, in turn, will laugh at your distress,and mock when terror comes over you —
27 yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind,when distress and trouble assail you.
28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Adonai,
30 they refused my counsel and despised my reproof.

These words speak volumes… I question that I can even add anything to their worth. Wisdom is within reach of any who seek it. In our world, especially, it is readily available to any and all.We live in the “age of information”… everything is simply a click away. “20 Wisdom calls aloud in the open air and raises her voice in the public places; 21 she calls out at streetcorners and speaks out at entrances to city gates:” So many of us ignore the invitation to learn… we had rather fill our head with useless trivia or the latest Hollywood scandals. Not to mention the myriad of other pointless dramas that the world offers us daily. Are we really that impoverished that we refuse to open our minds and our hearts to such wisdom that might enrich our very lives? Are we really that superficial? Are we really that frivolous?
Sadly, yes….. many of us are indeed that superficial and frivolous. We had rather know the latest gossip, fad or other mindless information than to take the time to do the unthinkable. To study; to learn…. to enrich our minds with any kind of real knowledge. When is that time we actually read a book that taught us something? When we graduated from school… was that the end of any kind of mental exercise for us? “22 “How long, you whose lives have no purpose,will you love thoughtless living? How long will scorners find pleasure in mocking? How long will fools hate knowledge?23 Repent when I reprove —I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make my words known to you.24 Because you refused when I called, and no one paid attention when I put out my hand, 25 but instead you neglected my counsel and would not accept my reproof;”
One day, hopefully sooner than later, we will realize that we thirst for that knowledge. That our souls crave to know: to learn. There is a very old saying “a day without learning is a day wasted.” We cannot ever say the we did not have the chance to learn.. to know what our Lord wants to teach us. When the world is full of knowledge that is simply a click away; His Words are even more important. We need to be able to separate what He wants to teach us and the lies that the world is readily telling us. If we do not seek His wisdom, how can we discern our Eternal Truth? He offers us this Truth now…. it is up to us to search and discover. “26 I, in turn, will laugh at your distress,and mock when terror comes over you —27 yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind,when distress and trouble assail you. 28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Adonai, 30 they refused my counsel and despised my reproof.”
When we refuse His counsel; how can we learn? How can we expect Him to be there for us when we never took the time to get to know Him? WE make that choice: “they refused my counsel and despised my reproof.” When we have turned our backs on Him for years… how can we expect Him to not turn His back on us? The Words are there… HE is there…… waiting for us … for you.. for me… to seek His Wisdom. To seek HIM.