Can you believe it? They are here. They are even in the church. They are scorners. Yes, sad to say, even scorners can be believers and be in our fellowship.
I love wisdom literature. One of my favorites is Ecclesiastes. It is full of straight truth! No beating around the bush. The Holy Spirit inspired Solomon to cut the extra and get right down to the nitty gritty. Proverbs is similar and also written by Solomon except for some inserts He included. Some of the wisdom statements are just that- statements. Others are within a context, albeit usually short. The context we have today is amazing! God wants our attention and our love. He also wants to impart to us His thinking and His ways and His focus. He wants to give us His… Wisdom. Wisdom seems to be a depleted commodity these days. Why is that? It is as if wisdom is hard to get ahold of. In Proverbs 9 we find some facts about wisdom and the one who wouldn’t listen to it. Wisdom is not hard to get ahold of, in fact it is trying at full power to get people’s attention:
3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,
4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
She sent ambassadors (maidens) to get our attention. She cries out (yells) from the best advantage point (high place). She beckons those that need it (simple ones) …me! Wisdom is working all angles to get our attention and offer itself to anyone who wants it. But you have to (v.4) want understanding. If an individual either rejects or simply doesn’t care for understanding they are henceforth branded by Wisdom as a fool. She says to the seeker of understanding “come.” Not go or wait, but come now! Who wouldn’t come? Wouldn’t every one want wisdom in their decisions? Wouldn’t everyone want wisdom for their family and future and faith? Probably, but not bad enough to pay the price. You may ask the question as I did…”I thought wisdom was free?” It does cost. It costs you your undivided attention. You see the only way this is going to work is if you “forsake” the foolishness you are in now (v.6) or else you will not truly live or go in the way of understanding (v.6). For the one who doesn’t want it they are labeled here as scorner. If you can’t accept that is what they are, then you will do the thing that seems smart but end up foolish itself- you will try to refute their claims (reprove). If you refute them when they have no desire to have wisdom you will just end up shaming yourself (v.7). At this point some will charge further and try correcting (rebuke) the wickedness of a scorner, at this point you get a blot (marked as a fool yourself). It is best not to refute them (scorners) because they will just hate you (v.8)
Now, if you try correcting a wise man or one who wants understanding he will love you for it. He wants instruction and we should give it to him (v.9) As a matter of fact he will just get more wiser and now you are not alone, in fact he will increase in all of his learning (v.9). The main problem— the foolish scorner doesn’t have any fear of God. The Fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom and without this fear you won’t desire any of HIS wisdom.(v.10) The knowledge of Jesus (the holy) is the understanding we need— if we want it.
This is probably more than you wanted to chew on but this is the message for America today. We are dealing with real people; depraved people; hurting people; and yes foolish people and we must be wise about this: Matthew 10.16 Jesus warned the Disciples then and therefore the disciples now—“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
God help us.