Infant in Grace

Title: The Call of Wisdom

Text: 1:20-33

Topic: Listening to the voice of wisdom

Introduction

I told you so

One of the worst things that we can hear someone say to us is, “I told you so”.  When I was in middle school, nylon Nike shorts were popular.  All of my friends had a pair of these Nike shorts and I just had to have a pair too.  So my birthday was coming and I told my Mom, “Mom, all that I want for my birthday is a pair of these shorts”. So my birthday came around and sure enough she got me a pair.  I was incredibly excited.  I couldn’t wait to wear them to school the next day.  Well, these shorts are very similar to swim trunks and they have a net in them.  So I asked my mom if she would cut the netting out.  She was too busy at the moment but she told me to wait and she would eventually cut them out. I couldn’t wait. So I took my scissors and began to cut the net out.  It actually took longer than I thought so I began doing it faster.  Afterall, I couldn’t wait to put on my new shorts.  Well, I finally finished cutting them out.  Then I noticed that in the process of cutting out the net I managed to cut a huge hole in the back!  So I went crying to mom, thinking that in some way she could go back into the future to stop me.  Well, she couldn’t.  All that she said to me was, “I told you so!”

Ignoring wisdom

She tried to share her wisdom with me, but I ignored her and suffered the consequence.  In the same way, God is trying to share his wisdom with us.  The question is, are we listening? 

The call of wisdom

Wisdom calling out

Wisdom is calling out to us.  As we can see, God desires to share His wisdom with us. 

Proverbs shows this wisdom shouted out.  Wisdom is trying to make herself known in a desperate way.  In the busyness of life, she is trying to guide us.

Calls out in the public places

Notice where the call is coming from. Wisdom isn’t calling us in our privacy.  It’s calling us in the streets.  It’s calling us in the workplace. 

Everyday life

Wisdom is at work the most when it is affecting lives.  

Wisdom isn’t something that we show off.  We aren’t wise whenever we read a book and come away smarter.  We are wise whenever our daily, routine lives are changed.  We are wise when our knowledge puts our hands to work.  Abraham was wise not when he heard God say, “Go to a land that will show you.”  No, he was wise when he went and obeyed.

Everyone

Wisdom calls everyone to participate.  V.22 says that she is calling out to the naive ones, the simple-minded ones, the scoffers, and the fools.  Wisdom is offered to everyone.  Everyone can hear the voice.  But unfortunately, not everyone stops to listen.

Calls us to a new way of being and discipleship

This wisdom is calling us to a new way of being.  It’s calling us to a life of discipleship.  It’s calling us to ignore the voices that surround us and listen to her.  It’s calling us to follow Christ instead of our selfish ways.  It’s showing us a new way.  With all the voices calling, can we hear?

The call of folly

The Indian and the cricket

There was an Indian who went to visit his friend who lived in Atlanta.  They met on a reservation and they tried to stay in contact with each other.  They were able to spend some quality time together.  Whenever the Indian was going to catch his bus to leave, his friend went with him to send him off.  As they were on the busy sidewalk, waiting on his bus, the Indian suddenly got quiet.  Then he said to his friend, “Do you hear that cricket?”  His friend looked at him strangely.  “Umm, no.  It’s very noisy out here.  How do you expect me to hear a cricket?”  Then he told him, “Just listen for it.”  So his friend listened and he still didn’t hear it.  So, whenever the traffic cleared, the Indian took his friend to the other side of the street.  Sure enough, when they got over there, there was a cricket.  His friend was amazed.  As they walked back to the other side of the street, he was asking him how he heard it.  Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of change. He then dropped it to the ground.  People passing by immediately stopped and looked at the change on the ground as if it were an instinct.  Then the Indian said, “People hear what they want to hear.”

So many voices

The problem is, there so many voices calling to us.  We have Oprah telling us what to do.  Whenever we are having marital problems we turn on Dr. Phil and he tells us what to do.  Everyone has an opinion.  However, among all of these voices, can we hear wisdom calling?  Wisdom is shouting.  Can we hear her?

Consequences

Not listening

Unfortunately, this passage is full of examples of when people didn’t listen to wisdom.  And just like when I didn’t listen to my mom, those who don’t listen to wisdom suffer the consequences.

Responsibility

Ultimately, we have a responsibility.  Unfortunately, Christians are some of the best people at dodging responsibility. 

The broken sound system

There was a pastor who got a phone call from one of his parishioners.  The parishioner said, “Pastor, we have a problem at the church.”  “What’s the problem?”  Well, we have church Sunday and our sound system is messed up.”  The pastor said, “You are right, that is a problem. What do you think we should do about it?”  “Well, I think we should get the prayer group together early Sunday morning and pray!”

Now, all preachers love having someone in their congregation that’s willing to pray.  Prayer is important.  However, sometimes the Christian response is to act.

A smart person can tell you how to fix the sound system.  But a wise person understands that we need the sound system to work and is willing to fix it.

We have responsibilities.  Sometimes we look at passages like proverbs one and think that God is mean.  “God wouldn’t laugh at our calamity.  He wouldn’t allow these things to happen.”  Well, after I disobeyed my mom I can promise you that she didn’t go running back to the store to get me another pair of shorts.  I made a dumb mistake and I had to suffer the consequences.  Part of being free people is that we have the freedom to make our own decisions.  Wisdom is always calling to us, but sometimes we ignore her. 

listening

The chapter concludes on a positive note: “But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil”.

Missing the final

In my junior year of college we had finals.  I had already finished with all of my classes and had one final exam left.  I wasn’t sure when the exam was, so I asked a friend and he told me it was on Thursday.  Well, on Wednesday, I had another friend come to me and say, “Hey Josh, why weren’t you in class to take the final?”  “Because the final is tomorrow.”  “Ummm, no.  We just took the final today and you missed it.”  So I had to rush over to my professor’s office and begged for mercy.  He let me take it, but I didn’t get to study.  I had an A the entire semester in the class but because I failed the final, it dropped me down to a B.

I listened to the wrong person.  Whenever we listen to God’s voice, God’s wisdom, he will guide us in truth. 

Conclusion

Maybe you are one of the ones who ignore wisdom.  Or maybe you don’t ignore her, but the other loud voices around you causes you to become distracted.  Maybe you have suffered the consequences of ignoring wisdom and going your own way.

There’s forgiveness.  I may have cut a hole in my shorts, but eventually, my mom bought me another pair.  The Israelites complained and complained and complained.  They ignored God and found themselves wandering in the wilderness. God gave them land but they were conquered by the Babylonians and the Assyrians.  They made mistake after mistake.  So do we. But God sent Jesus Christ.  He sent Him to save us from our mistakes and to guide us in truth.  Just like wisdom, Jesus is calling to us to come and follow him.  There are many voices calling, which one will we listen to?