How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) – Wisdom Calls Out

"How long you simple ones will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge?" This is the important question Solomon asked in Proverbs 1:22. Wisdom calls out, she is available. As Proverbs 1:20 says she "cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice." People are fools when they fail to apply knowledge. If people reject Wisdom: 1. The judgment is severe 2. Wisdom rejects them, and 3. Wisdom turns them over to their sin. But if people embrace Wisdom, she gives them peace and security. https://youtu.be/r5dZBv1HjyI "How long you simple ones will you love simplicity?" The important question Solomon asked in Proverbs 1:22. Wisdom calls out, she's available. Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) - Wisdom Calls OutSermon Notes for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) - Wisdom Calls OutLesson 1: God makes wisdom available.Lesson 2: fools don’t apply knowledge.Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 1) judgment is severe.Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 2) she rejects them.Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 3) she turns them over to their sin.Lesson 4: if people embrace wisdom, she gives them security and peace. Sermon Lessons for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) - Wisdom Calls Out Lesson 1: ______ __________ wisdom available (Pro 1:20-21). Lesson 2: ________ ___________ apply knowledge (Pro 1:22-23, 29 cf. Pro 6:9, Exo 10:3). Lesson 3: If people reject wisdom: (Part I) Judgment is ____________ (Pro 1:24-27; Psa 2:4). (Part II) She _______________ them (Pro 1:28). (Part III) She turns them over to ___________ _______ (Pro 1:29-31; Jer 2:19; Rom 1:19-26). Lesson 4: If people ______________ _____________, she gives them security and peace (Pro 1:33; 1 Cor 1:24, 30; Matt 3:17). Family Worship Guide for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) - Wisdom Calls Out Day 1: Read Pro 1:20-23, Pro 6:9, Exo 10:3 and discuss: How is wisdom available? Why is Wisdom personified? What noise in our lives might drown out wisdom? What makes people simple or scoffers? Day 2: Read Pro 1:24-31; Psa 2:4, Jer 2:19; and discuss: What makes people fools? What does it mean that fools hate knowledge? Define wisdom. Define knowledge. Why is wisdom judged so severely? How does Wisdom punish those who reject her? Day 3: Read Rom 1:19-26 Pro 1:33; 1 Cor 1:24, 30; Matt 3:17) and discuss: What similarities does Pro 1 have with Romans 1? What does it mean that Jesus is the wisdom of God? How are the provers fulfilled in Jesus? Sermon Notes for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) - Wisdom Calls Out Go ahead and open your Bibles to Proverbs 20. Last Sunday’s sermon in Job 28 was titled, “Where Can Wisdom Be Found?” You might remember Job had grown weary of his friends’ clichés and platitudes. He wanted real wisdom. He said: Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found? Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? Since Job was asking where to find wisdom, you might be quick to think it’s hard to find. But we’ll see this morning that couldn’t be further from the truth. Look w/ me at Proverbs 1:20… Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: Job asked where to find wisdom, but she clearly isn’t hiding…and this brings us to Lesson 1… Lesson 1: God makes wisdom available. The pronouns “she” and “her” reveal Wisdom is presented as a person. By personifying wisdom, it seems like something – or someone – we must have a relationship with to be wise. This is fitting, b/c Wisdom complements the Father, and we must have a relationship w/ the Father to be wise. Wisdom is not a separate being from the Father. Instead, Wisdom is the mind of God revealed. To hear Wisdom is to hear God. In the above verses Wisdom calls out to people passing by. She cries aloud…raises her voice…cries out. She wants to be heard. She’s in the street, in the markets…at the head of the streets…at the entrance of the city gates. She wants to be found. She’s in the most prominent places, appealing to us right where we live our daily lives. All of this is meant to communicate Wisdom’s availability. But there is something threatening our ability to hear Wisdom, and it’s contained in the words the noisy streets. There’s a lot of noise that threatens to drown out Wisdom. These are all the things vying for our attention…and they can distract us from Wisdom. We should ask ourselves: What threatens to drown out Wisdom in my life? Is it movies? Is it news? Is it unprofitable books? Is it shallow conversations? Is it bad company, or unwise people? We should think about what might prevent us from hearing Wisdom as she calls out to us. She has a strong challenge for everyone. Look at verse 22… Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? When Scripture asks “How long” – which it asks twice in this verse – it implies something bad has been going on, and it’s going to get worse. Think of Moses speaking to Pharaoh… Exodus 10:3 says, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘HOW LONG will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.’” The longer Pharaoh would not let the Hebrews go, the worse things became for him. Proverbs 6:9 HOW LONG will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? The longer the sluggard slept, the worse things became for him. In verse 22 the idea is the longer people go w/o wisdom, the worse things become for them…and why’s that? The longer they go w/o wisdom, the longer they make bad decisions. It’s as though Wisdom says, “How long will you reject me and keep hurting yourself?” Three groups who have been without Wisdom are mentioned in the verse: simple ones, scoffers, and fools. It’s important to understand each group… First, the simple ones. I’ve shared some opposites in Scripture with you recently: The opposite of foolish is wise. The opposite of ignorance is knowledgeable. And this is another opposite… The opposite of simple is prudent. Prudence is what the simple need. Look at verse 4… Proverbs 1:4 Give prudence to the simple Also… Proverbs 8:5 Simple ones, learn prudence What does it mean to be prudent? It means to know what to believe…therefore, to be simple means to NOT know what to believe… Proverbs 14:15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. The simple are gullible and easily led astray. They don’t have a mental deficiency, but they are naïve. Prudence will encourage them to give thought to their steps, which means they would be discerning and examine things. If the simple respond to Wisdom they can become wise. But if they reject wisdom, they’re on their way to becoming scoffers and fools…which brings us to the second group… The second group is scoffers. In Proverbs they’re also called scorners and mockers. Here’s how you can think about the simple and scoffers… If the simple have blank looks on their faces, scoffers have smirks and sneers on their faces. They’re smug. Proverbs 21:24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. Wisdom reaches out to scoffers, but they reject her. They scorn Wisdom b/c they’re arrogant and they think they know everything. The third group is fools. They don’t just mock or scoff at Wisdom, it says they downright hate knowledge. Briefly look down at verse 29… Proverbs 1:29 Because THEY HATED KNOWLEDGE… It’s repeated twice so we don’t miss it. If you want a simple definition of fools you could say they’re people who hate knowledge. To understand this, and to understand fools in general, we must understand the way the word hate is used in Scripture… According to dictionary.com, “hate” means, “to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest.” But in Scripture, hate often has to do w/ choice. Whatever you reject, you hate…not literally, but in the sense that you didn’t choose it. Let me give you two examples… Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not HATE HIS OWN father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. We know Jesus isn’t literally telling us to hate our family members, b/c other places in Scripture command to care for our family members and if we don’t we’re worse than unbelievers. So what does it mean?It means we should choose Jesus even over our family members. Romans 9:13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Did God hate Esau?No. God blessed Esau. But it says God hated him, b/c He chose Jacob over him. So in Scripture, hate means to not choose. Look at verse 29… Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and DID NOT CHOOSE the fear of the Lord, Fools hate knowledge in that they don’t choose it – or you could say they choose not to apply it – and this brings us to Lesson 2… Lesson 2: fools don’t apply knowledge. Let’s briefly define wisdom and foolishness… Wisdom is the application of knowledge. Wise people apply the knowledge they have. Wisdom is the ability to do what is morally and spiritually right, which means wisdom is moral…unlike knowledge which is amoral. Since wisdom is moral, it’s always spoken of positively. Gaining more wisdom only benefits us. There’s no downside to it; it can only help us. It can’t puff us up like knowledge can. ...