In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is portrayed as a person, often trying to convey an important message. We see this in verses 20-33. The first half is the picture that captures the imagination, and then the application of the wisdom presented. Let’s take a look at the picture.
If you have ever been to downtown Nashville, Tennessee in the evening you can remember walking down the street and hearing muffled music. Side by side would be small clubs with live music. As you walked past the music from that particular club would over-take your hearing. This was especially true when the door would swing open right as you pass. Sometimes the performers were right on the other side of the glass that overlooked the street. You could see the mic stands and electric cords strewn about as they had hastily set up to perform. And the sound…. And as you walked, you would get the next slice of an artist trying to catch someone’s ear, trying to make it big.
Wisdom is pictured as calling out to us in the public square. There are other voices, but she wants us to listen to her. She raises her volume and opens up a second venue, the city gate, the place where all the important people would meet and make decisions.
Wisdom wants everyone to listen to what she has to say. The general public and the ruling classes both are invited to pay attention. Wisdom doesn’t force itself on anyone, it only invites us to listen and heed. If we listen, there will be more wisdom available (v23). But if we don’t listen, wisdom will mock us. The obvious mistake we have made will hit us in the face. Wisdom will dope slap us! Wisdom is often so obvious, that when we ignore it, we feel like a fool when the inevitable disaster hits us.
The housing crash of the last years is an example. How could anyone think that lending to people who didn’t have the ability to repay the loan was a good idea? And yet that is exactly what congress pushed through some years ago. They opened the door to this crisis by ignoring wisdom. A few people got very rich off the scheme because they figured out how to profit off of other’s loss. They listened to wisdom. And congress again ignored wisdom and sent hundreds of billions of dollars into thin air calling it a “Stimulus”.
Instead of stimulus, we should have listened to wisdom and allowed the natural consequences to feed our society (vv29-30). It would have been painful for some. We would have had to reach out and help in new ways, but perhaps we would have learned a valuable lesson.
The Arnold Journey 