The Cry We Cannot Ignore

The Cry We Cannot Ignore

Introduction: The Sounds of the City

Good morning. Think for a moment about the sounds you hear every day. In our city, we are never far from noise. We hear the rumble of jeepneys, the calls of street vendors, the laughter of children, the sirens of an ambulance. In this cacophony of sounds, our brains learn to filter. We tune out what we deem unimportant so we can focus on what matters.

But what if the most important sound in the universe was crying out, and we have learned to tune it out like background noise?

This morning, we turn to Proverbs chapter 1. Here, wisdom is not a dusty book on a shelf or an abstract idea. Solomon personifies Wisdom as a woman, a prophetess, standing in the busiest parts of the city, crying out with a message of life and death. Her cry is public, it is passionate, and it demands a response.

Our text today presents us with this dramatic scene. It reveals three profound truths: Wisdom’s public plea, the perilous rejection of her call, and the permanent consequences of that rejection. Let us listen carefully, for this is one cry we cannot afford to ignore.

I. The Public Plea of Wisdom (vv. 20-23)

The first thing we see is that God’s wisdom is not hidden or exclusive. It is generously and publicly offered to all.

A. Her Unmistakable Presence (vv. 20-21)

Verse 20 says, "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets." Verse 21 continues, "She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words..."

This is not a secret, whispered message. This is a proclamation shouted in the busiest places imaginable. The "chief place of concourse" was the marketplace. The "openings of the gates" were the center of civic life, where business was done and judgments were made.

Application: God has not made it difficult to find His wisdom. He shouts it through the glory of His creation (Psalm 19:1), through the conviction of our conscience (Romans 2:15), and most clearly and perfectly through His Holy Word. The problem is not that God is silent; the problem is that we are often deaf to His call amidst the noise of the world.

B. Her Urgent Appeal (vv. 22-23a)

Wisdom’s call is directed at specific groups: "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"

She identifies three kinds of people who reject her:

The Simple: Not those with low IQ, but the naive and undisciplined who drift through life without moral direction. They "love" their simplicity because it requires no effort.

The Scorners: These are the proud and cynical. They mock righteousness and scoff at correction. They believe they are wiser than God.

The Fools: In Proverbs, a fool is not intellectually deficient but morally defiant. They actively "hate knowledge" because it interferes with their love for sin.

Her core message is a command and a plea: "Turn you at my reproof" (v. 23a). This is the call to teshuvah, to repent, to turn around from your self-destructive path and come back to God.

C. Her Gracious Promise (v. 23b)

Look at the incredible promise attached to repentance: "behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."

This is a stunning offer. To those who turn, Wisdom promises not just information, but divine illumination. She promises to pour out her very spirit—giving understanding, insight, and a deep, personal knowledge of God’s ways.

This points forward to the promise of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant. When we turn from our sin to Christ, God gives us His Spirit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The plea is public, the appeal is urgent, and the promise is glorious.

II. The Perilous Rejection of Wisdom (vv. 24-27)

The sermon now takes a dark and sobering turn. After the gracious offer comes the dreadful reality of what happens when that offer is refused.

A. The Deliberate Disregard (vv. 24-25)

Wisdom declares, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof."

Notice the active, willful nature of this rejection. It is not an accident.

"Ye refused." A conscious choice.

"No man regarded." A deliberate ignoring of God's outstretched hand of mercy.

"Ye have set at nought." To treat God’s counsel as worthless.

"Would none of my reproof." To despise correction.

This describes a heart that has become hard. It has heard the call so many times that it no longer even recognizes it as important.

B. The Divine Retribution (v. 26)