Proverbs 1:20-33

Proverbs 1:20-33 (NRSV)
²⁰ Wisdom cries out in the street;

in the squares she raises her voice.

²¹ At the busiest corner she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

²² “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge?

²³ Give heed to my reproof;

I will pour out my thoughts to you;

I will make my words known to you.

²⁴ Because I have called and you refused,

have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,

²⁵ and because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when panic strikes you,

²⁷ when panic strikes you like a storm,

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

²⁸ Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.

²⁹ Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

³⁰ would have none of my counsel,

and despised all my reproof,

³¹ therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way

and be sated with their own devices.

³² For waywardness kills the simple,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

³³ but those who listen to me will be secure

and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.” 

Proverbs 1:20-33, with close parallels in 8:1 ff. and 9:1 ff, has the theme of wisdom as preacher. Personified Wisdom (often called Lady Wisdom or Woman Wisdom) is a prominent feature of Proverbs 1-9 (3:13-20 and 8-9 passim). In this section of Proverbs, wisdom admonishes young men to live by the standards of Torah. The fear of the Lord being the beginning of wisdom (1:7) is the theme of this section.[1] In addition, we find such personification in Job 28:12-28.[2] We also find the image in Baruch 3-4, Sirach 24, and Wisdom 6-10. Her contrasting figure is Folly (Proverbs 7 and 9:13 ff.), the loose/strange woman who would entice the unwary away from Wisdom/the ways of wisdom. The worthy business-woman/wife/mother of Proverbs 31:10 ff. exemplifies Wisdom in everyday ways, and speaks wisdom. The personification relates to the wisdom teacher and not Godhead.  Wisdom is not a prophet or preacher of repentance.  She employs prophetic forms, but does not speak like a prophet, but as a wisdom teacher.  A legitimate pursuit is why the frequently male-oriented writers and editors of Proverbs highlight Woman Wisdom and female human wisdom so strongly in places.

²⁰ Wisdom (hokmot)[3] cries out in the street, where all gather; in the squares, where all gather, she raises her voice (Jeremiah 5:1, 7:2). ²¹ At the busiest corner, where all gather, she cries out (qr’ — 1:21, 24; 8:1; 9:3, the Greek verb for “to herald, proclaim, or preach”); at the entrance of the city gates, where the leaders of the community gathered for court cases and carried out public and private business matters, she speaks. Wisdom (personified as a woman) calls out appealingly to all of us to listen and learn from her. She calls out wherever one finds human beings. It is to our peril to turn away our ears and hearts and lives from the ways of Wisdom. Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes are wisdom literature, as are also parts of such books as Psalms. Proverbs emphasizes proverbial/conventional wisdom (and has much in common with then-contemporary wisdom teaching in Egypt and Mesopotamia); much of Job and Ecclesiastes question conventional wisdom. In 8:22ff, Proverbs thinks so highly of wisdom that it is an attribute of the Lord. Wisdom goes walking through the city streets waylaying the inhabitants to press her teaching on them, denouncing their heedlessness and false sense of security, as in Amos 6:1, 9:10, and Zephaniah 1:12.[4] Thus, the content of what wisdom cries is nothing other than the well-known preaching of repentance, judgment, and salvation. Even the wording could be that of a prophet.[5]

²² “How long, O simple ones (those unschooled in the way of wisdom), will you love being simple? How long will scoffers, who actively combat wisdom, delight in their scoffing and fools, who also actively combat wisdom, hate knowledge? Proverbs will often contrast wisdom with these qualities. Yet, wisdom continues her appeal to them. ²³ Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts (ruah — in other contexts translated “spirit”) to you; I will make my words known to you. Wisdom has a revelatory character. She becomes a gushing spring that has abundant water, overflowing to all who acknowledge and submit to her. Wherever we human beings gather, Wisdom actively and invitingly seeks us out, calls out to us, and pours out her thoughts to us. She thus takes the role of God’s prophet or preacher, inviting the listener to turn away from the ways of Folly and to learn and live out the wisdom of God. The wisdom from God is not secret, cryptic, or mysterious. God wants you to know it, to learn it, and to live it. We never learn everything about the Bible. However, I bet most of us have our own “canon within a canon,” in which we find a sufficient summary of what is essential concerning the biblical teaching. The Apostles’ Creed summarizes core doctrines, but where to you for guidance concerning Christian living? I bet you go to places like this. There are the commandments, you know. Ten of them. Beatitudes. Nine of them. The Sermon on the Mount. The greatest commandment. One of them, with two parts. The list of virtues and vices from Paul. I Corinthians 13. It seems as if the wisdom is really rather clear. Yet, the interpretation and application of these words — now those are what take time and effort, dialogue and debate. You shall not murder sounds simple, until you start applying it to abortion, the death penalty, and war. Blessed are the meek, sounds simple, until you think about competition on the playing field or the business environment. “Love your neighbor as yourself, sounds simple, until you experience the conflict between love of self and love of the other.

²⁴ Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand, a common gesture while speaking, and no one heeded, ²⁵ and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof.  Therefore, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, ²⁷ when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Wisdom scorns those who refuse to attend to her invitation, warning them of the consequences, which include panic, distress, calamity and anguish. ²⁸ Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. The time will come when it is too late to listen.[6] ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear (revere, trust, obey) of the Lord (1:7, 3:7, 8:13, 9:10, 15:33, Job 28:28, Psalm 11:10, Isaiah 11:2, 33:6, Micah 6:9). In this case, knowledge has the parallel with the fear of the Lord. To love knowledge is to have respect for the Lord. Proverbs also associates understanding in poetic parallelism with wisdom. Wisdom relies upon the revelation of the Lord in Torah. Wisdom educates, of course, but it also involves the discipline of learning from revelation and relies upon illumination from the Lord. Even with parallels to other ancient Near Eastern literature, Proverbs identifies wisdom/Wisdom with specifically Israelite religion. Further, they ³⁰ would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, 31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated (as an overloaded digestive system) with their own devices. Actions have consequences for good or ill. Your actions are the seed and the consequences are the fruit. Thus, rather than receiving God’s blessings, they will “reap what they sow.” Wisdom sees judgment as the consequences of their actions. See parallels in Deuteronomy 28 and 30, where receiving God’s blessing or God’s curse depends on whether or not the people of Israel obey (more literally “listen to”) the LORD. In contrast, prophets often thought in terms of judgment from God. Lady Wisdom wants us to listen to her, and to each other. If we do not, wisdom will laugh right back, because it will bring calamity and distress if we do not listen. Think of it this way. If you break the Ten Commandments, you will hurt yourself. If you ignore the Beatitudes, you will never know the kingdom of God. If you fail to love God and neighbor, you will miss a distinctively Christian life.

³² For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; ³³ but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.” Wisdom offers security and a good life, one without fear to all who respond favorably to her message. Wisdom offers safety and peace. When we listen and act wisely, we will be better off. The search for wisdom is the search for wholeness, a beautiful life, a productive life, and a life full of joy, happiness, and human flourishing.[7]

In the New Testament, God also gives warnings and invites us to return to God’s ways, as we follow Jesus. Those who turn away God’s invitation face the consequences. Those who respond favorably to God’s invitation receive the fullness of God’s life for now and forever. Jesus said (Matthew 11:28-29): “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me …, and you will find rest for your souls.” But he also said (Matthew 7:21): “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” We would rather hear encouraging promise than harsh reproof, but the Bible tends to intertwine them.  Hebrews 2:1-3 asks us (in v. 3a), “how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (See also Hebrews 12:25).

 For our reflection: What would Wisdom be calling out in our streets and places of power? What would Jesus Christ say to us personally?

One of the real problems our society faces is that people who are good at being kind often lack strong convictions, while people who have strong convictions often have trouble being kind.[8] We may not think of it this way, but kindness and strong conviction can at least feel as if they will conflict in the specific choices we make.

The wisdom the Bible offers is in so many places. Yet, for most of us, we find a relatively few places that summarize what we read in the Bible. The Apostles’ Creed summarize core doctrines, but think of the places that reflect guidance for living. You probably think of the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Great Commandment, the list of virtues and vices by Paul, the Sermon on the Mount, I Corinthians 13, and I imagine more. The wisdom is there, because God has not hidden it. Further, we need help if we are to practice such wisdom. The Christian community can help us see, sometimes, what is right before our eyes.

A reporter once asked G.K. Chesterton and several other literary figures what book they would prefer to have with they found themselves stranded on a desert island. “The complete works of Shakespeare,” said one writer without hesitation. “I choose the Bible,” said another. “How about you?” they asked Chesterton. “I would choose Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuilding,” replied Chesterton.

We need help if we are to hear the question, paying attention to what is right in front of us.

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[1] Most scholars think of the editors adding Proverbs 1-9 as the last addition to the entire corpus.

[2] (where the “it” of NRSV is appropriately translated as “her” in The New Jerusalem Bible)

[3] “Wisdom” in Hebrew is hokmah (sometimes found in its plural form, as here in verse 20, as well as in 9:1; 14:1; and 24:7; also Psalm 49:3 (v. 4 in Hebrew). Do not make overly much about the feminine grammatical gender of the Hebrew word hokmah or the equivalent New Testament Greek word sophia; for example, a prominent Hebrew word for “womb” (rehem) is grammatically masculine, even though “womb” in its meaning is certainly feminine.

[4] Wisdom is so highly regarded in Proverbs that she is identified as an attribute or characteristic of the LORD, as well as one who gives voice to what the LORD says. The language approaches (but does not quite reach) expressing personified Wisdom as the very being of the LORD. In 8:22 ff. God created Wisdom as the first of all creation, perhaps with the implication that God created the rest of creation through Wisdom (more clearly creation is “by wisdom” in Proverbs 3:19 and Psalm 104:24). See also John 1:1-5, 10, 14, where God explicitly has created everything through the logoV/Word. Also see Hebrews 1:2-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; and Colossians 1:13-17. The messianic deliverer is one with a spirit of wisdom and understanding (Isaiah 11:1-2, and see 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30).

[5] Barth (Church Dogmatics II.1 [30.3] 428).

[6] (see parallels in Psalm 18:41; Isaiah 1:15; 55:6; Jeremiah 11:11; Ezekiel 8:18; Micah 3:4; Zechariah 7:13).

[7] “the search for wisdom is most perfect, more sublime, more profitable, and more full of joy.” (Thomas Aquinas)

[8] Martin Marty