This week, I decided to surface for a moment, to see what else we can glean from chapter one. The chapter basically has three parts, the first of which we hit rather exhaustively- the value of wisdom and fear of the Lord. The middle involves the vainness and motivations of the sinful, which I'm going to stumble right past for the moment. The third section is what's fascinating to me- the invitation of the Holy Spirit (wisdom) and the response when the invitation is rejected. Specifically as I write this, I am fascinated by the three kinds of people who may ignore or reject wisdom to their own hurt:
Pro 1:20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
Pro 1:21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
Pro 1:22 "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
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There are two other groups, of course: the righteous, who have begun the progression through fear of the Lord; and those pesky sinners, who I have leaped over and will come back to very soon. But first, we have the simple, scorners, and fools. Is there a difference? Yes and no- there will be NO difference on their current trajectory. There is a BIG difference on how far along that trajectory, and how easy it will be to turn around.
The simple come first. The Strong's definition calls them "silly, seducable", and the verses about them elsewhere bear this out. They'll believe anything (14:15), including the sinner's lie about, " throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse"-- (1:14). According to Wesley's interpretation of 14:18, they glory in folly as in an inheritance or birthright, in contrast to the righteous, who treat knowledge as their crown. They blunder on, not reckoning what they're walking into (22:3). But the good news for them is they can listen to the right voices as well as the wrong. In addition, they have the ability to learn from the punishment of scorners (19:25), so all hope isn't lost. But their big problem, back up in our main verse, is that they LOVE being simple. They don't want to think or consider too hard.
Then come the scorners. We've hit this definition earlier: they are the mouthy bunch. Unlike the simple, who aren't looking for wisdom, and fools who outright reject it, the scorner or scoffer seeks wisdom- but it is a vain, human wisdom. Verse 14:6 says, " A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. " They haven't gone down our progression of humility to fear of the Lord to understanding. And the reason why is they can't hack that first step. They won't humble themselves to take reproof or advice (15:12). Curiously, this total belief in their own right-ness puts them into a bigger hole to climb out than the fool; " Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. " (26:12). Thus, he will likely be judged by his own standards and a judgment of condemnation is almost assured (19:29).
Third come fools. I have to say it puzzles me that the definition comes to the idea of "stupid" through a root word for "fat". Perhaps fat was an insult used against stupid people, I don't know. I'm still trying to figure why Isaiah got so cheesed about being called "baldy". Needless to say, the Spirit/Wisdom has its harshest words for these people. They HATE wisdom, as well as instruction (1:7); turned away from knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Rejecting God, he sets himself up as his own god:
PRO 18:2 A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in uncovering his heart.
So far we have the simple: gullible, unaware of their danger; the scorners, stuck on themselves and interested in their own opinion; and fools, who actively reject the knowledge that would save them. But what about the sinner- the wicked? Well that second section of the chapter (vv 10-19) give us their motivations:
They seek and offer company- too cowardly to act alone;
They lie in wait, preferring ambush to confrontation;
They seek out the innocent for no good reason, desiring to spill blood, with no concern for the hell they may be sending them to;
And they are in it for the bucks, the 'precious things', the plunder.
In other words, they are the end of this 'backwards progression'; where the simple might be innocently deluded, the scorner might be merely self-deluded, even the fool might well have a 'moral compass' of sorts, this person is out-and-out evil.
But guess what? If they don't turn back to humility and fear of the Lord, all four have the same fate:
Pro 1:30 They did not desire my counsel; they despised all my reproof,
Pro 1:31 and they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own lusts.
Pro 1:32 For the going astray of the simple kills them, and the ease of fools destroys them.
Pro 1:33 But he who listens to me shall live securely and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.
Kills. Destroys. Not the forfeit of life, but of SOUL.
Two paths. Two fates. And a black and white line between them called fear of the Lord.
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