Why Men Refuse Wisdom Prov 8:1-36 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
According to Proverbs 8:1-6, wisdom is pervasive in that it speaks in multiple public places where it could not possibly be missed. Wisdom calls out to all men, even to the simple and to fools. Wisdom welcomes any audience and gives of her vast counsel, judgment, riches, fruit and righteousness to all who will love and seek her [Prov 8:14-21]. But many men will refuse wisdom; they will not hearken to it [Prov 8:33]. This sermon is on why men refuse wisdom in spite of her great promises to reward them more handsomely than any of their worldly pursuits. Men refuse wisdom because:
They just aren’t listening to it – Prov 8:6 – wisdom says, “Hear.” They are listening to radio, television, internet, music and the clatter and chatter of all the urban noises around them, instead. They are simply too distracted to tune out the clutter and discern the voice of wisdom.
Their ears are filled with wickedness, forwardness and perversion – Prov 8:7-9 – they love dirty films, jokes, books, magazines and gossip. Their ears are tuned to smut. You won’t find anything like that in the Bible. They would rather hear a well told lie than the plain truth. They are bored with truth, understanding and knowledge. Therefore, they refuse wisdom.
They are infatuated with silver, gold, jewels and possessions – Prov 8:10-11 – thoughts and pursuits of silver, gold, rubies and things that men desire fill their hearts and minds. Their ambitions are toward tangible, temporal things. They place more value on the things they can see, acquire and display than on that which they can receive by understanding and knowledge. Therefore, they refuse wisdom.
They are proud, arrogant and evil – Prov 8:12-13 – they believe they know more than wisdom and they scorn the truth that they don’t believe. They have more confidence in their inventions that they can see [like idols] than in the true and living God whom they cannot see.
They have a world-view of eternity – Prov 8:22-23 – wisdom says, “In the beginning God… and in the end God.” Their world view says, “In the beginning was nothing or something other than God… and when this life is over that’s it.” When you start with the wrong foundation you always get a faulty building. So, when wisdom speaks to them of things pertaining to God they tune out seeking rather to listen to “science falsely so called,” [1 Tim 6:20]. Therefore, they refuse wisdom.
They are evolutionists not creationists – Prov 8:24-31 – creationists are more likely to listen to wisdom because they know that wisdom was here before God created the heaven and the earth and men. They know that God made what he made by wisdom [Prov 3:19] and so wisdom is of more value even than the scientific exploration of the earth, seas and space because it has been here longer than they have [and will be here after they are gone]. Men who love wisdom reject evolution; evolutionists, on the other hand, disdain wisdom.
Conclusion: You have two options. You can start listening to wisdom daily and reap the eternal benefits of her counsel [Prov 8:32-35] or you can refuse wisdom and sin against God, wrong your soul and wind up dead and in hell [Prov 8:36]. If you decide the former, then the best place in the world to hear the voice of wisdom on a daily basis is in the Bible. Read it and listen to what it says everyday.