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: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Proverbs 1:24-33
Last week, we discovered that wisdom calls out to everyone in all places, “Come and taste.” God willingly pours out His Spirit upon mankind—we just have to accept Him. But as we know, some people will be wise and accept God, while others will be foolish and reject Him. This week we are going to discuss the fate of the foolish.
When a man stubbornly rejects God’s offer of salvation, he seals his own fate (hell). God does not send him to hell: rather, God honors the man’s own choice (hell). This may sound harsh, but it is not. God created people with free will; thus, people can freely choose between heaven and hell. If they reject God’s gift, they knowingly choose hell.
In Verse 24 (restated in my own words), God says, “I called. I stretched out my hand to you, but you refused.” “I tried to help you through sound teaching and purifying discipline, but still you would not heed My instructions” (Verse 25).
Recklessly, the simple, the scorners, and the fools fail to hear and obey God’s voice. “I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them…but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me” (Jeremiah 35:15). (Jeremiah 26:4-6; Jeremiah 7:13-19).
Dear readers, this is serious stuff! Never reject the Word of the Lord!
God still speaks through His Holy Word (the Bible) and He still speaks through His servants. But sometimes we allow pride to obscure God’s voice because we may not like His chosen vessels. This is a grave mistake. The Pharisees refused to hear the voice of Jesus because He came as a humble servant rather than a prideful king. Since Jesus did not meet the Pharisees’ expectations, they simply refused to heed His warnings.
Today, God still speaks…are you listening? “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was NO remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:16, emphasis added).
“Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not” (Isaiah 65:12).
Pay attention to the Word of the Lord! If you do not heed His call, you will be destroyed! Your destruction may come today, tomorrow, next week, or the next month. Destruction could come quickly or it might be delayed. But no matter when it comes, destruction is guaranteed. God says it—so it is True.
If you continually reject the voice of the Lord, there will come a time when He will turn away. He will not hear your cry when you begin reaping the consequences of the evil that you have sown (Isaiah 1:15-17). “Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them” (Jeremiah 11:11). Alternatively, strong delusions may bombard your mind. With these delusions, you might not even be wise enough to CALL out to God (See May 27, 2011, Do-Over to Delusional).
Imagine for a moment that you are walking up to a tall fence. Behind the fence, on the other side, you see a hungry mangy lion, his fangs dripping with the anticipation of a mid-morning snack. On the fence there is a large sign that says, “**Warning! Stay Out! For Your Own Safety, Do Not Climb the Fence!**”
If you choose to ignore the sign and foolishly climb up over the fence, will it be the sign’s fault when the hungry lion devours you? Likewise, Satan prowls about like a hungry lion seeking whom he may devour. God is flashing a sign of warning. Will you heed God’s warning?
Those that are wise will trust in the Lord. They will listen when He calls them and they will heed His warnings. “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7).
As for me, I choose to be wise. How about you?
I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
Isaiah 66:4
Three Key Concepts:
1. When God calls, the wise will hear and obey His voice.
2. The foolish will scoff at God’s servants and obey not the Lord.
3. Eventually, God will close His ears when the foolish meet their destruction and cry for help.
