Sunday 16th September (24B)

PROVERBS 1:20-33
Wisdom cries out in the street,
in the city squares,
at the busiest corner,
at the city gates.
“How long will you love being simple?
How long will you delight in scoffing?
How long will you hate knowledge?”
Wisdom cries out, but the people hurry by —
with more important things in mind:
getting to work on time
planning, plotting, scheming
meeting a friend
robbing a bank
perhaps all of the above.
Wisdom cries out, but the people hurry by —
thinking of the security hoped for in material things.
oblivious to the consequences of which they are warned:
the more one gets, the more one wants.
the more one gets, the more one worries
about loss or damage
or tax implications.

And then – disaster!
fire, theft, flood,
Stock Exhange collapse, financial ruin,
violence,
broken relationships,
even death.
Wisdom cries out, but the people hurry by —
hating knowledge, turning away from the fear of the LORD
Knowledge – not just what we have in our heads.
knowledge – choosing, getting to know intimately.
Intimacy – giving of our whole person to relationship.
Wisdom cries out
to people living out their lives on a material level
observing prescribed ritual
with minimal interference to their day-to-day.
The knowledge they shun: intimacy with God,
the fear of the LORD,
a holy fear
of the glory and sovereignty and creativity of God
whose judgements are true,
more to be desired than gold,
more pleasurable than eating honey,
straight from the honeycomb.

Wisdom cries out, but the people hurry by —
Who will stop and listen?

Wisdom cries out, but the people hurry by —
        © Jeff Shrowder, 2012.
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