September 1, 2020
(Proverbs 1:24-33) 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.
Refusing the call of God is a dangerous proposition. When God calls, it is wise to listen. For those who refuse the call of God and have not regarded His counsel, God said He would laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh.
Anyone who refuses God and will not listen to His reproof of their sin is definitely heading toward calamity. According to Strong’s Concordance, that word “calamity” means “oppression, misfortune, ruin and destruction”. So, a life that is lived without any regard for God’s reproof of their sin will be a life that will end up in oppression, misfortune, ruin and destruction.
When calamity comes God says that they will call upon Him, but He would not answer. They would come seeking after Him, but they will not be able to find Him simply because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not listen to God’s counsel as set forth in His word and they despised all of His reproof.
We are not seeing much Godly fear in our society today. Men do not have any respect for God or care to know what He says about the way that they are living. They just simply go through their daily lives without any regard for God. The only time God is mentioned or brought up is when something terrible happens in their life. A loved one gets deathly ill or someone they were close to dies or perhaps when they themselves get diagnosed with a terminal disease of some sort. It is during those times when they turn to God. How sad this is.
The wise thing to do is to acknowledge God in our lives in the good times as well as the hard times. Always have an open ear to His call and do what He asks us to do every day. Stand ready to repent of our sin when God uses His reproof to show us.
