Proverbs 1:28

Lady Wisdom does not owe you knowledge, truth, or understanding. God does not owe you answers to your prayers. God does not owe you His presence. God does not owe you help when you are in trouble. God gives these blessings by His grace and will, and He can withdraw or revoke them whenever your conduct offends Him. If you choose to rebel in sin, you will surely lose these precious treasures (Pr 15:8; 28:9; Ps 66:18).

For part of the first chapter, Solomon personified wisdom as a woman (Pr 1:20-33). Lady Wisdom generously offers wisdom to simple ones, scorners, and fools (Pr 1:20-23). But she threatens and warns in severe language that she will not help them when they fall into trouble, if they reject her kind offers (Pr 1:24-31). And she concludes by explaining certain judgment on the rebellious and certain blessings on the obedient (Pr 1:32-33).

You may be in grave danger, and you likely do not even know it. You may be playing with the possibility of living the rest of your life in foolish ignorance and suffering badly for it. All you have to do is take life easy and neglect God’s offers of wisdom. The God of heaven is not like anyone you have ever met. He does not allow games in the serious matter of wisdom. If you neglect Him, He will leave you desolate, ignorant, and doomed!

Do you have idols in your heart – things you love too much to give up for God or wisdom – like family, habits, money, tradition, or friends? Is there anything or anyone that you do not want to give up for God and His wisdom? Here is God’s sovereign promise to you:

“I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;”

Ezekiel 14:8-10

You have likely not heard a sermon from this text in a while. God will send you lies, if you come before Him and hold on to things of this life and neglect His offered truth. Whatever minister you are trusting for help, God will blind and deceive him to lie to you.

Do you love the truth – with willingness to sacrifice anything for it – or is the truth just a noble-sounding concept that you neglect in your busy life? Here is God’s promise to you:

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

II Thess 2:11-12

You have not heard a sermon from this text in a while either. God will send lies to you, if you neglect His truth and get wrapped up in the pleasures of sin. Why will He do this? So He can judge you for rejecting the truth and wisdom He freely offered you.

Most men are hopelessly ignorant for a reason. They are too lazy, proud, or rebellious to humble themselves under God’s mighty hand and submit to His wisdom. They are too busy for wisdom; they think they already have things figured out; they do not like being told to change and live differently. Reading God’s word and hearing it preached are boring and tiring activities to them (II Tim 4:3-4). They are doomed for time and eternity!

In spite of great efforts to exalt human rights, when it comes to dealing with God, men have duties and privileges, not rights. It is your duty to fear God and keep His commandments, for you will soon give Him an account of your life (Eccl 12:13-14). Truth and wisdom are privileges, which He does not owe you. He will only give them to you, if you are humble and obedient (Is 66:1-2; John 7:17). Humble yourself today!