When your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD. They would not accept my counsel, they spurned my reproof.

Proverbs 1:27-30

These verses are part of the warning given at the very beginning of Solomon’s progression of teachings and admonishes given to his son about the importance and impact of wisdom. Impact for good when we seek wisdom and follow it. Impact of negative consequences when we reject God’s wisdom and knowledge which is a sign that we do not fear the LORD. So, what are the consequences of rejecting God’s wisdom? Dread and calamity are the results and not just plain ole dread and calamity, but a storm of dread and a whirlwind of calamity! This is such a clear picture of just how seriously God is about not fearing Him and not heeding His wisdom. 

I’ve been in all 50 states and can attest to the powerful impact storms have on human life and all creation. I lived through the Ohio blizzard of 1977, one of the worst in US history. I was in college at the time where food had to be rationed until delivery trucks could get through the roads. I’ve driven through blizzards and slept in church basements until the interstates were reopened. I’ve hunkered down in basements or squeezed into closets while tornadoes passed by. I’ve driven on the edge of hurricane force winds hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life, which was more than enough evidence for me of just how forceful hurricanes can be! 

And that’s just what it is like when life’s calamities come at us, often because of our own rejection of God’s good wisdom. One bad decision after another…after another pile up until the perfect storm of personal disaster slams into our lives. We can see the storm coming and we are helpless to stop it and dread steps in! We try to fix our mess with weak temporary solutions that seem to only make everything worse. God’s wisdom cries out to us to trust Him with the coming storm and still we pridefully hang onto our own frail mortal answers. Dread settles down now. The calamity is inevitable. According to Proverbs, at some point, God just lets us face the consequences of our own undoing as long as we “hate knowledge” and do not accept wisdom’s “counsel” and “spurn” wisdom’s reproofs. 

BUT, we can grasp the God-given lifeline to fear the LORD and acknowledge His ways as best. The choice is ours. God offers to those who are open to His guidance, but He never forces our acceptance and compliance. 

Proverbs is full of nature’s word pictures such as this! For 31 days we will investigate and learn from nature’s lessons of what not to do!