Don’t Make Him Tell You Again

(Proverbs 1:30 KJV)  They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

God uses many different ways to bring people to obedience.  We see two different approaches in this verse.  First, we have “counsel” (6098).  For us today this is available in many ways.  The best is found in the Bible.  As we read and reflect on our reading, the Holy Spirit has the simple way to bring things to our attention.  Obviously we can listen to the Sunday sermon and Sunday school lesson, be selective in what we listen to on radio and pod-casts and even read things written on the internet.

Then we have “reproof” (8433b).  This is stronger and can mean a strong argument or actual coercive discipline.  This is where God is forced to go when we won’t listen to His voice or avoid places where we might hear what we don’t want to hear.

God will keep trying to reach us.

So?  In a sense we pick the extremes to which God needs to go to reach us.  I think I prefer to listen when the voice is still kind and gentle.  The people addressed in this verse had a different attitude.  They paid.