Proverb 1:24

“Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,”

In verse 6, we learn what happens if we heed her call. But here, we are set up for what will happen if we don’t and instead to choose to ignore her words.

We know not what the consequence will be yet, but we have the sense that it will counter the previous promising result.

In the first part of the verse, she calls out the ones who merely ignore her voice. That’s one thing. Perhaps we ignore others in our fickle bouts of anger. Or maybe the surrounding noise is just too lout and we don’t hear the call. But it could also just be a selfish way to communicate that we’re not interested in what the other has to say. And that’s frustrating to say the least. We’ve all been on the receiving end of ignor-ance.

But to refuse another’s hand when it is being offered is an entirely different thing. It adds a level of personal refusal; an absolute intentional denial of another. 

For one, the gesture indicates some sort of aid. As if we’re down and and don’t even know it, Wisdom comes alongside us and holds out her hand to help us back up to heights we don’t even know we belong in.

It’s also an intimate gesture. When someone hold out their hand for a handshake or simply because they want to touch you, the refusal is personal. It communicates, “I don’t respect you,” in one sense; and “I don’t value you on that level” in another. It’s a straight shot to the heart, and here, we’ve wounded Wisdom’s attempt to connect with us on an intimate level.