Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
    in the markets she raises her voice;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
    at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
    and fools hate knowledge?
If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
    I will make my words known to you. — Proverbs 1:20-23 (ESV)
Reflection
Holy Hubert used to visit my campus, the University of Washington. His gravelly but booming voice could be heard at a great distance. He delighted to call college students sinners and to warn them of the dangers of hell fire.
It was preaching as street theater, as he was most “effective†when he provoked an argument. To this day I recall Hubert going nose to nose with a young socialist student, with blue cap and red star to match the color of the student’s angered countenance.
Wisdom cries aloud in a different way. I don’t think we are speaking here of street evangelists like Holy Hubert. We are speaking of Wisdom personified. She appears often in Proverbs 1-9. Her discourse can be confrontational, as in the above passage, or more gentle as in Proverbs 8. [Read more…] about Navigating Wisdom: How Wisdom Calls Out in the Streets