What is the meaning of Proverbs 1:26? In turn The opening phrase signals reciprocity—God’s answer corresponds to human response. Earlier in the chapter Wisdom cried out in the streets (Proverbs 1:20–23), but the hearers “refused to listen” (v. 24). Now, in the same measure, she responds “in turn.” • Proverbs 1:24-25 sets the cause; verse 26 begins the effect. • Galatians 6:7 reminds us, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap.” • Hosea 8:7 pictures the same principle: “For they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind.” Because God’s Word is always just, His reply perfectly mirrors the stubbornness of those who spurned Wisdom’s call. I will mock your calamity The verb is shocking, yet purposeful. Wisdom’s laughter is not cruel delight but judicial irony: the very calamity they laughed off now becomes the object of divine ridicule. • Psalm 2:4 shows a similar scene: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them”. • Judges 10:13-14 underscores the point: after Israel rejects God, He tells them to seek help from the idols they chose. • Calamity here is sudden ruin, the harvest of rebellion (Proverbs 6:15). God’s mockery exposes the emptiness of self-reliance and underscores that rejection of truth ends in disaster. I will sneer The phrase intensifies the judgment. To sneer is to deride with contempt, highlighting the utter folly of ignoring Wisdom. • 1 Samuel 8:18 speaks of a day when Israel would cry out for relief, “but the LORD will not answer you”. The withheld answer parallels the sneer. • Jeremiah 11:11 echoes: “I am bringing calamity upon them from which they cannot escape; then they will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them”. • James 4:6 teaches that “God opposes the proud,” and this opposition includes the scorn directed at prideful hearts. God’s sneer is holy resistance against arrogance. When terror strikes you The timing clause grounds the mockery in real events. Terror will come, not as random misfortune but as the logical result of choosing folly. • Proverbs 10:24 observes, “What the wicked man dreads will overtake him”. • Isaiah 48:22 bluntly states, “There is no peace … for the wicked”. • Luke 6:24-25 warns that those now satisfied without God will later mourn and weep. In Proverbs 1, the terror involves social upheaval, personal ruin, and ultimately eternal loss. Wisdom’s earlier invitation promised protection (v. 33); rejecting it removes that shelter, and dread rushes in. summary Proverbs 1:26 teaches a sobering truth: when people defiantly dismiss God’s gracious call, He answers in kind. The God who once pleaded now laughs, mocks, and sneers—righteous reactions that expose human folly and affirm divine justice. Calamity and terror are certain fruits of rebellion, but they are avoidable for any who humble themselves, heed Wisdom’s voice, and walk in the safety she offers. |
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