because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof.

There is great blessing when you submit yourself to the instruction of the word of God, and listen and learn and grow up in your spiritual life. There is great cursing when you ignore or refuse instruction.

The word for nought, para, means to reject, ignore, to overlook, to not take seriously.

And of all of the failures in the spiritual life, the greatest failure and most frequent failure, comes in the form of failing to learn Bible doctrine.

And that failure is described here in this verse.

Throughout all of human history, over the last 6000+ years, only during these last ten years, because of the Internet and smart phones, and smart devices, has there been the most phenomenal advantage and opportunity to learn every aspect of the word of God, and to advance farther than anyone has ever advanced in their spiritual life.

And yet, in this age of fast-paced technology, there seems to be a tendency of greater indifference toward learning truth, rather than greater desire to learn Bible doctrine.

People view themselves as intelligent, as smart, as wise. And yet the wisest thing that anyone can do, is to learn Bible doctrine, which has infinite and eternal possibilities.

However, people tend to pursue the temporary things of this world, and base their beliefs on things that have no substance.

Wisdom, which is found in the Bible, is personified here as a woman. It is addressed to those who are categorized as simple, as scoffers, and as fools. We studied those three categories a couple of lessons ago.

The masculine, or the male, is the authority figure as designed by God. And yet wisdom is communicated from the feminine point of view, or the motherly source. And that is because those who ignore doctrine, typically reject authority, but will listen to the soft voice of the woman.

And for those who reject even the female voice, which is often considered as the most pleasant of all voices, only demonstrates the magnitude of the indifference toward God, toward Christ, and toward Bible doctrine.

And this is amazing, given the phenomenal technology of our time, and the phenomenal opportunity, which no one else in all of human history has had. And that points to a tremendous waste of opportunity, and a tremendous squandering of the resources which God has freely given to each one of us.

Study [by instruction],

to show thyself approved [spiritually mature]

unto God,

a workman [student]

that need not be ashamed [ignorant],

rightly dividing [learning, understanding, discerning]

the word of truth [Bible doctrine].

God bless you everyone