So we have come to the end of our series in Proverbs, and here we are giving a final choice. Who are we going to hang out with? Which path are we going to go down? What type of person are we going to choose to be? Will we pick Wisdom or Folly? Life or death?
And framing it in those terms, is obvious that life is the best choice, like who is going to pick death? Who wants to say, when presented with wisdom and folly, that they pick folly, as that sounds best? Well, many people actually do.
Choose Life. Choose a job.And at the end, he concludes
Choose a career. Choose a family.
Choose a ... big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers.
Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance.
Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments.
Choose a starter home. Choose your friends...
Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your mouth.
I chose not to choose life: I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who need reasons when you've got heroin?That character can’t give a reason why he doesn’t choose life, but we see, in our passage, that in choosing folly, the side of death, it doesn’t ask you to change, it doesn’t ask for any long-term consequences, and it promises a good time, even if it is bad for you.
And so, we are brought to the end of this prologue in Proverbs, and the book is almost asking: will you continue on? Will you feast on the proverbs and wisdom ahead? Or will you mock? Will you not seek correction and stay where you are?
So today we are going to have a final look at Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly, and in the middle, there are some proverbs for our learning, if we are willing to hear them
Lady Wisdom offers wisdom
We see wisdom again as portrayed as a woman,Wisdom has built her house;We see this wise woman who is resourceful and industrious. Her life seems put together and ordered. In chapter 31, Proverbs will also end with a woman who is like this. The ways of wisdom are resourceful. Not idle but productive.
she has set up its seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servants, and she calls
from the highest point of the city,
“Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
“Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of insight.” (Proverbs 9:1–6 NIV)
Here, Wisdom has built a large house and organised it so that people can come and have a meal in it. She has made the preparations, cooked the meat and mixed the wine, with maybe honey or herbs to make it spicier (Song 8:2) (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Exegetical Perspective)
She sends out her servants to invite all those who are simple to come and eat the food and wine. They are called upon to change their way of life, leaving their ‘simple ways’ to follow ‘the way of insight’, which is the way to life. The invitation is a call to conversion or repentance. (Proverbs 9:1–6 Wisdom’s Invitation)
Wisdom wants to share what she has, so others can learn the ways of wisdom; so others can be resourceful and industrious. She doesn’t want the simple to stay where they are, but instead wants them to grow and learn. There is a giving of herself to this invite.
Will you accept wisdom?
The real question is if the simple want wisdom - for those that come, they will have to admit that they don’t know it all, that they are simple, that they need to change something about themselves. This will take humility; this, in and of itself, will take wisdom. The beginning of wisdom is to know you need to get wisdom (Prov 4:7).And so we see in the next bit how some people receive instructions
Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For through wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. (Proverbs 9:7–12 NIV)
Did you hear the contrast between a mocker and the wise? The mocker will not accept correction; they will hate you for it. The mocker will not be rewarded but will suffer in the end.
But the wise, they hear correction and become even wiser; they want to add to their learning. They will love you for correcting them. The wise will live well and be rewarded.
The point here is that if you cannot accept a rebuke, it is not just because that is your personality type; it reveals your heart and your mind. It shows your pride and what you think of yourself. You could have an idol of self. (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
So it is worth asking, how teachable are you? How do you respond to correction? Do you automatically get angry or defensive? Or do you listen and try to see the truth in it? Do you have any relationships where someone has the freedom to ask you tough questions? Wisdom is the ability to hear and respond correctly to criticism so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes. (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
And in the centre of these sayings, and the centre of this chapter, is verse 10, which is the key verse of this whole book. We have seen it before
In this chapter, we have two voices calling out, but in reality, we are bombarded daily with so many voices. Our family, workmates, news reporters, political commentators, YouTube influencers, and actors on TV.
Who do we listen to that we value? Who do we let entertain us and shape our thinking? Really, whose voices do we trust? Do we trust others' wisdom, or do we think we can know it all ourselves?
There are sort of two ways we can know things. One is through experience, and the other is through facts. This is clear in every sporting event on TV. The player on the field, they know what it is like to be in the game, they are making quick decisions and putting all their effort into the game, they know it. And then there are the commentators, with the microphones. They may have played that sport before, but they offer their knowledge on the sidelines and say what the player should have done- they know, without being on the field, how to play the game.
Both ways of knowing things are good, but sometimes we overvalue experience, we overvalue self, we think we need to learn everything out for ourselves. My wisdom and my experience is true. But the wisdom that is offered in Proverbs is so that you don’t have to learn the hard way. So that you can avoid certain experiences. I have never experienced heroin, but I trust others who say that it is bad. One way of knowing helps me to avoid another way of knowing. Last weekend, while we were away at Synod, David Adams told me, “You don’t have to drink the entire ocean to know that it’s salty.” You can learn things without experiencing everything.
And so in Proverbs, it is offering wise teachings and correction before we go down a certain path, when it says things, it means we have to trust the one who is speaking. Do we trust this king's advice?
How much did you, or do you trust your parents when they give advice? I’m sure they had some wisdom when you were young, but did you trust that they knew what they were talking about? Did you trust them?
Mark Twain said, “When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.”
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. How much do you trust the one saying that correction is good? That being lazy is wrong and working hard pays off? That adultery leads to death? That we need to guard what goes in and out of our hearts?
If we don’t respect the one who is saying it, we won’t listen. Instead, we will do what we please, because that pleases us more than pleasing the one telling us.
When it comes to this wisdom from the Bible, it all comes down to who we fear. Who will we trust and respect? Who are you willing to submit your life to - Yourself or God? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Folly is a parody of Wisdom.
She perhaps is the ultimate mocker of wisdom. She uses the same Facebook marketing campaign as wisdom, by using the same words at the same targeted audience. She and Wisdom say, “Let all who are simple come to my house”. They are attracting the same people, but they are not the same.
Folly herself is simple, and so is not asking for change, but offering mear meal of stolen goods. The stolen water and secret meal may be an allusion to an adulterous relationship as we have seen earlier, and with that we are told, again and again, that what she is offering is a way to the dead.
Folly’s inactivity is indicative on who she is. Folly is lazy. She does very little; she only “sits” at the opening of her house (9:14) and offers food that she did not prepare. (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Exegetical Perspective)
And there is one last similarity that I really want to highlight. Both Wisdom and Folly in this chapter are at the highest point of the city. They are neighbours or even their location could be a metaphor for the same place.
Back then, the highest point of the city would be reserved for the temple, pagan or otherwise. In this metaphor, there is a contest for who you will worship. Which temple will you go into and eat?
I don’t think this is a direct reference to this story, but having to make a choice between two temples on a hill reminded me of Elijah on Mount Carmel. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenges the 600 prophets of Baal up a mountain where they make two altars and the real God was to answer with fire to show that they are true. At the start of these preparations, we have Elihah’s charge to all the people:
It has always been that choice. In the beginning, there was the tree of life, but sin was chosen, and it brought in death.
Moses, at the end of his life, just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land says:
Logically, you would think that choosing between life and death is an easy one, but it’s not, because we all love the darkness. Our sin has affected our hearts, which affects our minds and what we do with our bodies. We don’t value the voice of God, so we don’t listen to it. In John’s gospel, when talking about Jesus and us it says:
But Jesus came into the world to rescue us from all that. In Jesus, we see the wisdom of God. Through Jesus, God was able to work out a way for sinners to meet with a holy God. We were separated from God because of our sin, and we were unable to approach Him. And God came down to Earth as a man, in Jesus, as our representative and took on our sin, so that we could be brought back to Him. God made a way to reconcile sinners with God. God’s wisdom found a way to bring these mutually exclusive groups together through the death of Jesus. That is the wisdom of God. It is considered foolish to the proud, but to the humble, it is wisdom.
And Jesus, the real personification of Wisdom, He also invites everyone to a meal
Jesus went into the grave and came back in victory three days later. He invites you to accept forgiveness from him. If you do, he will transform you into a wise person. The choice is yours! (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
20 years later, they made a sequel to Trainspotting (this is not a recommendation that you see either movie). But in the sequel, some of the characters have aged and wised up, others haven’t. There is another “choose life” monologue, and again, after mocking our consumeristic culture, the guy pivots to reflect on his life and the path he had chosen and says:
But the wise, they hear correction and become even wiser; they want to add to their learning. They will love you for correcting them. The wise will live well and be rewarded.
The point here is that if you cannot accept a rebuke, it is not just because that is your personality type; it reveals your heart and your mind. It shows your pride and what you think of yourself. You could have an idol of self. (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
So it is worth asking, how teachable are you? How do you respond to correction? Do you automatically get angry or defensive? Or do you listen and try to see the truth in it? Do you have any relationships where someone has the freedom to ask you tough questions? Wisdom is the ability to hear and respond correctly to criticism so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes. (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
And in the centre of these sayings, and the centre of this chapter, is verse 10, which is the key verse of this whole book. We have seen it before
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,God knows everything. He made this world, so He knows how this world works and how it is meant to be lived in. We need correction from Him to really have any wisdom. And He is offering His wisdom for all to know it.
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)
In this chapter, we have two voices calling out, but in reality, we are bombarded daily with so many voices. Our family, workmates, news reporters, political commentators, YouTube influencers, and actors on TV.
Who do we listen to that we value? Who do we let entertain us and shape our thinking? Really, whose voices do we trust? Do we trust others' wisdom, or do we think we can know it all ourselves?
Both ways of knowing things are good, but sometimes we overvalue experience, we overvalue self, we think we need to learn everything out for ourselves. My wisdom and my experience is true. But the wisdom that is offered in Proverbs is so that you don’t have to learn the hard way. So that you can avoid certain experiences. I have never experienced heroin, but I trust others who say that it is bad. One way of knowing helps me to avoid another way of knowing. Last weekend, while we were away at Synod, David Adams told me, “You don’t have to drink the entire ocean to know that it’s salty.” You can learn things without experiencing everything.
And so in Proverbs, it is offering wise teachings and correction before we go down a certain path, when it says things, it means we have to trust the one who is speaking. Do we trust this king's advice?
How much did you, or do you trust your parents when they give advice? I’m sure they had some wisdom when you were young, but did you trust that they knew what they were talking about? Did you trust them?
Mark Twain said, “When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.”
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. How much do you trust the one saying that correction is good? That being lazy is wrong and working hard pays off? That adultery leads to death? That we need to guard what goes in and out of our hearts?
If we don’t respect the one who is saying it, we won’t listen. Instead, we will do what we please, because that pleases us more than pleasing the one telling us.
When it comes to this wisdom from the Bible, it all comes down to who we fear. Who will we trust and respect? Who are you willing to submit your life to - Yourself or God? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Lady Folly offers death
And, finally, one last time we hear from Lady Folly, this time I think the curtains are pulled back and we see her for who she really isFolly is an unruly woman;In this chapter, Wisdom is presented as constructive, Folly is destructive. (Proverbs 9:13–18 Folly’s Invitation)
she is simple and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
“Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!”
But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead. (Proverbs 9:13–18 NIV)
Folly is a parody of Wisdom.
She perhaps is the ultimate mocker of wisdom. She uses the same Facebook marketing campaign as wisdom, by using the same words at the same targeted audience. She and Wisdom say, “Let all who are simple come to my house”. They are attracting the same people, but they are not the same.
Folly herself is simple, and so is not asking for change, but offering mear meal of stolen goods. The stolen water and secret meal may be an allusion to an adulterous relationship as we have seen earlier, and with that we are told, again and again, that what she is offering is a way to the dead.
Folly’s inactivity is indicative on who she is. Folly is lazy. She does very little; she only “sits” at the opening of her house (9:14) and offers food that she did not prepare. (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Exegetical Perspective)
And there is one last similarity that I really want to highlight. Both Wisdom and Folly in this chapter are at the highest point of the city. They are neighbours or even their location could be a metaphor for the same place.
Back then, the highest point of the city would be reserved for the temple, pagan or otherwise. In this metaphor, there is a contest for who you will worship. Which temple will you go into and eat?
I don’t think this is a direct reference to this story, but having to make a choice between two temples on a hill reminded me of Elijah on Mount Carmel. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenges the 600 prophets of Baal up a mountain where they make two altars and the real God was to answer with fire to show that they are true. At the start of these preparations, we have Elihah’s charge to all the people:
Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV)And we get to the end of this chapter, and it is saying, who will you choose? How long will you flirt with Folly or like the idea of Wisdom? Who is to be at the highest point of your life? Pick one and follow them. Don’t waver, pick a lane and stay in it.
Choose Life
The options are life or death, so be wise and choose life.It has always been that choice. In the beginning, there was the tree of life, but sin was chosen, and it brought in death.
Moses, at the end of his life, just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land says:
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 30:19–20 NIV)If you know the story, you know that after they had settled in the land, they did not choose life. They did not listen to the voice of God. They chose death, and followed other gods and even sacrificed their own children (Judg 11:29-40, 2 Kings 16:3, 21:6, Ps 106:37-38)
Logically, you would think that choosing between life and death is an easy one, but it’s not, because we all love the darkness. Our sin has affected our hearts, which affects our minds and what we do with our bodies. We don’t value the voice of God, so we don’t listen to it. In John’s gospel, when talking about Jesus and us it says:
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19–20 NIV)We would rather stay where we are, simple and in the dark, rather than see that change is needed and head into the light.
But Jesus came into the world to rescue us from all that. In Jesus, we see the wisdom of God. Through Jesus, God was able to work out a way for sinners to meet with a holy God. We were separated from God because of our sin, and we were unable to approach Him. And God came down to Earth as a man, in Jesus, as our representative and took on our sin, so that we could be brought back to Him. God made a way to reconcile sinners with God. God’s wisdom found a way to bring these mutually exclusive groups together through the death of Jesus. That is the wisdom of God. It is considered foolish to the proud, but to the humble, it is wisdom.
And Jesus, the real personification of Wisdom, He also invites everyone to a meal
Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35 NIV)If you feed on Him, if you go to Him for sustenance for life, you will be satisfied. What Jesus offers is for those who know they are fools and who want to grow in wisdom. Have you accepted Christ’s invitation? (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
Jesus went into the grave and came back in victory three days later. He invites you to accept forgiveness from him. If you do, he will transform you into a wise person. The choice is yours! (Exalting Jesus in Proverbs The Marriage Supper of Wisdom (Proverbs 9))
Choose unfulfilled promiseAnd God says, No! Choose life. Always choose life. Life is available and can be found. Turn from your simple ways, go to Jesus, the bread of life and He will not disappoint, but satisfy. Trust His words, trust His wisdom, trust Him. He comes into the darkness and offers light. He came to the disconnected and offers love. He went down to death and offers life. He is calling and wants you to come. So come. Follow Jesus. It might be the hard way, for you have to admit that you need to change, but it is the wise way, which doesn’t lead to death, but resurrected life, forever.
and wishing you'd done it all differently.
Choose never learning from your own mistakes.
Choose watching history repeat itself.
Choose the slow reconciliation
towards what you can get
rather than what you always hoped for.
Settle for less and keep a brave face on it.
Choose disappointment.
God of wisdom,you invite us to your table and call us to choose life.Teach us to leave behind foolishness,and to walk in the way of understanding.Make us humble to receive correction,and be joyful in learning your truth.Keep us from the path of folly,that we may fear the Lord,who is the beginning of wisdom,until we share in our eternal home, with youThrough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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