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Which invitation will you accept?
(Proverbs 9)
Andy Nagahara
This morning we are reading chapter 9 of the Proverbs series. The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters and can be divided into five major parts, and today’s text is the last chapter of Part 1. One of the features of the first part was the way in which personified wisdom spoke to us, but here, along with wisdom, its opposite concept, “foolishness,” is also personified, and yet it speaks to and invites people in the same way.
Chapter 9 begins with an invitation to wisdom and ends with an invitation to foolishness. The book has a three-tiered structure, with a section in between in which the father or teacher of wisdom strongly encourages us to seek wisdom rather than foolishness, and it contains what can be considered a summary and conclusion of the first part.
Have you ever been invited to two parties and had to choose which one to attend ? We are invited to the party of both “wisdom” and “foolishness.” However, “wisdom” and “foolishness” are completely incompatible, so you cannot get along with both.
The original word for party is a Latin word meaning a group of like-minded people. It doesn’t just mean having a good time with the person who invited you, it also means walking together.
Therefore, we must carefully read and compare the contents of both invitations and make the right decision.
1. Two Invitations (1-6, 13-18)
Before we begin the comparison, let’s review the true nature of the personified “wisdom” and “foolishness,” as we have discussed previously.
Wisdom is a gift from God. But who brings foolishness to a person? In the Bible, it is a person who has traditionally been called Satan or the Devil. It is something that we cannot see with the naked eye. But its influence can lead us to behave in a cruel, selfish, and self-centered way, bringing about the destruction of society and ourselves.
The Gospel writers Luke and John state that “Satan entered” Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus at the Last Supper. It is Satan who brings foolishness to human.
However, this foolishness does not refer to a lack of knowledge, common sense, or judgment. Rather, Satan is a very cunning and wicked being, as seen when he tempted Eve in the form of a snake.
Therefore, the “foolishness” referred to here refers to the human attitude of turning their backs on God. Let’s start by comparing verses 1-3 with verses 13-15.
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.
13 The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.
14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.
As coming from God, wisdom has a strong home to protect those who turn to her, and she invites them to her table, calling them through those who have known her grace to provide them with sufficient spiritual nourishment and abiding, certain, and great joy. On the other hand, foolishness speaks to people to lead them astray from God’s grace and lead them down the path of destruction.
The people being called are those who have not yet decided which party to join. People who don’t realize that it’s a binary choice and there’s no other way.
Many people still believe there is a path they can walk that does not involve God and certainly does not involve willful participation in evil. But there are not three options: we are faced with a binary choice: obey God or turn our backs on Him.
Now let’s compare the second half of each call.
4 “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.
5 “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
16 “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.
17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
In verses 4 and 16, we see that God and Satan are inviting us using the exact same words. “Simple” and “senseless” people are those who are unaware of the reality of the binary choice I mentioned earlier. That’s not a bad thing. They are not people who have already been taken prisoner by the devil and cannot listen to God, but people who have the ability to make a choice. Wisdom invites us to live with clarity of mind and listening to God’s wisdom. By doing so, we can receive the spiritual nourishment of God’s wisdom and live a life filled with the blessings of God who created us, rather than a life that is dissatisfied and restless, and we can receive eternal life.
Verse 5 has special meaning for us who know Jesus’ life on earth. For us, the bread and wine that wisdom gives us is none other than the body and blood of Jesus that we receive in the Communion. It is only through the event of the cross that this grace becomes a reality that we can receive.
In contrast, verses 17 and 18 clearly show the terribleness of what Satan has to offer. It is true that “stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret tastes good.” So some people steal, even though they risk getting caught. They may be able to successfully escape from the public eye. But they can’t fool God. Whatever it may be, God cannot tolerate stealing something from someone else and taking it for themselves.
Satan tries to make us his accomplices, and if we accept his invitation, we will sever our relationship with God. This leads to a state of being “in the depths of the grave,” a dead state of soul.
2. Receive wisdom and pass it on (7-12)
Now let us read the passage that is placed between the invitation of wisdom and the invitation of folly.
7 “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”
It contains advice on acquiring wisdom and encouraging others to acquire wisdom. Verses 7-9 contain instructions on the type of person we should impart wisdom to. Strangely enough, it says to impart wisdom to the wise, not to the ignorant.
If we try to offer God’s wisdom to those who accept Satan’s teachings of how to live, not only will they not listen, but they will also insult us, hate us, and worse, hurt us. Instead, he encourages those who desire wisdom to seek more wisdom. That means we should encourage each other to grow.
Finally, as the core of the first part of Proverbs, I would like to read again and keep in mind the truth found in verses 10-12:
10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”
The most important thing for you to maintain a healthy relationship with God and live as one who conveys God’s blessings to others is to fear the Lord and know the Holy One. The wisdom of God is poured out on those who fear the Lord and know the Holy One. The life that God gives us is eternal life that transcends physical death.
However, if we belittle and despise our connection with God, our life will be taken away.
So, which invitation will you respond to: wisdom or foolishness?
(Prayer) God, thank you for inviting us to a home and a bountiful table for our souls.
Thank you for speaking to my soul, which was at risk of going either way, your wisdom and Satan’s foolishness, and giving me the resolve to answer your call.
Use us to convey the wisdom we have been given to the souls of those whom you have prepared, so that your wisdom may eliminate the many miseries caused by the foolishness of this world, and so that all your creatures may praise and rejoice in you.
Use each one of us as a little light and salt in the place where we are placed.
To that end, please fill our hearts with abundant joy in you.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Wisdom is essential for us, God’s creatures, to walk in accordance with His will. The essence of wisdom is a strong connection with God. Jesus said, “Follow me.” Satan speaks to our hearts with the goal of destroying this relationship. His invitations are very cunning and seem tempting, but the content of his words remains exactly the same as when he first whispered to Eve: “It’s better to live according to your own desires without God.” Which invitation will you respond to?
For Discussion
1. What are the similarities (differences) between the invitations of “wisdom” and “foolishness”?
2. Why is “the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom”?