Choose Wisdom's Feast

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0:02So my name is Joel, and I'm happy to be serving Christ and serving you all here as pastor. And we are finishing up our sermon series today on Proverbs. So, well, I appreciate that. Some people are like, oh, let's keep going. There's 31 chapters. Well, we've got to stop at 9. My encouragement is to make Proverbs part of your reading for the next little bit. Take the things that you've learned here and now go through Proverbs 10 and beyond when it starts to get very, you know, sometimes each couplet is about a different thing.

0:33So you have to kind of read it slowly. We've gotten some principles together for how to read and absorb and appreciate Proverbs. So, as I've said, Proverbs 1 through 9 is an introduction to the book of Proverbs. It's like a prologue to Proverbs. And chapter 9 is a conclusion of that prologue and kind of a summary of the introduction. The big idea of Proverbs 9 is this. Make a good choice. Make a good choice. Make a good choice is a tool in the parenting tool belt that Nikki and I learned early on from somebody else.

1:14How many parents here have ever told your kids, make a good choice? Right? How many kids have been told? How many kids in the room have been told, make a good choice? So, make a good choice is what a parent says when you see what's coming before your kid does. You see a look in her eyes as she raises the glass of milk right above her sister's head.

1:48And you can see what's coming. You can see that it's a prophetic moment. You can see the future. Or you catch your son scooting a stool up to the counter where the cookies are. And you can see what's about to happen. Make a good choice. This is a pretty sneakily good parenting strategy in a lot of ways. Make a good choice. First of all, it alerts the child first and foremost to the fact that they're about to make a choice. Right? That they are at a little fork in the road.

2:31And their life for the next 30 minutes, an hour, can go one of two directions. You are about to make a choice. You're at a fork in the road. Second of all, make a good choice. It tells the kid that not all choices are neutral.

2:52That in this situation, there is a good choice and there's a bad choice. They're not equal. Ethically. Morally. Make a good choice is prompting the child to stop and think. To evaluate right and wrong. To consider outcomes. To practice self-control. Make a good choice is training a child in wisdom. Right? Instead of just reaching and grabbing the milk out of their hand. Or pushing away the stool. Make a good choice is a stop and think moment. Proverbs 9 is that's what Proverbs 9 is.

3:29I probably should have just titled the sermon, Make a Good Choice. But I've titled it something different. It's a wake-up call. It's reminding us that we are always facing choices. Choices between God's way and not God's way. Between wisdom and foolishness. It gives us insight. This chapter gives us insight. It's a moment. It's a wake-up call. Stop and think. And not just stop and think, but this chapter gives us the insight to be able to see the difference between the two choices ahead of us.

4:05And it pushes us to make a good choice. So, let's go to Proverbs 9. The last in our little series here. And kneel before the Word of God in our hearts. And receive His words with submission, with joy, with open hands. Brothers and sisters, our Father wants to feed us. Are you ready to get fed today? Are you ready to get the Word that nourishes your spirit? I know I am. Let's come to the Lord God in His Word. Proverbs 9. Wisdom has built her house.

4:45She has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. To him who lacks sense, she says, Come, eat of my bread. Drink of the wine that I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live. And walk in the way of insight.

5:17Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse. And he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer or he will hate you. Reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied and years will be added to your life.

5:50If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you scoff, you alone will bear it. The woman folly is loud. She is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house. She takes a seat on the highest places of the town. Calling to those who pass by who are going straight on their way. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. And to him who lacks sense, she says, stolen water is sweet. Bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there.

6:32That her guests are in the depths of Sheol. Pray with me. Father, thank you for teaching us wisdom. For calling us to wisdom. For being wisdom for us. We pray, Lord, that you would transform our hearts. Lord, sanctify us by your word. Prepare us, Lord, to follow after you in the paths of life and in the ways of insight. Do this, Lord, because we need it. Do it because we want to be different in our lives. We want to be more like you. And do it for your glory, Lord.

7:10So that people will see ordinary people like us, changed and different. Experiencing real life through you and through you alone. We pray this in the name of Jesus.

7:31Make a good choice. Subtitle, choose wisdom's feast. Choose wisdom's feast. In the next week or so, my daughter Cadence's calendar is the most packed of anyone in our family. She is, she's graduating high school this coming Friday. Wonderful. And a whole lot of things in her calendar are invitations to graduation parties. She's got some choices to make. Now you might not be in that situation. Few people in the room are. But imagine that you are at home and you're opening up your mail.

8:13And it's been a little while, like it is for me sometimes when I open up my mail, and the stack has gotten bigger. And amidst all of the stuff that you don't want to see, the bills, the junk mail, the political ads, the catalogs you didn't sign up for that you're somehow getting. Why am I getting this catalog? You're flipping, you're flipping, you're flipping. And then you see, oh, this is a nice envelope. It's got a handwritten address on it. What is this?

8:48So you immediately put everything else aside and you open up that letter. It's an invitation to a party. Oh, happy day. It's great. Amidst all of the stuff that you don't want to arrive in your mailbox, you've gotten something nice. So you set it aside. You already are making mental plans. That sounds like fun. You mentally put it on your calendar. And you go back to the chore of going to the mail. Bill, junk, catalog, catalog, junk. What's this?

9:22Another invitation. At least it looks like it. Let's open it up and find out. It is. It's another invitation. Two parties. You're suddenly feeling very popular, like Shirley Cadence is feeling right now. All these parties she's been invited. You're like, I've been invited to two different parties. This is great. I'm going to have a great time. Uh-oh. You notice they're both at the same time. And they are in opposite directions of where you live. So you can only go to one of these two.

9:58There is no way to go to both. You've got to only go to one. How do you decide which one to go to? Now, I know what some of you would say. Some of you would say, well, that's easy. Neither. Well, in this hypothetical scenario, you are a strong extrovert, okay? And you have been cooped up at home all week. Or maybe in this hypothetical scenario, you're married to someone like that. Either way, you're going to one of these two parties, okay? This is the situation that the author frames up in Proverbs 9, at least in modern terms.

10:45We've all received two invitations to two different parties. And it matters greatly which one we choose. How do we decide? So let's look closer at this. Let's look closer at the two invitations. So one is in verses 1-6. And the other one is in verses 13-18. Look at it now in your Bible, in your bulletin. It's the beginning and the ending of the passage. 1-6 is one invitation. 13-18 is the other. At first, they look very similar to each other. They're both from prominent women in town.

11:23They're both inviting us to their houses for a party. They both are serving food and drink. In fact, they both make the same opening statement. Look at verses 4 and 16. They are identical. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. It's like both hostesses are using the same template from Evite or something. Then you stop and realize, hey, wait a minute. They're calling me simple.

11:57Now, listen, it's worse than that, actually. They're reaching out. They're both reaching out to the same group of people. To him who lacks sense, you have received this invitation. Maybe that's how the envelope has been addressed. To him who lacks sense. To her who lacks sense. That's the guest list. Friends, don't be offended. You get things in the mail all the time, presuming that you need help with this or that. That you need something. Both of these hostesses are reaching out to people who need help.

12:34Both are clearly calling. They're urgently calling. I want to give you what you need. I want to see you at my place. You have a need. I want to meet it. Come over. Two invitations. Both sound very similar. Both trying to appeal to you. To get you to put this on your calendar. Make the drive. But they come from two very different women. One comes from a lady named Wisdom. The other a lady named Folly. Now let me be plain here.

13:16You are getting messages and offers and invitations all the time. From all different sources. From media. Whether it's on your phone, on your computer, on TV. You're getting messages from your own heart. You're getting messages from your friends. From your family. From God. They're all essentially saying similar things. Believe this. Somebody else butts in. No, no. Believe this. Live this way. No, no. Live this way. Go after this thing. Enjoy this.

13:58Value this. Put your hope here. Trust me. Another voice says, no, no, no. Trust me. Some voice butts in. Maybe your own heart. And says, no, no. Just trust yourself.

14:16It can all sound so compelling. And they all sound so similar to each other. How can we discern the difference between all these messages? Which ones should we listen to? Which ones should we disregard? Turn off. How can we tell the difference between wisdom and folly? Between help and harm? When I was a kid, I got Highlights Magazine. Anybody here get Highlights Magazine as a kid? One of the activities in every issue was look and look again. Like this.

14:53Look and look again. Can you spot the differences? That's what this passage is. You're all trying to spot the differences in that now, aren't you? I can tell. I can tell. I can see what's going on. How can we spot the difference between wisdom and folly in this? Because they look similar at first. Okay? If we look closely, we can see the differences if we study it. I'm going to unpack it for you. Okay? One difference is the character of the hostess.

15:30This is one difference. The character of the hostess. Verse 1 says, Wisdom built her house. It takes planning to build a house. Lots of hard work to get it done. This lady has put in time and sweat and ingenuity, and that hard work has produced results. She has hewn her seven pillars. Let me tell you. From what I understand about ancient Near East architecture, seven pillars means it's a big house. It is a grand house. Seven is also deliberately chosen here.

16:01It's a number of perfection. Her plans have come to perfection. They've come to fruition. She doesn't have to talk about her work ethic. It just shows. You walk near her house. You know that she's built it, and you think, wow, this lady is something.

16:20Folly, on the other hand, is a little less than hard working. What does the passage say? She sits at the door of her house. She's lazy. No mention of her putting in any work. Folly's resume is awfully thin. Under work history, there's nothing. It's blank. Somebody says, Folly, what's going on? Your work history here is awfully thin. There's nothing. Oh, you know, she says, I've just been taking some time to really find myself. Just haven't gotten around to any real work.

16:59Because she's lazy, verse 13 says she knows nothing. She hasn't worked, and so she hasn't acquired any knowledge, especially not moral knowledge. Right and wrong. Righteousness. Justice. But like a lot of foolish people, it doesn't stop her from talking. Rather than work, she talks. And this talk is not pleasant. This is not a voice for radio. She is loud, the passage says. And the word loud, it means uproar, turmoil, noise, clamor. You can find this word in Psalm 46.6.

17:37The nations rage. The nations rage. That's the same word. You can tell the difference between wisdom and folly by the character of the speaker. Talk is cheap. Look for integrity behind the invitation. What is the pattern of life of the person speaking to you? Does it align with God's integrity? God's pattern of planning and work? His word comes to us backed up by action, doesn't it? That's how we know that he speaks to us with wisdom. God created this world, but he didn't wind it up like a watch and then just sit back and disengage.

18:23This whole universe is upheld by the word of his power, scripture says. And yet, he gives attention to the smallest detail of our lives so that not a hair falls from our head without the will of our father in heaven. He builds his house and we, his people, are that house. Built together, joined together into a dwelling place for God by the spirit. Okay, let's spot another difference. The quality of the banquet. Wisdom has slaughtered her beasts. Now, this is good news because in the ancient Near East, not every meal included meat.

19:13Even if you're wealthy, not every meal included meat. So this is already a great party. There's going to be a barbecue. And to pair with your meat, wisdom says, I've mixed my wine, put in spices, honey, prepared this for you. This is getting luxurious. This is a great party. The spread at Folly's party is not as good. There is no meat, just bread. There is no wine, only water. The guests who arrive are thinking to themselves, this party is lame. I wonder if I can still get over to Wisdom's house through time.

20:07And then, in the course of the conversation, they learn that these things that they're eating and drinking don't even belong to the hostess. She has stolen them.

20:19To try to make up for how meager everything is, she talks about the thrill of breaking laws. Bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Listen, bread eaten in secret, it should be a hindrance to enjoying yourself. If you're worried about somebody coming in and taking back what belongs to them, how are you going to eat that? You're going to eat it like a dog at a bowl, right? If you ever come over to a dog when they're eating their food, you kind of bend over a little bit, they just start going crazy on that bowl.

20:53Like it's the last meal they're ever going to have. That's not fun. And yet, here's folly saying, oh, it's pleasant to eat bread in secret. No, that's a lie. It's not fun to have to hide what you're doing because someone might come in and catch you. That is not fun. That's not joy. That's not what you and I were meant for. But folly is trying to sell it to you to hide how meager everything is. Folly tries to spin it to convince you it's something good.

21:30Stolen water is sweet. This is like if a gnat lands in a kid's Kool-Aid and the parent says, oh, that's just protein. It's fine. You're trying to sell it like it's a good thing. It's not a good thing that a gnat lended in my Kool-Aid, mom and dad.

21:54Listen, here's the point. All Satan and the world can offer you is stolen goods. That's it. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, right? God's Word tells us that. There is no other source. When foolishness calls us, we are being offered a distorted and lesser version of God's gifts. That's it. The world and Satan have nothing to offer. They don't own anything. They have nothing to offer you. Nothing good. Anything good comes from the Lord.

22:34All Satan can do is distort it and twist it and lessen it and then offer it to you and then try to sell it to you like it's better. Gluttony and drunkenness are distortions of God's gift of food and drink. Materialism is a distortion of God's gift of provision. Extramarital sex and pornography are misusing God's gift of sexuality. Laziness is a distortion of rest. Overwork is a distortion of calling. Oppression is a misuse of strength. Vanity, immodesty are misuses of beauty.

23:13Clicks and gossip are a distorted form of friendship. And the list goes on and on and on. This is all idolatry. And just like idols, these so-called pleasures are thin and hollow and lifeless.

23:40They're as lame as folly's party. Don't listen to the salesmanship, the advertisement that it's better, that it's good. It's not. Look at it for what it is. It's thin and hollow and lifeless. That's all folly can offer you. But when we receive in wisdom God's gifts from Him and use them the way that He intends, what we find is that His gifts are richer, they're better, they're satisfying. That's the banquet at Wisdom's party. The slaughtered beasts, the mixed wine.

24:24It's better. It's richer. Eating with self-control really is better than gluttony. Keeping work in its boundaries and resting in Him is a better rhythm of life for you. Sex and marriage is better than porn and hookups.

24:48Here's the final difference between these two invitations. The purpose of the party. Wisdom has gone to a lot of trouble, hasn't she? Folly hasn't. All she did was steal something and just toss it on the table. Probably even no tablecloth. Wisdom has, she's built her house.

25:14She has set her table. She has sent out her young women to call. What's her angle? What's your angle, Wisdom? Is this a fundraiser? I've been to those kind of dinners before. No, no, no. We don't have to wonder what her angle is because she's transparent about her motives. She wants to bless us. To be wealthy in the ancient Near East came with a social responsibility to be generous and to be hospitable. And she is following through on that for this blessing and the good of other people.

25:50For you and for me. Wisdom has built her house. This presents the introduction to the book of Proverbs. That's the house that she's built. Now she's hosting a housewarming. And the rich banquet that she invites us to enjoy is the rest of the book of Proverbs. Come and feast on this wisdom. I've prepared it all for you. Leave your simple ways. Live. Walk in the way of insight. She's thinking about the future. Your future. And she's making a real offer to help.

26:28Come into this house and stay here. I have guest rooms. There'll be another meal tomorrow. Stay. Let me feed you. Folly, on the other hand, mentions nothing about her motives or the future. All she talks about is the present, the sensory, the temporary. She distracts you from the future and from her motives with salesmanship. Don't think about that. Have another slice of bread. Have some more water. Isn't it sweet? Oh, sweet water.

27:09She doesn't have to think about your future because people don't last long in her house. The dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of Sheol. She hides the fact that there's literally skeletons in her closet. She doesn't tell you where the bodies are buried.

27:32Foolishness downplays the future. Especially the downside, the danger, the consequences. The quote that I've shared before is true. Satan shows the bait and hides the hook. He shows the bait and he hides the hook. One sign of wisdom, friends, is that it is unafraid to get real with you. About life and death. About your true self. About the future. God is bold to make promises about the future that he offers. Just like wisdom here says that her ways are life.

28:07Folly is avoiding the subject of your future. Wisdom is open and talks about it. Now that we see the differences, look with me at the middle of the chapter. We're going to close with this. The middle of the chapter, verses 7-12. This little section sits right in the middle of the two houses, the two invitations, the two parties. The middle is like a sign that you're at a crossroads. You're at a decision point. The middle section is wisdom summarized.

28:49Verses 7-9, first of all, is about feedback, about criticism, about correction and our response to it. Do not reprove a scoffer or he will hate you. Reprove a wise man and he will love you. This is about the requirement for wisdom. The requirement for wisdom is a teachable spirit. You can't learn anything if you think you have nothing to learn.

29:17People who are this way will hate and resist anyone who corrects them. But someone with a teachable spirit knows they have much to learn. They're excited to get correction and they love the person who gives it to them.

29:34Next, verse 10 reminds us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is about the essence of wisdom. The essence of wisdom is reverence for God. At its foundation, wisdom is worship. You know, you can and you should be teachable towards many people. Your parents, your boss, your teachers, your coach. But that alone won't give you the deep and life-giving wisdom that we're talking about.

30:03To get that, you have to be in submission to the one who made you and made the world. And then verse 7 says, By me, your days will be multiplied and years will be added to your life. This is the outcome of wisdom. A blessed life. In the Bible, long life is never just about a bigger number. What is implied is peace and security and rest. This is the promise that is held out to each of us. Will you accept it? Will you accept the invitation to wisdom's house?

30:40And this is why verse 12 is there. If you're like me, when you read this passage, verse 12 sticks out and you're like, huh? What does that mean? Verse 12 puts the question to each one of us individually, personally. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. Wisdom gains cannot be divided up among people. I don't go to God and get a big sack full and then just divvy it out to you guys. Divvy it out to my family. That's not how it works. Each person must go to God themselves.

31:20This is why the same group of people listen to a lot of sermons, read the same Bible, and some grow wise and others do not. If you're wise, you're wise for yourself. It's about each person's relationship with God. And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. No excuses will be accepted by God. You won't be able to shift blame to someone else. Each person is at the crossroads and each person must decide which way am I going to go? Which house will I turn into?

32:04Think of this. Think of this. And I want you to, if you have, to use a phrase that my friend Clint uses, if you've checked out, check back in now. Listen, think about this. Why do we get to decide at all?

32:23We have already, each one of us, done the most foolish thing imaginable, haven't we? In our natural state, we have rejected God. We've put ourselves first. We have been His enemies. Sin is foolishness and we have been shacked up with lady folly from birth.

32:47Why does lady wisdom want anything to do with us? Because of the grace of God. Wisdom calls out for fools just like Christ came to call sinners to repentance and to life. We heard earlier from 1 Corinthians, God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God calls out to fools like us to magnify His power and His will to save. To save fools, not people who are already wise, fools like you and me.

33:25To show that no wisdom on earth is enough to remove our guilt, to reconcile us to Him. This is why 1 Corinthians says that Jesus is the wisdom of God. His death solved the riddle that the smartest person on earth couldn't solve. How can God show mercy to sinners and still be holy? The answer? By sending His Son to die in our place. Now that is wisdom. That is the truest wisdom imaginable. The world hears of a crucified Savior and says, How foolish!

34:06Look at that fool up there on that cross. And yet, this is wisdom most profound. And by faith in Him, sinners are saved and fools become wise. As Paul wrote, because of Him, you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God. So if you hear wisdom calling, inviting you to her feast, if you feel drawn in to that house with a teachable spirit, with a reverence for God, if you want to leave behind your simple ways and walk in the way of insight, that's the grace of God working in you.

34:51That's the gospel in action in your life. Calling you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Calling you out of foolishness and into wisdom. Yes, you don't deserve it, but it's happening anyway. Because that's the grace of God for you. So brothers and sisters, go ahead. Knock on that door. Knock on Lady Wisdom's door. She's calling you. You won't be turned away. Join in the feast of wisdom. And live.