I.
Wisdom and Folly Compared and Contrasted (Prov. 9)
Wisdom and Folly Compared and Contrasted (Prov. 9)
A.
Wisdom Builds a Seven-Pillared House ()
1.
( perfect house, she also prepares perfect meals, and she sends messengers to invite the simple to her feast. Wisdom is personified as a woman because háchmah in Hebrew (hachmah [HOCK-ma]) , which means “ skill .” Also, her counterpart, Folly, introduced in verse 13, is a loose woman. Folly, in Hebrew (éshah ksil [AYE-shah k-SEAL) “ foolish woman, focusing on her overconfidence.”
a.
The “naïve” (simple) person is easily influenced to follow the ways of the world. The naïve person is a type of “fool” in Proverbs: one who is gullible and silly .
2.
() Wisdom’s invitation:
a.
(
(1)
() “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” ; () “I am the bread of life; we who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst”; and () “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” ) The call from God to people to accept the Lord often appears as an invitation to a banquet .
(2)
Wisdom’s banquet provides spiritual food and drink to those who accept her invitation. Leaving their sinful path, they take the path to eternal life.
(3)
This invitation gives us good information about the gospel invitation:
(a)
It needs to be appealing to the unbeliever.
(b)
It needs to deal with repentance of sin.
(c)
It needs to be biblical , not your opinion of God’s plan.
(d)
It needs to show the way to eternal life .
(e)
It needs to ask for a decision about the evidence presented.
b.
( cautions in witnessing: “He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you (if he sees that you are doing it in his best interests )” (.)
(1)
(“If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing, you will heap burning coals upon his head.” If the target of your witness mocks you, don’t correct or rebuke him, but show him love (heap coals of fire on his head) so he will be ashamed of his treatment of you. To do otherwise invites insult and hate. You may win an argument but lose a soul .
(2)
If you try to correct a sinner by telling him that he needs to stop sinning and come to Christ, expect his abuse . Our job as witnesses is not to correct anyone but to present biblical evidence for salvation.
(3)
To rebuke a wise man in love causes the wise man to love you. Why? (He recognizes it as in his best interests.) Rebuke does have a place—it is never in a witnessing situation. Read Supplementary Text: (#19)
c.
(“Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.” This is Synonymous Parallelism.
(1)
A wise and righteous man is teachable by God and gains wisdom from Him.
(2)
The wisdom of God penetrates those who are open and receptive to it.
d.
( [pause after each verse] ) Wisdom describes the spiritual food at her banquet:
(1)
(“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The theme of Proverbs is the main course. This food is food from a holy God who desires a personal relationship with us (just as food becomes part of us, God wants to be the best part of us).
(2)
(“For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.” Here we see the promise of eternal life in heaven and abundant life in the now. This can also be temporal: God adds years to your life (but an accident or disease might cut it short). This is Synonymous Parallelism.
(3)
(“If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff, you alone will bear it.” Here we see the wisdom of God is practical in our lives (“for yourself”). The one who rejects the Lord must bear the consequences. Note, too, Synonymous Parallelism in vss. 9-11 and Antithetic Parallelism in vss. 8, 12.
B.
Folly Looks for Victims from Her House ()
Folly Looks for Victims from Her House ()
1.
( judgment , prudence, and the fear of the Lord. “She sits at the doorway of her house, on a seat by the high places of the city, calling to those who pass by, [Hebrew] who are going straight on their ways” ().
a.
() Folly is also loud . She makes alluring announcements. Folly is a face of Satan , loud enough for everyone who passes her house to hear. Her loudness is a characteristic of a prostitute , seeking customers.
2.
(
a.
“‘Whoever is naïve, let him turn in here.’ And to him who lacks understanding she says, ‘Stolen water is sweet; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant!’” Notice that both Wisdom and Folly seek the same customers: the easily persuaded and naïve . Folly, however, appeals to their base instincts.
(1)
The “banquet” prepared by “Folly” is much poorer than the wine and meat of wisdom. It is all stolen food and drink!
(2)
Folly’s “meal” refers to stolen pleasures , exemplified by the. illicit sex offered by the adulteress (see and ). Read Supplementary Text: (#20)
3.
([Shol in Hebrew] [SHOAL] [Hades in Greek] means “grave” or “place of the dead.” Shol was divided into two compartments in Old Testament times: (Proverbs ; ; and Here we see the nightmare payoff for those who listen to Folly’s sensual invitation in Old Testament times (fatal STDs, murder by an enraged husband, or “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death”] execution ).
II.
() The Map of Wisdom for Leaders
A.
() The Map of Wisdom is Described
1.
( kings to princes .
a.
Solomon told his sons to “give attention ” to his “sound teaching” and learn from him just as he learned from his father. David spread out wisdom’s map for his son, Solomon, as he taught him as a boy who was young and inexperienced .
2.
() The teacher pointed out the key for the wisdom map (to love wisdom [Christ]). Students learn the incredible benefits when this path of divine wisdom is followed by leaders.
a.
( guarded and you will be watched over. Also see God .) This path is God’s path for leaders .
b.
( exalted and honored . When you follow this path, you are honored by those who follow you. See (“Receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard”) about Paul’s request to honor Epaphroditus (on the path of wisdom for leaders).
c.
( grace (garlands or crowns were worn at joyous occasions like weddings ). Your people will be eager to crown you. Christian leaders will be followed with joy when they follow the wisdom path.
d.
( years on this path. Your people will want you to reign over them for many years . A Christian leader on this path will be in demand.
e.
( lighted so you won’t stumble on it. The light is ( “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”) God’s Word . Christian leaders must follow the Bible’s light.
f.
( God leads it. It also shows how to avoid Satan ’s path for leaders. See “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” Follow our example only as we follow Christ.
B.
() Proscriptions on the Wisdom Map for Leaders
1.
The command of Wisdom is “Do not enter” the evil path (if you do, you’re going the wrong way). This path is loaded with spiritual darkness and evil men. Satan will target your weaknesses and provide mentors to deceive you.
C.
() Caution Signs on the Wisdom Map for Leaders
1.
(“Watch over your heart.” Guard your input so your output is godly. See “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Christian leaders must be examples of guarding their hearts.
2.
( “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” and “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Christian leaders must be examples of speaking through sanctified lips. Their speaking must build up, not tear down, those who follow them.
3.
( “Turn away my eyes away from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways”) worthless things off the path. Read and look at screened items. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
4.
() Remove every moral hindrance and avoid swerving off the wisdom path, leading by godly example. The controls of your life must be in Christ’s hands.
III.
(Prov. 30) Five Illustrations That Teach Important Life Lessons
(Prov. 30) Five Illustrations That Teach Important Life Lessons
A.
() Four Unsatisfied Things
1.
“There are three things that will not be satisfied, four that will not say, ‘Enough!’” Supply answers as needed.
a.
“Sheol. (Its appetite is never satisfied; if it spoke, it would never say it had enough souls in the place of the dead.)
b.
“The barren womb. () “She conceived again, and bore a son and said, ‘This time I will praise the LORD.’ Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing”; “When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I’ll die!’”; and “Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb, in order. And it happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke, so she wept and would not eat”) In ancient Israel, a wife without children was desolate, even desperate. A barren woman would never say it was enough for her to remain barren!
c.
“Earth that is never satisfied with water” (Rain is not a major feature of Palestine. Land, in an arid country, never gets enough water!)
d.
“Fire that never says, ‘Enough!’” (Once a fire starts, it destroys until it runs out of fuel.) Note also () “
e.
Life Lesson: () “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world” and 2 () “Indeed, all who desire to live godly [lives] in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”) Many distressing things that may happen to us are never enough. (I can’t take any more! Oh, yes you can. () “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”) (Verses 11-14 and 17 interject willful sinning and its consequence: God’s judgment (surrounding the four unsatisfied things).
B.
() Hebrew Four Amazing Things
1.
“Three things are too wonderful for me, four which I do not understand:
a.
“The way of an eagle in the heavens.” Soaring and swooping majestically, the eagle flew by a means the writer did not understand.
b.
“The way of a snake on a rock.” Slithering onto a rock, then into a dark crevice of the rock, the snake operated by a means the writer did not understand.
c.
“The way of a ship in the midst of the sea.” The writer could not understand how a ship could stay afloat in a storm at sea. It boggled his imagination.
d.
“The way of a man with a virgin.” The writer could not understand why a virgin would go for one man but not another. The wiles of a woman were beyond his understanding. Read Supplementary Text: (#21)