Woman Wisdom vs. Woman Folly

Proverbs chapter 9 verses 1 to 18

Proverbs 9 · chapter mention

To him who lacks sense, she says,

Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Leave your simple ways and live and walk in the way of insight.

Whoever 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 wiser still.

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.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself.

If you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The woman's 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 and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.

But he does not know that the dead are there, that our guests are in the depths of Sheol.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

As I mentioned earlier, chapters 1 to 9 is really a long prologue to the rest of Proverbs.

And up to this point, the chapters are made up of longer narratives, poetic narratives.

But starting in chapter 10, the short and witty sayings that we've come to associate with the word proverb predominate.

So our passage for today then functions as kind of the conclusion of the prologue and a transition toward the rest of the book.

Before we feast on the rich fare of wisdom's banquet in the rest of the Proverbs,

we must first heed her call and humbly accept her invitation.

That's what this passage is.

And that's the main point of this passage, that only those who humble themselves and heed the call of wisdom

will feast at her life-giving banquet.

We see woman wisdom's call in verses 1 to 6.

And then woman's folly's call, which is kind of a mirror image, contrasting image in verses 13 to 18.

And then we see in the middle, as a point of emphasis, verses 7 to 12,

which talks about the responses of the wise and the scoffer.

And because it's intentionally structured in kind of this fashion to have mirroring images of woman wisdom and woman folly,

and then in the middle, this how we ought to respond,

we're going to look at woman wisdom's call and woman folly's call together,

and then look at the response at the end.

Let's look at verse 1.

It tells us,

Wisdom has built her house.

She has hewn her seven pillars.

The word house also means family or household.

The building metaphor is primary here, as we can see in the mention of pillars.

But woman wisdom's house building also foreshadows the building of households or families by her daughters.

In chapter 14, verse 1, it says,

The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

Families thrive and homes flourish when there are wise women upholding them.

That's why Psalm 144, verse 12, there also Psalm is praised,

Psalms 144:12

May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace.

Families are the foundation of society, and women are the pillars of those families.

House building is not for the faint of heart.

But while woman wisdom has built her house and hewn her pillars,

we see in verse 14 that woman folly merely sits at the door of her house.

This contrasts woman wisdom's industry with woman folly's laziness, her lethargy.

Read verses 13 to 14 with me.

The woman folly is loud.

She's seductive and knows nothing.

She sits at the door of her house.

She takes a seat on the highest places of the town.

So woman folly is loud.

That's the same word that was used to describe the seductress in chapter 7, verse 11.

She's loud and wayward is said there.

Her feet do not stay at home.

Now in the street, now in the market, in every corner she lies wait.

The word loud means turbulent or restless.

In contrast to woman wisdom who is busily working at her house,

woman folly is an idle busybody,

meddling in the affairs of others outside her home.

She sits at the door of her house.

She takes a seat on the highest places of the town.

Woman wisdom is an industrious homebody.

Woman folly is an idle busybody.

She's always sitting, sitting about here and there.

Woman wisdom, verse 2 continues,

has slaughtered her beasts.

She has mixed her wine.

She has also set her table.

So woman wisdom has finished building her house

and has invited guests for a sumptuous feast,

which represents the gourmet dishes of wisdom laid out in the rest of Proverbs.

But this is contrasted with the description of wisdom,

of woman folly in verse 13.

It says,

The woman folly is seductive and knows nothing.

The word seductive,

if you look at the footnote on the English Standard Version Bibles,

if you have that,

it says it can also be translated as full of simpleness.

A woman wisdom's table is full of the richest fears of wisdom,

but woman folly's head is empty.

It's filled only with simplicity and ignorance.

She has prepared no meat.

She has mixed no wine.

She has set no table.

She has made no diligent preparation for her banquet.

And the way they issued their respective invitations also differ.

In verses 3 to 4,

woman wisdom has sent out her young woman

to call from the highest places in the town.

Messengers have been formally sent out to invite the guests

while woman wisdom completes her preparations at home.

This shows intention and care.

The verb call is singular,

which shows that the young women do not speak for themselves,

but rather are their mouthpieces for the woman wisdom.

They speak for her.

And these daughters of woman wisdom represent the messengers,

the sages,

such as the father and mother of this Proverbs,

of the book of Proverbs,

who relay Solomon's God-given wisdom to the future generations.

In contrast to this,

look at verses 14 to 15.

Tell us that woman folly takes a seat on the highest places of the town,

calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way.

She has no messengers.

All she does is try to distract and derail passersby.

Her evil intentions are exposed in the fact that she takes unwitting passersby,

those who may otherwise be proceeding straight on their way,

to veer aside,

to go astray.

And notice also that both call from the highest places,

the most visible location in town,

in order to reach as many people as possible.

In the ancient Near East,

which is the context in which this book is written,

only one person has the right to dwell on the highest point of the city.

It's either the God of that city,

in the temple,

or the king of that city,

in the palace.

In the same way,

in Jerusalem,

the temple was at the peak of Mount Zion.

And this confirms what we know from chapter 8 already,

that woman wisdom stands for God,

represents God.

She is the word of God,

by which the world was created.

And as God's people say of the Lord in Jeremiah,

Jeremiah 17:12

chapter 17,

verse 12,

a glorious throne,

literally a glorious seat,

set on high from the beginning,

is the place of our sanctuary.

Only God deserves to sit on His glorious throne,

on the highest place,

and that's where His people are to worship Him.

And so woman wisdom issues her invitations from the highest places in the town.

The problem,

however,

is that woman folly

also calls out from the highest places of the town.

In fact,

it says that she takes a seat.

That's the same word that's often translated throne,

or the seat of honor.

She takes a seat on the highest places of the town.

Common people back in the day did not sit on chairs.

They would usually sit on floors.

Or if they had extraordinary accommodations,

they would sit on stools and benches.

Only those in authority had chairs.

Only the teachers sat on chairs.

This is the origin of the practice of giving,

gifting a literal chair

to a teacher who has recently been promoted to professorship.

And Proverbs chapter 20, verse 8,

Proverbs 20:8

mentions that a king who sits on the throne of judgment,

the word throne,

again,

is the same word as seat.

1 Samuel 1, verse 9,

1 Samuel 1:9

says,

Eli the priest was sitting on the seat

beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.

The seat by the temple

from which the priests rendered their verdicts

for God's people.

And similarly,

Matthew 23, verse 2,

Matthew 23:2

says that the scribes and the Pharisees

sit on Moses' seat.

It's a place of authority,

prominence,

teaching.

So the fact that woman folly

takes a seat

on the highest places of the town

almost certainly represents

a place of prominence

and of idolatrous worship.

This brazen woman,

despite the fact that she is full of simpleness

and knows nothing,

as verse 13 told us,

presumes to sit on a seat

on the highest places.

She presumes to judge.

She presumes to teach.

She is an imposter.

Ecclesiastes chapter 10,

Ecclesiastes 10:5–6

verses 5 to 6,

laments the situation.

It says,

there is an evil

that I have seen

under the sun,

as it were an error

proceeding from the ruler.

Folly

is set

in many

high

places.

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 10:5–6

chapter 10,

verses 5 to 6,

says,

folly is set

in many

high

places.

So don't believe

something

simply because

someone in position

of authority

has said it.

Remember that

woman folly

takes a seat

on the highest

places of the town.

From the state houses

and white houses

built atop

many hills

throughout the world.

From the ivory towers

of academia,

from the verified

social media accounts

of celebrities

on Beverly Hills,

from the high platforms

and loud voices

of Instagram

and YouTube stars,

from many

of the highest

places in the world,

folly comes

spewing forth.

Their views

might have currency

in the culture.

Their views

might sound

plausible,

but if they have

no tinge

of the fear

of God,

no sense

of the wisdom

of God,

no tint

of the righteousness

of God,

then it's all folly.

That's why

we must test

everything by

the wisdom

of God

revealed in

God's word.

16th century

theologian

John Calvin

calls scripture

the straight edge

to which we

must be shaped.

Slice everything

by the straight edge

of God's word

and discard

the rest.

Discard all

excess.

Let's look

more closely

at the respective

invitations

of woman wisdom

and woman folly.

what they offer

their provisions

also are worlds

apart.

Verse 5,

woman wisdom

says,

come,

eat of my bread

and drink

of the wine

I have mixed.

Now contrast

that with the

meager proportions

of the woman

folly in verse 17.

Stolen water

is sweet

and bread

eaten in secret

is pleasant.

Wisdom

offers bread,

but folly

offers bread

eaten in secret,

forbidden bread.

There's an

Arabic proverb

that says

everything forbidden

is sweet.

That is

precisely

woman wisdom's

tactic.

Woman folly's

tactic,

sorry.

Just as the

crafty serpent

in Genesis 3

enticed Eve

to eat the

forbidden fruit

by impugning

the goodness

of God,

she said,

you will not

surely die

when you eat

of that forbidden

fruit,

for God knows

that when you

eat of it

your eyes

will be opened

and you will

be like God

knowing good

and evil.

That's how

the serpent

tempted Adam

and Eve.

That's Satan's

bread and butter.

That boundary

that God has

placed around you,

that's not there

to protect you,

that's there

to restrict you,

deprive you

of good.

You know

why that thing

is forbidden?

Not because

it's bad for you,

but because

it's too good.

God's withholding

it from you.

He doesn't

have your best

interest in mind.

that's Satan's

tactic.

That's woman

folly's tactic.

She says,

stolen water

is sweet

and bread

eaten in secret

is pleasant.

And actually,

that much

is true,

isn't it?

Sin is

often

pleasurable.

the problem,

however,

is that

it's only

half true.

And a half

truth

masquerading

as a whole

truth

is a whole

lie,

as is often

said.

Notice the

contrast between

what woman

wisdom promises

up front

in verse 6

and what woman

folly fails

to disclose

in verse 18.

Woman wisdom

makes her offer

up front

in verse 6,

leave your

simple ways

and live

and walk

in the way

of insight.

She promises

life.

That's the end,

the goal of wisdom

that that's

what you're in

for when you

accept her

invitation to

join her banquet.

You'll be given

life abundant,

eternal life.

Now contrast

that with

verse 18.

But he does

not know

that the dead

are there,

that her guests

are in the

depths of Sheol.

Woman folly,

stolen water

and secret bread

lead to death.

Her house

is a foyer

that leads

to the chamber

of death.

Her guests

are in

the depths

of Sheol,

the realm

of the dead.

But that's

the thing,

woman folly

does not

disclose

that fact.

It's not,

there's no

disclaimer.

It's not

in the fine

print.

It's the author

of Proverbs

that discloses

this hidden

fact to us.

Woman folly's

invitation

is a deceptive

half-truth

and he

who falls

for her

does not

know this.

This whole

section on

woman folly

begins and

ends with

the phrase

does not

know.

Verse 13

says the

woman folly

knows nothing,

literally does

not know

anything.

And verse 18

says that her

dull subjects

does not

know.

This is the

deficiency that

Proverbs is

trying to

correct.

Sin is

pleasurable for

a time,

yes,

but like

a drug

that is

enjoyable

at first

but enslaves

and kills

at last.

Sin has

a bitter

end.

Consider this

parallel from

Proverbs

Proverbs 5:3–5

chapter 5

verses 3

to 5.

For the

lips of a

forbidden

woman drip

honey and

her speech

is smoother

than oil.

But in the

end she is

bitter as

wormwood,

sharp as

a two-edged

sword.

Her feet

go down

to death.

Her steps

follow the

path to

shield.

The beginning

of sin

is sweet,

but its

end is

bitter.

The beginning

of sin

is smooth,

but its

end is

sharp and

cutting.

It makes

you feel

alive for

a moment,

but it

makes you

dead forever.

And that

is what

is ultimately

at stake.

Wisdom

is not

merely

something that

is expedient

for us to

have to

navigate life.

Folly

is not

merely an

inconvenience.

It's a

matter of

life and

death.

Woman

wisdom

said at

the end

of chapter

8,

whoever

finds me

finds life

and obtains

favor from

the Lord,

but he

who fails

to find

me injures

himself.

All who

hate me

love death.

If you

spurn

wisdom,

if you

despise

wisdom,

you're not

merely embracing

a hard

life,

making life

hard for

yourself.

You are

loving

death.

And the

language of

wisdom and

folly are

commonly used

in our

culture,

newspapers

and news

anchors

often describe

a crime

as senseless.

They use

the word

to refer to

the fact

that this

crime had

no rhyme

or reason.

It lacked

sense.

But in

reality,

all sins,

even the

sins that

are celebrated

in our

culture,

are senseless

because they

lead to

death.

A

politician

caught in

a consensual

extramarital

relationship

will never

admit to

sin,

but they

will admit

that they

were short

sighted or

inappropriate,

that it

was a

lapse in

judgment.

But we

must not

let such

euphemisms

hide the

ugliness

and the

morbid

consequences

of sin.

Cornelius

Plantinga

puts it

this way

in his

book,

not the

way it's

supposed to

be.

A sinner

will often

not concede

that he

has been

a knave,

but he

feels obliged

to concede

in effect

that he

has been

a fool.

And in

so doing,

ironically,

he enters

the mainstream

of biblical

thought and

paves the

path to

sin.

The Bible

speaks of

foolishness,

folly of

rejecting

wisdom.

sin.

That's in

the mainstream

of how the

Bible speaks

of sin.

And the

bad news

is that we

have all

sinned.

We've all

been fools.

Note well

that woman

wisdom and

woman folly

are competing

for the

exact same

crowd.

Compare what

they say in

verse 4 and

verse 16.

It's the

only part of

the contrasting

sections that

is exactly

identical.

Whoever is

simple, let

him turn in

here.

The address

him who

lacks sense.

The simple

are those who

have not yet

turned toward

the path of

wisdom, but

those who

have not yet

settled into

the path of

folly either.

And there is

good news

embedded in

this passage.

It's fitting

that woman

folly would

target those

who are

simple and

lack sense,

isn't it?

That sounds

like her

kind of

crowd, the

kind of

people who

would be

duped by

her half

truth.

But what

is remarkable

is that woman

wisdom also

reaches out to

the simpletons

and the

senseless.

You would

think that

woman wisdom

would leave

the fools to

woman folly

and invite only

those who are

wise and

full of

understanding to

come to

her banquet.

But she

doesn't do

that.

She says in

verses 4 to

6,

whoever is

simple,

let him

turn in

here.

To him

who lacks

sense,

she says,

come eat

of my

bread and

drink of

the wine

I have

mixed.

Leave your

simple ways

and live

and walk

in the way

of insight.

What a

gracious and

lavish invitation.

Though we

have all

sinned,

though we

have all

had our

share of

godless

foolishness

in our

lives,

wisdom invites

us to

partake in

her banquet.

Her

banquet is

not a

high-browed,

high-nosed

affair.

It's not an

exclusive party

for those of

righteous and

noble bearing.

It's for

simpletons and

the sinners

like us.

And

wisdom's

banquet

prefigures

the heavenly

banquet that

Jesus speaks

of in

Luke chapter

Luke 14 · chapter mention

14.

There in

Jesus'

parable of

the great

banquet,

the master

of the

feast says

to his

servants,

go out

quickly to

the streets

and lanes

of the

city and

bring in

the poor

and crippled

and blind

and lame.

In that

day and age,

the poor

and the

disabled were

precisely the

kinds of

people that

people omitted

from their

guest list.

But Jesus

seeks out

precisely such

people.

that's

because

Jesus,

when the

Pharisees

and the

scribes

grumbled

at why

he was

dining with

sinners and

tax collectors

in Luke

Luke 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

Jesus answered

them this

way,

those who

are well

have no

need of

a physician,

but those

who are

sick,

I've not

come to

call the

righteous,

but sinners

to repentance.

That's the

heart of God

for sinners

like you

and me.

we often

superimpose

on God

the

characteristics

that we

see in

sinful

humanity.

In our

world,

beautiful

people

despise

ugly

people.

In our

world,

sophisticated

people despise

simple-minded

people.

In our

world,

wealthy

people despise

poor

people.

Successful

people despise

failed

people.

And so

we think

that since

God is so

holy,

and since

God is so

wise,

he must

despise us

and want

nothing to

do with

sinners and

fools like

us,

but this

cannot be

further from

the truth.

Woman

wisdom,

her target

audience,

are the

simpletons

and the

senseless

of this

world,

and the

wisdom of

God

beckons us

to come

to her

banquet.

And so

we're faced

with a

choice.

whether to

accept

woman

wisdom's

invitation

or woman

folly's

invitation,

and this

is the

most

consequential

decision we

make in

this life.

So verses

7 to 12

seek to

guide us

by giving

us examples

of how the

wise and

the scoffer

respond to

woman wisdom.

verses 7

to 8

warn us,

whoever

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.

The

scoffer

refers to

someone who

is too

prideful to

listen or

to submit to

anyone's

instruction.

He has an

over-inflated

ego.

He is

immune to

correction and

is never

known to

change his

mind.

Three times

the sage

tells us

that it

is no

use to

try to

correct the

scoffer

because when

you do,

you will

get yourself

abuse and

injury and

hatred.

The scoffer

will heap

abuses on

you and

berate you.

In trying to

help him,

you only earn

his hatred.

It reminds

me of what

Jesus said in

Matthew 7

Matthew 7:6

verse 6,

Do not give

dogs what

is holy,

and do not

throw your

pearls before

pigs,

lest they

trample them

underfoot and

turn to

attack you.

The wise

man is a

study in

contrast.

It says in

verses 8 to

9,

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.

This

threefold

affirmation of

the wise

man's

teachability

contrasts the

scoffer's

incorrigibility.

If you

prove a

scoffer,

he hates

you,

but if you

reprove a

wise man,

he loves

you.

If you

correct a

scoffer,

you get

abuse,

but if you

correct the

wise man,

he increases

in learning.

The word

learning in

verse 9 is a

noun form of

the verb

get in

verse 7,

so it

highlights the

contrast even

more.

When you

instruct a

scoffer that

bounces off,

he repels

instruction,

it bounces off

and strikes

you.

But if you

instruct the

wise man,

he gets

wisdom,

he learns.

It's ironic,

the scoffer who

needs wisdom

most rejects

it,

and the

wise man who

already has a

measure of

wisdom receives

it eagerly.

The wiser you

get, the

humbler you

get.

This is

because, as

verse 10 says,

the fear of

the Lord is

the beginning

of wisdom,

and the

knowledge of

the Holy

One is

insight.

To know

God is to

fear Him,

to revere

Him.

It refers not

merely to

knowing God

in a just

knowing about

Him, but

rather personally

knowing Him,

experientially

knowing Him.

And when you

know and

relate to

God rightly,

you revere

and worship

Him, you

obey Him.

To have the

fear of the

Lord is to

live in the

presence of

God, under

the authority

of God, and

for the glory

of God.

And that,

the fear of

the Lord is

the beginning,

not the

end of

wisdom.

When you

fear the

Lord, you

cannot be

slothful, because

you live under

His watchful eye.

When you

fear the

Lord, you

do not

gossip or

slander, because

you know He

hears you.

When you

fear the

Lord, you

do not

boast, because

you know how

indebted you

are to Him, and

how dependent you

are on Him.

When you

fear the

Lord, you

do not grumble

or complain

about your

life circumstances,

because you

submit to His

superior wisdom

and sovereignty.

When you

fear the

Lord, you

do not

oppress the

poor, the

widows, and

the orphans,

because you

know that He

will judge

justly.

When you

fear the

Lord, you

do not

fear what

man can

do to

you, because

you trust in

His sovereignty

and power.

The fear of

the Lord is

the beginning

of wisdom,

and the

knowledge of

Holy One

is insight.

And then

verse 11

provides further

incentive for

acquiring wisdom.

For by me

your days will

be multiplied

and years

will be added

to your

life.

Once again,

wisdom promises

life, and

verse 12

lays the

responsibility

squarely on

the individual's

shoulders.

If you are

wise, you are

wise for

yourself.

If you

scoff,

you alone

will bear

it.

This doesn't

mean that

your wisdom

or folly

doesn't affect

anyone else

in your life.

Human beings

were created

to be social

beings, and

for better or

worse, we

live in an

interconnected

world.

And so

everything you

do affects

other people.

If you

choose wisdom,

it will affect

those around

you.

If you

choose folly,

it will affect

those around

you.

Nonetheless,

the primary

beneficiary

will be

you.

You're not

choosing wisdom

primarily for

the benefit

of others.

This is for

yourself.

It will

benefit you.

It will

impart life

to you.

It's

therefore all

the more

urgent that

you choose

wisdom for

yourself.

It's your

responsibility

and yours

alone.

And this

digression,

or this

centerpiece

of the

responses of

the wise

man and

the scoffer

serve as a

warning to

woman wisdom's

target audience.

This simple.

Will you be a

wise man or

a scoffer?

That depends on

how you respond

to the call of

woman wisdom.

If you heed

her call, you

become a

wise man.

If you ignore

her call, you

become a

scoffer.

A

modernized

alternative

title for the

book of

Proverbs could

be God's

wisdom for

dummies or

life skills for

dummies.

I've never

owned any of

the books in

the four

dummies series.

You guys know

what I'm talking

about, right?

The popular

four dummies

series.

I think they

have one for

everything that

I can imagine.

But if I

owned one of

those books,

I think I'd

be embarrassed

to read it

in public.

Because in

my pride, I

want to be

seen reading

the book for

experts.

I want to be

reading the

book for

smarty pants,

not for

dummies.

And that's

precisely the

point.

Acquiring the

wisdom of

God requires

humility.

Wisdom calls

out the

simple.

We must

acknowledge that

we are

simple, that

we do lack

sense, that

we need

correction and

learning.

Only then do

we diligently

seek the

wisdom of

God.

As woman

wisdom invites

us to do

in verses

4-6, we

must turn and

leave our

ways.

Leave our

simple ways.

In order to

walk in the

right path of

wisdom, it's

no use insisting

that you're on

the right path

anyway, or that

the sins that

you commit in

your life are

tolerable, that

they're okay.

That doesn't get

us anywhere.

In order to

walk in the

right path of

wisdom, we

must first admit

that we're

going in the

wrong direction

and turn.

That's what it

means to repent

of our sins and

to believe in

God.

It is then and

only then that

we become wise

because that's

the way that

God has chosen

to save

sinners.

As I

mentioned

earlier, woman

wisdom prefigures

Jesus Christ and

her promises

ultimately point

to and are

fulfilled by the

person and

work of Jesus

Christ.

Christ.

This is why

Jesus is

described in

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 as

the wisdom

from God.

Jesus has

prepared for us

a banquet that

imparts eternal

life.

But in order to

enter, we must

humble ourselves

and heed his

call.

We have all

eaten the

secret bread of

woman folly.

We have all

drunk her

stolen water.

and as her

guests, we

were destined

for the depths

of Sheol as

verse 18 says,

but God did

not give up on

us even then.

He sent his

only son, Jesus

Christ, the

wisdom from God

to rescue us.

Jesus,

left the glory

that he had with

the father from

before the world

began, took on

human flesh.

He humbled

himself and

became obedient

to death, even

death on a

cross.

Jesus, the

very incarnation

of the wisdom

of God, endured

the penalty of

folly that we

had incurred.

He takes our

place and

instead of us,

he descends to

the dead so

that from there

he might be

raised from the

dead to impart

his eternal

resurrection life

to all those

who turn aside

to him and

heed his call.

That's the

gospel of

Jesus Christ,

the good news

of Jesus Christ.

And this

wisdom confounds

the world.

Who would have

thought of a

God who takes

on human flesh?

Who would have

thought of a

crucified king?

But it was

God's pleasure to

confound the

wisdom of the

world, the

shallow and

empty wisdom of

this world in

order to reveal

the depth and

fullness of

his divine

wisdom.

And so 1

1 Corinthians 1:18–31

Corinthians

chapter 1

verses 18 to

31 say this,

For the word

of the cross is

folly to those

who are perishing,

but to us who

are being saved

it is the power

of God.

For it is

written, I will

destroy the

wisdom of the

wise and the

discernment of

the discerning I

will thwart.

For consider your

calling, brothers.

Not many of you

were wise according

to worldly

standards.

Not many were

powerful.

Not many were

of noble birth.

But God chose

what is foolish

in the world

to shame the

wise.

God chose what

is weak in the

world to shame

the strong.

God chose what

is low and

despised in the

world, even

things that are

not to bring to

nothing things

that are, so

that no human

being might boast

in the presence of

God.

And because of

him, you are in

Christ Jesus who

became to us

wisdom from

God, righteousness

and sanctification

and redemption, so

that as it is

written, let the

one who boasts

boast in the

Lord.

Thanks be to

God.

Are you

discouraged that

you are weak and

foolish?

foolish?

Do you hesitate

to come to the

banquet of Jesus

in your filthy

sin-ridden rags?

Remember, woman

wisdom, she calls

out to the simple

and addresses those

who lack sense.

She invites us to

come eat hover

bread, drink of the

wine she has mixed.

Wisdom calls out

from the highest of

places to the

lowest of sinners.

sinners.

Consider what God

says in Isaiah 57

Isaiah 57:15

verse 15.

I dwell in the

high and holy

place and also

with him who is of

a contrite and

lowly spirit.

To revive the

spirit of the

lowly and to

revive the heart

of the contrite.

This verse tells

us that there are

two places in

the world where

the presence of

God is especially

manifest.

First is the

high and holy

place, God's

dwelling place, a

heavenly place.

Second is within

the heart of the

contrite and

lowly.

That's where

God dwells.

The admission

of your lowliness,

the admission of

your unworthiness,

your weakness,

your sinfulness,

forgiveness is

not a hindrance

to coming into

the banquet of

the kingdom of

God.

It is a

prerequisite for

entry into the

banquet of the

kingdom of God

because only those

who humble

themselves and

heed the call of

wisdom can

feast at her

life-giving

banquet.

Let me close

by reading the

first verse of

an old hymn,

Come,

ye sinners.

sinners.

Come,

ye sinners,

poor and

needy,

weak and

wounded,

sick and

sore.

Jesus ready

stands to

save you,

full of

pity,

love,

and power.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.