Proverbs 9
1 Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table;
3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls from the tops of the heights of the city:
4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks understanding she says,
5 “Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 “Forsake your folly and live, and proceed in the way of understanding.”
Wisdom holds an invitation to all. Everyone can get wisdom, the rich and the poor, the man who lives in a palace and a man who lives in a hut.
If you consider yourself naïve and in great need of wisdom then you can ask for wisdom.
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
A scoffer is someone who thinks he knows more than those around him. When someone tries to teach him something he laughs at them and insults them.
On the other hand, a wise man is someone who thinks he can learn something from those around him. If you try to teach a wise man something, he will thank you.
Ask yourself how you behave when someone tries to teach you something. What if the whole world is watching when this person comes to you and instructs you? Will you feel embarrassed? Will you insult the man for trying to teach you?
Many people want to look good and wise in front of others. They don’t want to be taught in public. Such behavior is a stumbling block for receiving wisdom. You must be ready to learn anywhere, anytime, and in front of anyone.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
God is the ruler of the universe. What He says goes, all the time. Therefore, it makes sense to do what pleases Him and avoid doing what makes Him angry. If you understand how God deals with different situations you will become wise. For example, if you realize that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble then you will take pains to learn how to be humble.
If you don’t respect gravity you will have pain. In the same way, God is like a force of nature that you cannot afford to ignore. Ignore Him to your own sorrow. Knowing what pleases God and what makes Him angry, and then wanting to please God are the basics of wisdom.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.
If you have wisdom, you will begin using your time wisely. The hours in your life will be used effectively to bring things of value to you. There are really no downsides to being wise.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, and if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
The wisdom you learn will help you, and you only. For it to help someone else, they have to receive and apply it to themselves. The wisdom that you don’t learn, will bring suffering to yourself, because of your lack of it. So then, it makes so much sense for each person to get as much wisdom as possible.
13 The woman of folly is boisterous, she is naive and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house, on a seat by the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by, who are making their paths straight:
16 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” and to him who lacks understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 but he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
On the flip side, if you decide to ignore God, or to cross Him deliberately then it is like listening to the woman of folly and doing what she says. That is the best way to bring a lot of pain and misery into your life. It may look like fun initially, but you will soon find out that it is not.
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