Proverbs 9
Proverbs 9:1-18 (NLT)
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns.
2 She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table.
3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.”
7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.
10 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
11 Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
13 The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
14 She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city.
15 She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business.
16 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says,
17 “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.
Wisdom is prepared for all who will respond to the invitation to come and partake of her. This preparation isn’t selective and only for those who look a certain way or have come from the right side of the tracks. No matter how foolish previous choices have been, by simply making an adjustment from earthly passions to the God of consuming fire as the heeded voice of reason, life can turn from that old perilous path to one of blessing, favor, and longevity. Instead of being driven by lust and fear of what might be lost on this earth, a foundation of wisdom can be established by consideration of what will be lost for eternity apart from God.
Though the way of unrighteousness would seem to be one that is a no-brainer to resolve, it is the one that will be continually chosen as long as the call not only to hear but follow the voice of the Lord remains unanswered. Common sense is acquired as the heart transitions from worldly voices to the heavenly One as its counsel and guidance. How necessary is the response that abandons the directives of the senses for those of discipline and correction from above. Awaiting absolutely everyone who turns from fear of the world to fear of God is the way of eternal life, all prepared and complete with eternal goodness.