(Proverbs 9:1-18)
1 Wisdom has built her house,
She has carved 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 attendants, she calls out
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 Abandon your foolishness and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.”
7 One who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets insults for himself.
8 Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;
Teach a righteous person and he will increase his insight.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will suffer from it.
13 A woman of foolishness is boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding 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 going straight on their paths:
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.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
She has carved 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 attendants, she calls out
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 Abandon your foolishness and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.”
7 One who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets insults for himself.
8 Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;
Teach a righteous person and he will increase his insight.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will suffer from it.
13 A woman of foolishness is boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding 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 going straight on their paths:
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.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
This passage is so relevant! In the last decade, our society has become so polarized with very radical thinking, that if you do not agree with the radical thinkers, or if your opinion is even just a little different than theirs, you are somehow wrong, and therefore you MUST be stupid, greedy and lack compassion. From there, the "conversation" can become quite contentious, because the "popular" radical thinker is dug down so deep into the latest rhetoric and ideals (which can shift and change, by the way). And when they get overwhelmed from hearing other ideas, they might just "cancel" you, and maybe even try to destroy your career and reputation.
What is sad to see (and hear) is that while they think their ideals are best (and are the only correct ways to think), their tactics are becoming more judgmental and more vicious, filled with more fear-mongering and lies, in order to incite people to hate, fear and worry... all under the guise of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion). Unity, equality and respect are excellent things to strive towards, but not by way of creating more divisions, unfairness and exclusions.
So, how do we, as believers, navigate through this? Well, wisdom (the Lord) calls out to us to come and gain understanding. The table is set. We can come to the Lord and His word to be nourished and strengthened. And in this place, we can fellowship with God in such a personal way, that we can have Him build our hearts and homes, to experience peace and security, love and joy, purpose and direction founded on truth, love and hope.
As verse 12 points out, we get to choose whether we will seek God's wisdom, or we will scoff and reject it. It is a personal decision. There's that one saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Well, back in the day, I got to work with a few horses. Wow! Some of them can be so stubborn, they are even difficult to lead. Just saying. And just like that, so often there are things that we need to survive, but we don't even realize it. So, we need to focus on our own efforts in putting and keeping our focus on the Lord! A close relationship with Him is most critical to our personal survival, healing, maturing, and peace of mind.
Regarding other people, we should be praying for others that they will see their need for the Lord. And, we are told to be ready to share the gospel message as God gives us opportunities. Therefore, we should be asking God to give us opportunities, and then give us the rights words to share, all in His love, and all to His glory. And very importantly, we should be always striving to live in such a way that we are living testimonies of what God is able to do for us, in us and through us. It is not our job to save the world. Only the Lord Jesus can do that! And it is not our job to change other people's hearts and minds. Only the Lord Jesus can do that!
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