Two Feasts—Proverbs 9
We come now to the end of the beginning. Proverbs 9 is the last chapter of the long introduction to Proverbs.
Solomon began by telling us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). Then he warned us about two key dangers to young men: violent companions (Prov. 1:10-19, Prov. 2:12-15, etc.) and loose women (Prov. 2:16-19, Prov. 5, Prov. 7, etc.). Along with these two main warnings, he sprinkled some other key principles: Love faithfully (3:3-4), honor the Lord with your wealth (3:9-10), accept the Lord's discipline (3:11-12), don't be lazy (6:6-11), and so on.
But the lesson he keeps hammering home is simply this: Choose wisdom. In fact, a man's choice between an adulteress and his own wife in Chapter 5 is a lived-out version of his choice, more broadly, between wisdom and folly. And that's what this last chapter of the introduction is about. It's as though Solomon said, "I know you want advice. And for eight chapters I've been telling you there's not much point in me loading you with advice until I'm sure you're going to take it. And I'm still not sure you're ready for wisdom."
So Solomon makes one final appeal. He tells us to imagine Wisdom and Folly as two women, and each woman is inviting you, young man, to a feast. What we'll find, with the help of the rest of God's word, is that choosing Wisdom's feast means choosing Jesus Christ. Jesus is the living bread of life, and you are invited to the feast.
Let me say a little about Wisdom's feast (Prov. 9:1-6), then a little about Folly's feast (Prov. 9:13-18), and then, finally, a little about the verses in the middle, which have to do with choosing where to go (Prov. 9:7-12).
Wisdom's Feast
As I write this, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Tables will soon be laden with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, and other good things that God made to be enjoyed (see 1 Tim. 4:4). Wisdom too lays a feast. There is meat -- there is wine -- there is bread. The menu is great, but the guest list is unimpressive. The people invited are "whoever is simple" and whoever "lacks sense." This isn't a party for the upper crust, or even for friends and family -- it's a party for the spiritually-intellectually needy. And that's what's so beautiful about it.
This party is a bit like a soup kitchen for people who are poor in wisdom. But it's different from a soup kitchen in a crucial way. When hungry people come to a soup kitchen, they come hungry, they leave full, and they get hungry again. But Wisdom's guests come and are permanently changed. "Come," she says, "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." No one is allowed to come to the party and not be changed. If you really come, you will be transformed.
Wisdom's feast is a lot like a party that Jesus talked about. A man planned a great banquet. He sent out the invitations, but no one who was first invited chose to come. Maybe they were the rich and the powerful, the upper crust. They thought they had better things to do. But the man was intent on throwing this party. So he made an all-new guest list, and told his servants, "Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame."
This parable is meant to teach us about the kingdom of God. Many people are invited to the kingdom. You are, in fact. But not everyone comes. Often, as in Jesus' day, the intelligent and the proud refuse the invitation. But God's invitation extends to the poor and the blind and the lame, the simple and the lacking-sense.
But the most remarkable thing is the feast itself. For the feast that God offers is Jesus Christ his Son, himself. If that sounds strange to you, it sounded strange in Jesus' day, too. People thought he was crazy or blasphemous when he said, "I am the living bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh (John 6:51).
What does this mean? It means at least two things. First, it means that Jesus died for the world. As sinners, we could not be right in the eyes of God unless a perfect man took our place and died for us, and Jesus did that for us. And second, it means that Jesus gives life to everyone who trusts in him. When we trust in Jesus, we feast in the house of Wisdom, and we have life.
Folly's Feast
Folly also throws a feast. She's a pale imitation of Lady Wisdom, with the same target audience: whoever is simple, whoever lacks sense. Solomon has already talked quite a bit about adulteresses. Folly is the abstract version of the adulteress, like Wisdom is the abstract version of a godly wife.
The attraction of Folly is the sinfulness of it. That's her appeal: "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Her feast is stolen and secret, and that's the point: That's what draws sinners in. As much as we want to ignore God when we sin, at the back of our minds, we sinners really get a perverse pleasure from defying him. Maybe disobedience makes us feel more powerful than God: If I get away with it, it means he couldn't stop me. Ironically, it's only his mercy that keeps us from punishment.
Going to Folly's feast means going away from God, and going away from God means going away from true life. "The dead are there...her guests are in the depths of Sheol" (9:18). While Christ gives himself as the bread of life in the house of Wisdom, all that Folly can offer is stolen food that kills the dinner guests.
Choosing Where to Go
So, which feast will you go to? The question might not be as easy as you think. Because it isn't just a question about what you've just read and whether you understand it. It's also a question about who you are. That's the point of the middle section of this chapter, verses 7-12. Scoffers and wicked men don't listen -- they just hit back. Wise people and righteous people listen and get wiser.
What about simple people and people who lack sense? After all, those are the people who are invited, not the hardened mockers or the sages who have already been in Wisdom's house for years. Well, there's one decisive factor, and it brings us back to the beginning of the book. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom" (9:10). You may not be "wise" exactly, you may be "simple," but if you have this one thing -- the fear of the LORD -- then you will enter Wisdom's house and live. This fear is a gift from God himself, but it doesn't remove your responsibility to make a choice. In fact, it drives you on. If you really fear the LORD, you won't stand around waffling between the two feasts. You'll enter the house of Wisdom -- you'll live a life committed to Christ.
One last question. Does God need you at his banquet? Not at all. He didn't send Jesus for sinners because he needed them. He sent Jesus for sinners because he loved them. This is all for your good, says Solomon: "If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it" (9:12). If you don't accept the invitation, your refusal will not subtract one ounce from the measureless weight of his glory. And yet, he doesn't wait in silence. He calls you: Come to the feast.
Pastor Nate Jeffries