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.
Wise Maker, Wise Savior—Proverbs 8
Imagine you’re at the bottom of a deep, dark pit. It shouldn’t be too hard, because, spiritually, we’ve all been there. Maybe you’ve never been anywhere else.
Now imagine someone lets down a rope to you. “Just grab on and I’ll pull you out!” he yells. But when you are about to grab the rope, a thought hits you. What if the rope isn’t strong enough? What if it breaks when you’re almost out of the pit? The pit is very deep. You would break bones in the long fall back into darkness. But if you don’t grab the rope, you’ll never get out.
It’s a bit like that with Jesus Christ.
Marriage, Adultery, and Jesus Christ—Proverbs 5
What are the best things in life? Here are a few on my list. Leaves falling in a crisp autumn wind. A cup of hot black coffee. The crash of a thunderstorm and the pounding of rain. The first flakes of snow at the beginning of winter. The stars twinkling on a clear dark night. Fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
None of these compares with marriage. It’s the best. I think I can make the case for this from the Bible.
Two Invitations—Proverbs 1:8-33
Proverbs is a book for young men. Young man, it says, listen to your mother and your father.