Starting in Chapter Nine of Proverbs, the
author shares shorter bits of wisdom often cloaked in very colorful pictures.
Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the picture and miss the simple wisdom
contained in the picture. Sometimes there are many bits of wisdom that can be
extracted from the picture. I will work hard not to jump too far from the text.
I would invite you to do the same.
As we begin our text today, some have jumped
very far in understanding verse one. Some have suggested that the seven pillars
are the universal truths that underlay all religions of the world. A jump off
the high dive indeed! I hope they filled the bathtub before landing.
This text was written to help a father pass
along wisdom to his son and to others who would read it. At the time of this
writing, larger houses often were built around a courtyard. The edges of the
courtyard were often sections of covered porch or second floor. They were often
supported by pillars. The writer is painting the picture of a well prepared
home, ready for entertainment.
All the food is prepared and it is ready.
Everything is ready; all we need is for people to show up and eat. This is a picture
of God’s provision as He has given us the Word. Its wisdom will sustain us if
we will just take time to feast.
Notice that those called to the house are
not people already filled with wisdom. Wisdom is not something to be horded. If
we have it, we don’t need to keep gathering more of the same. We need to put it
into practice in our lives. We need to pass it along to others.
Notice that the wine is “mixed” wine. What
does this mean? I don’t know. If you do a search you will find all sorts of explanations,
everything from non-alcoholic to super-enriched liquor. All I know is, wisdom
uses it as part of the package to draw the simple in to the house for the meal.
It had to be special. It had to be good tasting.
As I
reflect on this picture I get a couple of things. First, sometimes you have to
use food to draw people in. They have a need in their life, and you offer to
satisfy that need in order to have the opportunity to pass along wisdom. Wisdom
didn’t just open the doors and say, “Come in for a lecture.” Wisdom offered a
special meal in a special place.
Secondly, if we want to pass along wisdom,
people have to feel like we care about them, and that they are special. To put
it another way, we need to earn the right to speak into their lives. We need to
make outsiders feel welcome. Oh, that churches would heed this wisdom!
Thirdly, we ourselves need to leave our
simple ways. We need to stop holding onto foolishness. We need to embrace
wisdom in every corner of our lives.