Lay aside immaturity, and live,

and walk in the way of insight. (Prov. 9:6)

Who was your first teacher, the one who taught you how to eat with a spoon, use the toilet, and tie your shoes? We love it when fathers are involved, but most people probably learned these things from their mother.

            Children in ancient Israel also learned first from their mothers. They may not have seen women in positions of public leadership, but they knew that women were repositories of wisdom and willing to share it.

            Perhaps that is one reason the book of Proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman who teaches others the right way of life, and who calls them to follow it.

Woman Wisdom’s invitation

(vv. 1-6)

The first nine chapters of Proverbs serve as an extended introduction and invitation to gain wisdom from the remainder of the book, culminating in the competing calls of Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly in chapter nine. [DD]

            The chapter has a clear three-part structure consisting of appeals from both Wisdom and Folly (vv. 1-6, 13-18), with a collection of sayings between them (vv. 7-12).

            The contrast between Wisdom and Folly begins in chapter 7, with a challenge to choose the way of wisdom (as female) and avoid adulterous temptations: “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call insight your intimate friend, that they may keep you from the loose woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words” (7:4-5). The remainder of the chapter is a warning against falling into the temptress’s trap, for “Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death” (7:27).

            Chapter 8 portrays Wisdom as a powerful woman who calls from every corner of the city, challenging all to follow her teachings and live, emphasizing the many benefits of choosing wisdom over folly (8:1-22).

            Woman Wisdom’s reputation grows in 8:22-31, where she describes herself as God’s first act of creation and God’s partner in the formation of heaven and earth: “then I was beside him as a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race” (8:30-31).

            Wisdom’s concern for humans, then, is portrayed as coincident with their creation, so that Wisdom can address humans as “my children” and urge them to keep her ways, “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death” (8:35).

            When we come to chapter 9, then, the stage is set, the competitors for human attention have been identified, and the stakes have been made clear. There is a shift, however, in approach: Wisdom is now described in the third person. Her speech consists of quotations from the narrator.

            This section describes Wisdom’s careful preparations for a feast, symbolic of the life-giving sustenance her teachings offer. The preparations begin with a house that Wisdom has built, so substantial that it features seven pillars (v. 1). The odd number of pillars may seem asymmetrical, but perhaps the intention is to suggest completion, something the number seven often does. [DD]

            For the feast, Wisdom has slaughtered animals, “mixed her wine” (probably with additives of honey or other spices), and set the table so that all is in readiness (v. 2). She has not only sent out servant girls with invitations, but also calls “from the highest places in the town, ‘You that are simple, turn in here!’” (vv. 3-4).

            Repeating the invitation, she invites those “without sense” to “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed” (v. 5). Eating and drinking of Wisdom’s feast leads one to “Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (v. 6).

            Second Isaiah also used food and drink as metaphors for choosing to follow God’s way: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1).

            Third Isaiah likewise bemoaned those who forsook God’s way and “who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny” (Isa. 65:11, 13-14). The anguish and wailing of those who ignore the offered sustenance calls to mind those who cast their lot with Folly and end up in Sheol.

            In a more familiar text, the author of the beloved 23^rd psalm shifted from the metaphor of God as shepherd to God as host in saying “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Ps. 23:5).

            New Testament readers are likewise familiar with banquet scenes. Jesus attended meals hosted by tax collectors like Levi (Mark 2:13-17) as well as friends like Mary and Martha (John 12:1-8). Some may see a foreshadowing of Jesus’ parable of a banquet in which invitations were sent out, but some refused to come, with unhappy consequences (Matt. 22:1-14, Luke 14:15-24).

Others may see in Wisdom’s invitation a prefiguring of the Lord’s Supper, and it comes as no surprise that the companion gospel reading is John 6:51-58, where Jesus boldly promised life to those who eat the bread of his body and drink his blood.

Lessons on learning

(vv. 7-12)

Verses 7-12 have long troubled interpreters, for they interrupt the paired sections presenting the competing calls of Wisdom and Folly. It is likely that they were a later addition, but why?

            Wisdom’s appeal is serious business. It is a matter of life and death, yet many choose to laugh it off and follow Folly by default. The writer portrayed such “scoffers” as being so irresolute that rebuking them was pointless, and one could gain only abuse by doing so (vv. 7-8a). In contrast, the wise are humble enough to appreciate needed correction and seek greater learning (vv. 8b-9).

            This leads to the central mantra of the Bible’s wisdom literature: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (v. 10). In this setting, “fear” does not suggest terror associated with a divine threat, but deep awe at the power and majesty of God, who is the ultimate source of wisdom.

            Gaining wisdom begins with recognizing where truth lies, and choosing it.

            Why are vv. 7-12 located between the opposing invitations of Wisdom and Folly? With v. 11 we learn that Wisdom did not disappear after v. 6, but had continued speaking. “For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it” (vv. 11-12).

            The promise of longer life, as in other maxims found in Proverbs, is not a guarantee, but it does reflect a trend. Those who serve God, love others, and follow the ways of Wisdom are likely to have both longer and happier lives than “scoffers” who throw caution to the wind and live as they choose.

            A point of emphasis is personal responsibility. Wisdom taught that the wise would gain the benefits of wisdom for themselves, while scoffers would bear the harm of their choices. [DD]

Wisdom’s antithesis

(vv. 13-18)

The central section, then, despite its disruptive appearance, sharpens the shadows of Folly’s dark appeal. The antithesis of Woman Wisdom is a “foolish woman” who is loud, ignorant, and knowledgeable of nothing (v. 13). Nothing is said of her house other than a suggestion that is prominently located in the upper part of town, where elite families tended to live.

            Rather than building up her house or preparing her meal, however, she lounges in the doorway, calling to those who are minding their own business and going “straight on their way” (vv. 14-15).

            Folly’s invitation in v. 16 is virtually identical to Wisdom’s appeal in v. 4: “‘You who are simple, turn in here!’ And to those without sense, she says … .”

            Wisdom and Folly appeal to the same audience: people who are lacking in knowledge or direction for life. Both believe they have the answer. Wisdom offers bread and wine that she has prepared, sustenance that leads to maturity and insight (vv. 5-6).

            Folly, on the other hand, offers misappropriated goods: “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (v. 17). Behaviors that are taboo or opposed to God’s teaching may have a powerful allure, but they are a shadowy road, for it turns out that Folly’s house is the doorway to death: “But they do not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol” (v. 18).

            While the voices of Wisdom and Folly offer a clear-cut choice between wise actions or foolish living, between a full life and an empty one, the options do not come down to a one-time decision. Every day we are confronted with choices between good options and bad ones, between generosity and selfishness, between kindness and cruelty. We can make choices that are life-affirming for us and life-giving to others, or we can choose destructive patterns that are corrosive both to us and to those around us.

            The sooner and more often we choose the way of wisdom, the better our chances of a joyful, meaningful, and productive life. Even with years of bad choices behind us, however, the option of better decisions remains—and where there are options, there is hope.