Wisdom - Part Two

Proverbs 9
Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly
1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn out its seven pillars.

2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.

3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls
from the highest point of the city.

4 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
she says to those who lack judgment.

5 "Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.

6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of understanding.

7 "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.

8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."

13 The woman Folly is loud;
she is undisciplined and without knowledge.

14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,

15 calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way.

16 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
she says to those who lack judgment.

17 "Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!"

18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave. [a]

Believe it or not, this will be short and sweet.

If you are like me, then you have a great many problems professing your faith to non-believers. You don't want to pressure them, or creep them out, or chase them away from the best thing that could ever happen to them. You just hope that by going to slow and safe method and being there for them that eventually they'll knock on your door and ask to join your church.

In reading this chapter of Proverbs above the first time it seemed pretty straight forward. God (Wisdom) was inviting people in. And Satan (Foolery) was inviting people in. But only those who were wise would end up with God and only those who were Fools would end up with Satan. Good people = Good. Bad people = Bad.

But in reading the chapter the second time, I realized something that I had mis-read. It didn't say what I thought at all. What it was saying is that those people as yet uninitiated into the halls of wisdom, both Wisdom and Foolery were calling to them. The "innocent" were being led to both wisdom and foolery. Like carnival hawkers at the county fair calling to the rubes, Wisdom and Foolery were battling it out for customers.

The thing is that when we remain silent and wait for these people that we know to come to God, when we wait to tell them what they're missing, then we are not only missing an opportunity to introduce them to God, but we are also letting Satan get to them first. Just because we're remaining silent, doesn't mean Satan is. He has set up his house. He has positioned his carnival hawkers. He has enticed the innocent into his house and served them the food and drink of death. And we are letting him do this because we are not offering these people the alternative.

We are not doing anybody any favors by remaining silent. It is time we started inviting people in to the House of the Lord.