Two Women, One Choice

Have you ever felt like you were missing something in life?  Like other people have a script that you are missing or a memo you didn’t get?

I felt that way until I first started reading the Bible.

The message of the Bible was the missing piece of a banner, revealing the secret of life.

That’s the story of many of us at Vintage Faith Church – we have found in the Bible the missing piece of the puzzle of life which makes the whole story come together.

The book of Proverbs is like that.  It’s a treasure trove of wisdom for those seeking to make sense of life and make the most of what has been given to us. Sunday morning we shared tips about how to read the Proverbs and looked together at chapter 9.

The 9th chapter summarizes the first section of Proverbs, a series of didactic poems which set out two ways to live life.  Those two ways are described by two different women who call out to the simple – the lady wisdom and the lady folly.  In the call of lady wisdom, we saw five truths:

The call of wisdom is a call to feasting.

She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
    she has also set her table.

Verse 2

The call of wisdom has a rival.

The woman Folly is loud;
    she is seductive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Verses 13–18

The call of wisdom is a call to change.

Leave your simple ways, and live,
    and walk in the way of insight.

Verse 6

The call of wisdom is a call to responsibility.

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
    if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

Verse 12

The call of wisdom demands a decision.

Wisdom invites us into a life of feasting – a life of abundance and deep satisfaction. The one requirement is that we must be willing to make a change. We must make a fundamental commitment of our hearts to something higher than ourselves – to the wisdom and truth of God.

There is a hard edge to Wisdom’s call, but it comes with a grace as well. The lady wisdom comes out into the streets to rescue the simple and give them life. In the same way Jesus came to meet us where we are, to rescue us from our folly and to provide a way to abundant living.