Kraig Lowell Pullam

Here’s Your Invitation

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.
² She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town,
⁴ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says,
⁵ “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” – Proverbs 9:1-6 (ESV)

There’s an invitation for you!

In Proverbs 9 we see of Wisdom and Folly as rival young women. Each of them are preparing a lavish feast; and both of them are inviting people to attend. Solomon gives a disclaimer – Wisdom is a responsible woman of character while Folly is a prostitute serving stolen food. Wisdom appeals to the mind and heart. Folly appeals to the senses and impulsivity. Solomon contends that it is easier to excite the senses, but the pleasures of Folly are temporary and destructive. Conversely, the satisfaction that Wisdom brings yields lasting results, though often slow in it’s activation and can be easily abandoned by distractions, personal pursuits, and legitimate demands.

Lady Wisdom calls for us to find the right directions to her house where the feast awaits us. What moves us toward growth in either Wisdom or Folly are ultimately the love, commitment, and priorities that drive us. Think about it this way – you cannot overcome unforgiveness if your driving force is being in control. You cannot overcome bitterness or slander if you are driven by the approval of people. You cannot overcome workaholism if you are consumed by the accumulation of status, money, or affirmation. What we learn in choosing the invitation to join in and attend to the feast with Wisdom is more than WILLPOWER. If we ever seek to gradually grow and become ‘better’, it is through a reordering of our desires that will bring wisdom.

The way of wisdom is not through a quick fix, trending gimmicks, or a dramatic turnaround. The way of wisdom is traveling down the road each day that entails long training and daily discipline and….FOCUS. While focus can be mind and will; it is HEART. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to, ““Guard your heart above all else, for from it flow the issues of life”. Don’t just believe in the goodness of God–but savor Him and His power and His heart in WORSHIP. God desires our unreserved pursuit of Him, such that our desire pursues to dine and commune with Him as we seek His face and heart, not only his hands (what He gives).

“Come and dine!” There are two houses and two invitations. Again….wisdom offers you a banquet of bread, meat, and wine; folly offers you stolen bread and water. Wisdom promises you life, but if you eat at folly’s table, you will die.

The banquet described in Proverbs 9 has an interesting parallel to Christ’s parable described in Luke 14:15-24. In Christ’s parable, many are invited but never make it to the celebration because thy are sidetracked by other activities that seem more important at the time. Today, don’t let anything become more important than your pursuit of God and your search for His wisdom.

What or who is vying for your attention today? Pastors and leaders…how are you deciphering what is pressing versus what is a priority? Christian…is there anything in your life that knocks God off of the throne of your heart, and inhibits your pursuit of God fully and completely?

Wisdom.
Folly.
Which house will you enter?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

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