9.1 Wisdom has builded her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars: She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine; she has also furnished her table.

She has sent forth her maidens: she cries upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in here: as for him that lacks understanding, she says to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Leave your simple ways, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Here we find Solomon’s famous Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which literally would have been the seven supporting posts of a large house. Using a similar metaphor, Jesus likens our life to a house that may be foolishly built on shifting sand or wisely built on the solid rock foundation of God’s law (Matthew 7:24-27). Wisdom’s house is not some shack or hovel, but a mansion, a palace perhaps.

As in many other parts of the Bible, food is used here as a metaphor for knowledge, and wine for teachings and beliefs. Eating a meal normally involves a great deal of repetition as we sample and combine the various foods on offer in turn, over and over again. Perhaps this is why Solomon has built a good degree of repetition and combination of topics into the Proverbs, making it a feast of wisdom -- implying also perhaps that we can profitably sample any section at random, if we wish, rather than slavishly following through from beginning to end in a logical procession.

In this final chapter of the introduction, we are invited to turn in off the highway of life and partake of Wisdom’s feast. But are we ready to leave our simple-minded ways, and repent of stupidity? Do we have a hunger for wisdom and understanding, or are we too busy to bother?

Perhaps this is the same feast Jesus speaks of in a parable of the Kingdom when he says: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet in his house and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servants to tell those who had been invited: ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses" (Luke 14:16-18).

At that point, the man who prepared the banquet in the parable became very angry and sent his servants out into the highways and byways, saying to them: "Bring in the poor, and crippled, the blind and the lame" (verse 21).

If you are one of the poor and simple, the blind and those lacking understanding, of whom Jesus speaks, the weak and foolish of the world, then your presence is requested.

As we commence our journey into wisdom, perhaps it is good to be reminded that we are trying to change ourselves, not other people. Not everybody is ready to listen to the call of Wisdom, and the exciting information we try to impart to them may well be found offensive and simply provoke hostility. Be wise for yourself, says Solomon, and do not attempt change the minds of the scornful, because they will only become hostile and angry.

In a similar vein, Jesus warns his disciples: "Do not give dogs things that are sacred: neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot then turn and tear you to pieces" (Matthew 7:6).

Notice again the promise of eternal life – that your days will be multiplied and the years of your life shall be increased. Some may wonder why such wonderful promises are not made more explicit and obvious. The reason has to do with readiness, and the need to hide those treasures out of reach of the casual inquirer. Perhaps this explains Jesus’ comment, when he says: "This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. For in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving"(Matthew 13:13-14).

Alexander Cruden describes the situation well in his Complete Concordance, saying: "He made use of them to veil the truth from those who were not willing to see it. Those who really desired to know would not rest till they had found out the meaning."

9.3 Folly is clamorous: she is simple, and knows nothing. For she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, To call passengers who go right on their ways: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that lacks understanding, she says to him,

Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.

Wisdom calls us, but Folly – the spirit that works in the world -- entices us in the opposite direction. Instead of righteousness, faith and love, Folly offers worldliness, illicit thrills, fleshly indulgences and the quick fix that has no lasting benefit. Her ways lead to death and the grave. Her banquet hall is a tomb, a house of death.

Are we ready to respond to Wisdom’s invitation, or does Folly still appeal too strongly?

Solomon, a Type of Jesus

As we come to the end of this introductory section, it is worth noting that Solomon was a type of Jesus and his glorious and envied kingdom a type of the coming Kingdom of God, which is wonderfully described by the prophets, such as Micah (chapter 4) and Isaiah (chapters 2 and 11). As those accounts show, when Jesus, as the returned Christ, the Messiah, rules from his throne in Jerusalem, all nations will once again send emissaries to learn the principles of Godly wisdom, just as they did in the days of Solomon.

The principles that Jesus will teach then and taught before are also found, inspired by him through Solomon, in the Book of Proverbs.

In the Beatitudes (Matthew, chapter 5), Jesus lists characteristics of the truly wise person that will become increasingly familiar as we continue our study of Proverbs -- a humble attitude, a desire to learn and do what is right, showing mercy, being a peacemaker and having a pure heart.

Like Solomon, he also identifies some of the human motivations that make it hard for us to be wise – saying: "Out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly" (Mark 7:20).

Like Solomon also, Jesus stresses the need to help the poor, to pray, to trust in God and make wise and righteous living our goal rather than money. In words that resonate with those of Wisdom in the previous section, Jesus then compares those who follow these teachings to a man building a house on an enduring foundation of solid rock.

Like Wisdom again, Jesus, the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30), calls out to those ready to follow him and learn his ways. Comparing himself to a shepherd, he says: "The sheep hear his voice . . . and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice" (John 10:3-4).

As we have seen, when Wisdom calls, Folly also calls. And when Jesus calls, many strange and varied philosophies also call. Perhaps this is why he says of his disciples: "They will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of a stranger" (verse 5). Nevertheless, many people, even whole nations it seems, do follow the siren call of those strange voices.

People do not become Christians because of logical argument, archeological discoveries or historical documentation of the life of Jesus. They become Christians because they are called, and hear his voice in their hearts, not a literal voice but a feeling, an interest that draws them and develops into belief, conviction and faith. Perhaps this is why Paul says: "By grace you have been saved through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).