1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; 2 She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table. 3 She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city, 4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 5 “Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding. 7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. 8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.” 13 A foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing. 14 For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat by the highest places of the city, 15 To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way: 16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 17 “Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.
Commentary
Vs. 1-2 1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; 2 She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table.
The Scriptures now tell us that wisdom has built her house, (and her foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself upon which she and all that God builds is founded), that she has hewn out her seven pillars. These then are the main attributes of wisdom coming from Him upon which her house is built; some say these are seen in Isaiah 11:2 where Christ is portrayed exemplifying these by the Holy Spirit, while the Believers Bible Commentary points us to James 3:17 where the attributes of the wisdom from above given to us to observe and follow are listed. However, you may see them, the point being made by the use of the number seven is that they are perfect, that these attributes of wisdom have their origins in the perfection (or perfect order) of the Word of God (consider Matt. 5:48). You need not look elsewhere then, for all that you need to be wise is found there. Having then built her house and hewn out her seven pillars, wisdom is now said to have prepared a grand meal for us, for she has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table, so that all who receive her invitation may richly eat and drink with her (vs. 2). In many ways one cannot but help see the Lord Jesus Christ’s own invitation to everyone to come to His own table and eat and drink and enjoy new and everlasting life by faith in His Person (Isaiah 55:1-2, 6-9; John 7:37-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:17) and thus satisfy their hungry and thirsty souls (John 6:35).
Vs. 3-6 3 She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city, 4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 5 “Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.
Having then prepared the meal and table, wisdom now sends out her maidens to invite guests to attend her feast. Yes, she herself cries out from the highest places of the city, calling out and saying, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 5 “Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.” Vs. 4-6
Wisdoms call then is not to those who already think themselves “wise and prudent” (Isaiah 5:21, also consider Prov. 3:7-8; Rom 12:16; 1 Cor. 3:18-20). But to the simple, the naive, to those who have not known her, whose own persons and lives clearly lack understanding about what is good and sound and right for a person to do and pursue. Therefore, she says to them most loudly and clearly, “Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.” Vs. 5-6 Yes forsake and abandon the life of sin and folly and go in the way of understanding, by believing in and listening to God’s Word! And this one will do when they believe in and obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through whom God has given us His Word for us to believe and do.
Vs. 7-9 7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. 8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Wisdom then does not try to change (i.e., correct) the scoffer, because their own arrogance will not listen to her. Therefore, we are also warned not to try to correct them, for to try to correct a scoffer means that you will only suffer shame for yourself; for they will not listen or obey you either, (though they may pretend submission to the Lord (Ps. 81:15), and so if you get involved with them, you will only bring shame and reproach to yourself. Same with the wicked man, the person who has no desire to change their ways, rebuking them will only lead to your own harm. Just as Jesus warned and commanded us in Matt. 7:6, when He said: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Therefore, we are warned not to rebuke a scoffer, not to waste time, energy, and wisdom on such people, for they will only hate you when you do. Instead, we are told to rebuke a wise man, for he will love you when you do, because he will see the error of his way and turn from it. Therefore, the Scripture also says give instruction to wise man and he will grow in wisdom, same with a just person, teach them and they will increase in learning (vs. 8-9). And so, this little section of Scripture has great insights into whom we should put our time and energies into trying to disciple. For those who have already made their minds up about the Gospel, who want to live by their own godless ways, should be left to their own godless ways and fate, as per the instructions of the Lord in Matt. 7:6. But those whose hearts are not hardened we should through humility and fear of the Lord seek to reach (2 Tim. 2:25-26).
Vs. 10-12 10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
The fear of the Lord then is the beginning of wisdom, for when one fears His Person, His Authority, His Power, His Judgment! one will listen to His Word and depart from their evil ways. And when anyone turns from their sins and turns to obeying Him, they will reap all the fruits of their wise decision! Just as surely as the scoffer and wicked will reap all the fruits of their unbelief and sins! For knowledge of the Holy One is understanding, understanding of what is right and wrong in the sight of God for all who believe and obey Him, and God Himself will multiply your days when you come to believe and obey His Word. Therefore, fear the Lord and depart from evil so that your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you! For it is in your own best interest to be wise and understanding, to fear and know the Lord. However, if you scoff, you will bear it alone, and not only in this life will you have no Divine intervention or help, but at the Great White Throne Judgment there will be no one who will plead or intercede for you! For there everyone who rejects Christ’s Invitation to new and everlasting life will bear their eternal judgment alone (Rev. 20:11-15).
Vs. 13-18 13 A foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing. 14 For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat by the highest places of the city, 15 To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way: 16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 17 “Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” 18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.
Wisdom having clearly made her call and invitation to the sons of men. She now reveals her opposite. The foolish woman, the empty headed sleezy woman who also makes her voice loudly heard, who is totally hostile to all that wisdom is. For she is just a loud mouthed, pride filled woman who knows nothing of Godly wisdom, nor of the fear of the Lord. And so, she brazenly invites men who pass by her place, who are walking straight in their way to her “feast”, a feast of misery in the end (vs 14-15), saying to them, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”; And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 17 “Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Vs. 16-17 And so in luring the simpleton who lacks discernment and understanding, she makes living wickedly out to be pleasant, and doing evil out to be good. This then is a sad picture of this world, and all of its inducements to sin, which is only doing Satan’s agenda in luring and deceiving people into doing and pursuing and even justifying those things which will only destroy them in the end. “But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.” Vs. 18 Make no mistake about it then, her place is the place were the dead dwell, the Spiritually dead, and the literal dead, who die in their sins and transgressions, who find their end with her in hell! The only thing to do then if you have “visited” with her, is to turn from her, and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, so that you too might have remission of all your sins and everlasting life! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 Therefore believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Crucified and Raised from the dead and be saved from this perverse generation. For there is no other Sacrifice nor Atonement for your sins and transgressions that God will accept from you than your faith In Him. Therefore, be reconciled to God today and begin a new life, everlasting life with Jesus Christ today! (2 Cor. 5:17, 21).
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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