Proverbs 9. We have two women before us. We have a woman that she's recognized
and she's called Wisdom. You know, she was called Wisdom. Wisdom is always referred to
as a woman here in the Proverbs. And then there's a foolish woman. The wise woman's building her
house. and look down verse 13, and a
foolish woman is clamorous. She is simple and knoweth nothing.
And there's two women here. One is wise and the other is
foolish. Man's going to follow one or
the other. It's like our Lord Jesus talked about the two builders.
He said, You know one, that he that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, he is like an undue wise man. who diggeth
deep and lays his foundation on rock. And he that just lays
his foundation or builds his house on the sand, he's a fool.
He hears these sayings of mine and don't do them, he builds
his house on the sand. And so here we have two women,
one wise, the other foolish. And all of these things we've
talked about in wisdom over the course of these studies, Wisdom
is always set forth as something so desirable. And of course,
that's our Lord Jesus Christ, so desirable. She's far above
anything, worth anything that you can imagine. Job says that. He says the wisdom and knowledge
of God is greater than all the silver in the vein, all the gold
under the earth, all the rubies that you can find. He said God's
wisdom and God's words are more precious to me than any of those
things. But now look here, I'm going
to deal with this in P's. I'm going to use the word P.
Look at what the Lady Wisdom says. First of all, look at her
preparation. She says in chapter 9, verse
1, Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars. She's hewn out her seven pillars.
She's got a beautiful house. She's built a house. And then
she's got seven pillars to hold that house up. And you know the
church is called the ground and pillar of the truth. And wisdom,
her beautiful house, she's got seven things, seven pillars that
hold it up. And you know eternal truth, God
never changes. Truth never changes. As far as
man does, that truth is relative and whatever you say and whatever
you don't say, that's up to you what you believe. But when Wisdom,
she built her house, she built it with seven pillars. God's
absolute sovereignty is the first pillar. I mean, she built this
house on God's sovereignty. God ruling and reigning in this
world. And she built this house on electing
grace. God choosing a people. in Christ
before the world ever began. Gave them grace in Christ before
the world ever began. And then the sixth, third pillar
is the redemption of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those people that
were chosen, they were sinners. They were in debt. They were
lawbreakers. They were God-haters. They were
rebels. So the Lord Jesus Christ came
here and became their surety and paid their debt. and released
them of all their obligations, and He offered to God Himself
as a sweet smelling savor and a sacrifice and sin offering
to put our sins away, those that God gave Him. And I tell you,
them's the only people that Christ redeemed. The people that God
chose is the only ones. And fourthly, And I tell you,
Christ is built on the pillar of the righteousness of Christ.
No other righteousness in this universe other than the righteousness
of Christ. God gave us the righteousness
of Christ, made Christ to be our righteousness, and our righteousness
is called God's righteousness. Because Christ was God, and that's
why we're built on that. You don't find anything, a man
in this building, in none of these pillars. Man didn't have
nothing to do with building this house or putting these pillars
in there. Huh? And then the fifth pillar is
this, that the Holy Spirit, He's going to come here and take all
the things of Christ, all the Word of God, all of the Gospel,
and the righteousness of Christ, the redemption of Christ, the
electing grace of Christ, and the sovereignty of God. He's
going to come and teach us those things, and reveal those things
to us, and make us know them things. And how does He do it? Preaching the gospel, that's
the sixth pillar. The gospel of what? Of Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. The gospel of free grace. The
gospel that gives God all the glory. The gospel that attributes
everything, salvation from Alpha to Omega, to God Himself and
Christ Himself. And oh my! And that seventh one
is the eternal eternal truth of God. These things that I just
told you, they're eternally true. They was true before God wrote
His book. Everything God did, He did on
the basis of eternity, and it's built on the eternal truth of
God. And then it says here, she built
her house with seven pillars. And seven always in the Scriptures
means perfection or completeness. So that means it's completely
done. This house is perfect. seven pillars perfection completeness
and that's what it means that's what it means and let me show
you keep this look with me over in James chapter 3 James chapter
3 I want you to see something over here in James chapter 3
wisdom has seven seven things in it here this wisdom
that comes from above she's got seven pillars wisdom has seven
Blessed fruits or truths that comes with wisdom in James chapter
3 and verse 17. Oh my, seven qualities of wisdom
described here by James. But he says that wisdom that
is from above, this wisdom that we're talking about, the first
thing about it is it's pure. That's the first thing. Then
secondly, it's peaceable. Oh, it's so peaceable. It brings
peace, produces peace. And look what else it says. And
it's so gentle. It's just so gentle. Wisdom is
so gentle. And here's the fourth thing.
And easy to be entreated. That's the fourth thing. And
then look what else it is. The fifth thing is full of mercy
and good fruits. That's the fifth thing. And the sixth thing is without
partiality. And the seventh thing is without
hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace of them that make peace. That's the wisdom
we're talking about. Seven pillars, seven qualities of wisdom over
in James chapter 3. Oh, so seven. And then look back
over here at what she's done. She's made her a great big meal. She's made her a great feast.
Wisdom's made a feast. She hath killed her beast. She
hath mingled her wine, she hath also furnished her table." Oh my, you know meat and wine,
she's killed the meat, she's killed the lamb, she's killed
the things for people to eat, she's got a great feast, she's
got wine on the table, she's got food on the table. She's
got her table and look what it says, she furnished her table.
And to furnish her table with everything, it was a beautiful
table. furnished with all the things that wisdom would furnish
it with, the justice owed and how God can be just and justify
her, how that God delights to show mercy, and sits right in
the center of that table, right in the center of that table,
there is the wisdom of God, the power of God, and our blessed
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And then all around it, there's
grace over here, mercy over there, love over here, power over there,
generosity over here, compassion over there. All the things of
God, she set that table with. And oh, it's like when our Lord
talked about the marriage supper of His Son. And He has said,
everything's been prepared. Everything's ready. Go tell them
to come. Nobody came. And that's the same
thing she says here. She's got this great feast. Carefully
prepared. Beautifully presented. She furnished
the table. That's another thing. Everything
about wisdom and everything that we're dealing with here is something
that we don't have nothing to do with. And look what else it
says. And she sent forth her maidens.
And she crieth upon the high places of the cities. Not only
is she prepared, has a preparation, this beautiful law, but look
at her plea. She wants to be heard. Wisdom wants to be heard.
And look what it says. She has sent forth a maid. She
crieth upon the highest places of the city. And she sent out
her maids. What did she send them out for?
To tell people about this feast. To tell people about this wonderful
table that's furnished. About this glorious wisdom and
her house and all the seven pillars it is built upon. And you know,
and like He sent out the maidens, that's like our Lord Jesus Christ
sending out His apostles and sending out His preachers. They
went out with something to say. They went out with something,
a definite message, a positive message, a glorious message. And you know that's something
about the Gospel. That's something about the Word of God. Years
ago, you all may remember this, and I'm sure you do. Years ago,
you'd always You know, we'd tell everything that was wrong with
everybody else, and we wouldn't have ever said what was right
about Christ. And then after a while, you find out that everything's
right about Christ. Everything's right about the
gospel. So our message is positive. We know! That if you don't believe
the gospel, you're not converted. We know that salvation's by grace. We know that salvation's of the
Lord. And so we love that we're preaching.
That's why when she sent these maidens out, they went out with
something to say. Wisdom said, go out yonder. Tell
them about my house. Tell them about my pillars. Tell
them about my feast. Tell them about my food on the
table. Tell them about what a beautiful table I got. Tell them to come
in here and eat. And that's what the apostles
did. They went out and started talking about Christ. And oh,
listen. Oh, look what else she says.
She cries out in the highest places of the city. She gets
up on the hills like we said last week. And look who she says
to come in now. These are who the maidens say
come in. Whoso is simple, let him turn in here, turn in to
this feast, turn in to this meal, turn in to this table, turn in
to this house. Come in here where I built my
house, wisdom says. As for him that wanteth understanding,
she says to him, now listen, come eat my bread and drink of the wine which I
have made. It's special wine. Bingle that
wine. Put that wine out there. And
that bread. Come and eat my bread and drink
of the wine. And oh my. She asked those who
are simple and don't have any understanding. Lack of understanding. And oh my. And look what she
tells them to do, simple and that one that most understands
to come to the table, come and eat, come and dine. We sing that
hymn, come and dine, the master called it, come and dine. That's
what he said to the children when they was out fishing that
night. They was out fishing during the day. And our Lord Jesus,
they looked up and there was a fire, and there was coals on
the fire, and there was fish on the cooking. And where'd the fire come from?
Where'd the fish come from? You know, our Lord looked out
there and said, Children! They're out there just fishing
like crazy. Children! You all got anything to eat?
No? Caught anything? Nothing! Old
John said, Peter, I believe that's the Lord. Old Peter was naked,
you know, out there fishing. He got his coat on him and he
just jumped in. And he went up there and the
Lord Jesus had a meal prepared for him. He had a fire going. He had something on that fire
for that fish to be on. And they sat down there and our
Lord Jesus fed them Himself. And that's what wisdom is saying.
Come here to my table. Come here, I've got everything
just exactly what you want, what you need, and everything that
you could possibly desire. I've got it. And if you're simple,
come in here. If you don't have any understanding,
come in here to where wisdom's at. Come into my house. And you'll
learn some things. You'll get some wisdom. You'll
get some understanding. And then look what else he says
to them in verse 6. Forsake the foolish. And all
them foolish people you run around with, them foolish people that's
out in the streets and that, live! Forsake the foolish and
live! And go in the way of understanding. Walk away from the people that's
foolish. Walk away from foolish people.
Just get away from them. And live! You can't live with
a bunch of... Don't live. You can't live with
them. And go. Go in this way of understanding,
of wisdom. And oh my! And look what she
does. Now here's what she says. Now
she said this is someone she does not invite. It's someone
she does not ask to come into wisdom. To come in and sit at
the table. And this is what she says. He
that reproves a scorner giveth to himself shame. You get somebody
that's just a scorner, scorns and finds fault and gets angry
and got something negative to say about everything. And like
they scorned our Lord Jesus Christ, He said if a man who reproves
a scorner, He gets to himself shame. Chains himself. Because you know, a scorner,
what are you going to say to a person who doesn't see anything
right? Who scorns you scowls at you and finds fault with everything
you do and that's what he says. And he that rebuketh a wicked
man getteth himself a blot. What in the world is he talking
about here? He says don't cast your pearls before swine and
don't feed that which is holy to the dogs. If a fellow's a
fool and acts a fool, and scorns the things of God, scorns the
things of Christ, scorns everything that He comes in contact with,
and He's wicked. Just let Him alone! That's what our Lord said. That's
what He said. Simon Peter said, told our Lord, said, You know,
you've offended these Pharisees. He said, Let Him alone! Just
let Him alone. Every tree which my Heavenly
Father hath not planted is going to be rooted up anyway. Just let them alone. And oh my,
have you all, every one of you all been in that situation where
you thought, well should I say something? Should I say something?
Should I say something? Best thing you can do is just,
just ignore them. Just go on about your business.
Huh? But look what else it says here.
In verse 8, Reprove not a scorner
lest he hate thee. You rebuke a scorner and he'll
turn around and he'll hate you. He'll hate you. He will absolutely
hate you. I remember one time I come up
amongst a bunch of men from my neck of the woods and there's
all talking and there's all out doing something. I come up, walked
up in the midst of them and one of them said, we're just talking
about you. And I said, you was? He said, yeah. And he started
telling all the things wrong with me and all that. And I said,
man, you ain't said the half of it yet. That fella shut up
like that. One in the whole bunch, you know,
he's going to talk about, ah, you're like this, you know, I
know how preachers are and you're this way and you're that way
and all this way and that way and another thing. And I said,
man, you don't know the half of it yet. You ain't even began
to scratch the surface. And that's the truth. If I ain't
done it, I thought it. How many times, let me ask you
something, how many times have you told somebody off and you've
been angry at somebody and thought, boy, if I ever, you know, I sure
would like to say this and you never say it. How many times
have you been mad when somebody cuts you off on the road? How many times have you been
angry when you have to sit and wait and wait and wait and wait
on something? So listen, that's one thing about a believer.
He knows what he is. He's not fooling himself or nobody,
and not even trying to fool himself or anybody else. And that's why
she said, Reprove not a scorner, or he'll turn around. He'll hate
you. He'll hate you for doing that. But look what she says
about a wise man. Rebuke a wise man, and he'll
love you. Rebuke a wise man, and he'll
love you. He'll love you. I'll tell you all a true story. We was down in Well, Henry's
got on me a couple of times, but one time we was down in Mexico
and I'd done something, said something, and Henry rolled around
on me and said, stop that. I'm getting so sick of that.
I don't want to hear another thing about it. I said, okay.
Okay. There's several men standing
around, you know, two or three of those fellows asked me later,
said, boy, how did you feel about Henry talking to you like that?
Cause he is frustrated with somebody else and some other things. And
I said, well, One thing I know about Henry, he must really,
really love me to feel like he can talk to me like that. And
I believe that. He must love me to feel comfortable
enough to rebuke me openly. He must have really loved me.
And I still feel like he loves me. Don't you all feel that way?
Yeah? Well, I tell you what, somebody
pointed out something to you. Oh, my goodness. I'm so thankful
you told me that, showed me that. And then look what else it says
here now. In verse 9. Give instruction. This is what
wisdom is saying. Give instruction to a wise man
and he'll get wiser. You give instruction to a wise
man, he'll get yet wiser. He'll learn from what you instructed.
And you want to learn. and teach a just man, and he
will increase in learning. You take God's people, they want
to be wiser. They want to know more. They
want to increase in their learning. More about Jesus would I know.
Huh? And then look what she says.
Look, that was her plea. Oh, turn in here. And then look
what she says here. about a promise she makes. Wisdom
makes a promise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. My goodness, I'd love to come
up with a message on that one verse. The knowledge of the holy,
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge
of the holy is understanding. To know God. Job asked this question. He said, Acquaint now thyself
with Him, and be at peace. And here wisdom says to have
a knowledge of the holy is understanding. When you get the knowledge of
God, the knowledge of something about God and His holiness, and
we're so far removed from that, but yet to have a knowledge about
God, some understanding about God, and His holiness, and His
righteousness, and His character, and that He will always, must
always do right. And He will never change. Never
change. And to have that knowledge, for
God's wisdom gives you that knowledge of the understanding. Knowledge
of the Holy, and some understanding of the Holy. And look what she
says also. Look what else she promises here.
She promises long life in verse 11. For by me thy days shall
be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.
Oh my! She made those promises to other
places. You know that? Over in Proverbs
3, look in chapter 3 and verse 2. Chapter 3 and verse 2. She made that promise in other
places, wisdom did. And when it says your days will
be multiplied and years will be added. And you know, when
we began to have life, really live, when life became precious
to us and understanding, when God saved us by His grace, then
we had an abundance of life. glorious life and I tell you
what this life where our days are multiplied is every day we
live and the grace of God what a blessed thing it is to be saved
by the grace of God and the quality of life that God has given us
the quality of life is given not only that but the quality
of the people that he's brought us in contact with and we actually
have a life and And my days have been multiplied by the grace
of God. And oh, listen. And look what
is said here in verse 2 of chapter 3 about this length of days. For length of days and long life
and peace shall they add to thee. That's what wisdom does. And
look down at verse 16. Chapter 3. The length of days
is in her right hand, and in her left hand is riches and honor.
And all of those things we have in Christ. We have all those things in our
blessed Lord. And then look back over here
in Proverbs 9. Look what she says here now about
wisdom. The promises that she makes and
the blessings that we have. If thou be wise, thou shalt be
wise for thyself. You know, the wisdom, the only
person wisdom is going to benefit when it's all said and done and
knowing Christ is yourself. And then she said this, but if
thou scornest, thou shalt bear that alone. You'll bear your
own burden of that. And let me show you something.
You keep this and look in Job chapter 35. This is what Job is talking about.
Job chapter 35. Wisdom will bless you. Wisdom
is good for you. Let fear of the Lord and knowledge
of the holy and understanding of the holy, that benefits you. And the blessings come to you. This wisdom comes to you. That's
why God made Christ unto us wisdom. In Job 35 verse 6, look what
it says. If thou sinnest, what doest thou
against him? Or if thy transgressions be multiplied,
what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest
thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand? In other words, what's our sin
going to affect God? It's going to affect us. And
if we're righteous, what's our righteousness going to affect
God? God's always God. So if He gives us wisdom, we're
the one blessed by it. We're not going to attribute,
you know, we attribute anything we get from God and it blesses
us. We can't turn around and give
Him anything back. And then she says scorn will
hurt you. It'll hurt you. You'll have to
bear it all by yourself. All by yourself. Now, that's
the wise woman. That's the wise woman. Now, she
had a preparation, she had a plea, she had promises. Now look here
at this foolish woman in verse 13. A foolish woman is clamorous,
she is simple, and knoweth nothing. Her preparation? She made no
preparation. You know what it says? This word clamorous means loud.
That word means loud. She's simple. She don't know
nothing. She's a fool from the very beginning. You know, she's
simple, and she's seductive, and don't know nothing. And the
Believer's Bible, contrary, says this about her. Describes her
as loud-mouthed, empty-headed, and brazen-faced. You ever seen anybody like that? Oh, my! Oh, now the Lady of Wisdom, she
built a house that had seven pillars. She had a table spread. And she had something to give
somebody when they got there. She had maids to go out and tell.
This woman here, she didn't have anything. But a loud mouth, empty headed, simple, and don't
know anything. Just brazen face. Now look at
her now. That's her preparation. She didn't
have any. Now look at her plea. For she
sitteth at the door of her house on a seat in the high places."
She don't have a house. She just sits in the door of
her house. She's got a place and she sits outside her house.
And she sits there in that door. She didn't have no maidens to
send out. She didn't have nothing to say. And she sits on a high
place. She sits up above the city. Sits
outside her door in a chair. And she starts crying out, but
what she cries out for and what Lady Wisdom cries out for and
the wise woman cries out for is two different things. And
you notice this foolish woman, she cries out and hollers out
from sitting down. Lady Wisdom, she's up and she's
building a house and she sends maidens out. This, she ain't
got nobody. She's sitting there crying out
herself. And that's where wisdom from
the high places. And she's on the high places
of the cities. And look what it says here. And she calls the
passengers who go right by the way. She's sitting out there. People that's traveling. Passengers. People that's got their garments
with them and their stuff with them and they're traveling. And
they're passengers who go right over their ways. And she calls
out to them, hollers out at them. Turn in! Come in here! And then look what she said. And
this is exactly the same way it's said in verse 4. Exactly the same thing. But wisdom
says to the simple, let him turn in here for him that won't understand
it. She says to him, come and eat of my bread." But now look
what this woman says, "...who is so is simple, let him turn
in here, and ask for him that wanteth understanding." She said
to him, this wise woman said, come eat my bread, drank of the
wine, which I've mingled, I've got a wonderful table spread.
But look what she says to him. And she calls to those who pass
by, especially the simple, especially those who lack understanding.
And instead of offering A table spread, look what she says to
him. She said, you know stolen waters are sweet. Stolen waters
are sweet. She said, you come in here. That's
what she said. I don't want to get... Stolen waters are sweet and bread
eaten in secret is blessed. She said, you know, Lady Wisdom
said, I've got a table spread. This one here says, you come
on in here. Stolen waters is so good. Bread eaten in secret is so good,
it fills you up. But oh, listen, there may be
pleasure in sin for a season. Look in Hebrews 11 with me. I'll
be done here in just a bit. Hebrews 11, verse 24. There's pleasure in sin for a
season. And a man may do, and a woman
may entice a man off like this here. Oh, my. I used to, back when I was in
the world and stuff, and even since then, I've heard women
say, I'd rather be an old man's mistress than be a
young man's fool. Something like that. And I'd
say, boy, I'd rather have somebody who's got a little something
to be a young man's fool. But look what it said here in
Hebrews 12, 11-24, talking about pleasures of sin for a season.
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Now listen to this. Choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to turn in there and have them stolen
waters and have that bread. He chose rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin. It's
just going to be for a season. It's going to just be for a season.
I mean, it won't last long. But now look back over, and then
I'll wind it up with this. But He knoweth not these ones
who go into those stolen waters and eat that bread in secret
that turn in unto her, he knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the
depths of hell." Oh my! Verse 27 of chapter Chapter 7
says the very same thing. Her house is the way to hell
going down to the chambers of death. Oh my, those that are
in this place living like this, that's where the dead live. That's
where the dead live. You know, the Scriptures talk
about being twice dead and plucked up by the roots. Dead in trespasses
and sins and then dead in religion. And the dead live there. All
of her guests that took that stolen water that was sweet,
and that bread that was pleasant, that's hidden secrets. He said,
all those guests are in hell now. Boy, the Scriptures are
so plain, ain't they? I mean, they just, they're so
plain. Our Father, in the precious,
blessed, glorious name of our Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing
us to have this time together this evening. Blessed be your
name for your word. Oh, God, wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. Give us that wisdom that's from
above, that's pure, peaceable, gentle, easily entreated. Oh, God, give us that wisdom
without partiality, without hypocrisy. Oh God, please give us that wisdom
from above. Give us that knowledge of the
holy. Give us understanding of God and His blessed word. We
ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. There is a name I love to hear. I love to sing His word. It sounds like music in my ear. The sweetest name on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus. O how I love Jesus, O how I love
Jesus, because He first loved me. See you Sunday. God will