The Sermon for Sunday, August 18th, 2024, the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
The Lessons: Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 147; Ephesians 5:3-14; John 6:53-59
The Text: Proverbs 9:1-6
INTRODUCTION
Children will play with virtually anything they get their hands on. It’s no surprise, then, that when Dutch children in the town of Barneveld uncovered an unexploded World War II artillery shell, they played with it. In fact, they had games with it for several months.
The shell was still live and contained high explosives. Thankfully, the deadly plaything did not explode in the Barneveld playground as the children tossed it about. Eventually the authorities learned about the shell, confiscated it, and exploded it in a safe place.
Those who are not yet mature often fail to recognize the danger in what they are doing.[1]
PROVERBS 9:1-6: WISDOM AND FOLLY
Many people today do not realize the great danger they are in by continuing to live a foolish way of life, that is, a way of life without God and in disobedience to his call and commandments. For in the Bible, and particularly in the Wisdom literature of the Bible, fools are not intellectually foolish, but foolish because they neglect to, or refuse to, follow God’s law. In Proverbs 8, wisdom is portrayed as a lady calling out to people on the streets with the goal of persuading them to receive her words, pay attention to them, hate evil, and obey God. She is also pictured as being with God before He created the world. Much later, in 1 Corinthians 1:30, St. Paul wrote that God has made the Lord Jesus Christ our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Here in Proverbs 9:1-6, wisdom is depicted as a hostess, who has built her house and hewn seven pillars. She is inviting the foolish to come into her house and enjoy the bread, the meat, and the wine that she has provided. We are reminded of our Lord’s Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Luke 14:15-24. The Gospel Lesson for today confirms this invitation to come to Jesus Christ, who is our Wisdom, and spiritually commune with Him, receiving His Body and his Blood.
We see, therefore, how in different ways and in different passages of Scripture, God still calls everyone to come to the Lord Jesus Christ to receive eternal life. The image of the house of Wisdom with seven pillars suggests that God’s Wisdom is complete and perfect in every way. The seven pillars might represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as we find them in Isaiah 11: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, righteousness, and the fear of the Lord. The house of Wisdom is supported by the virtues of the Holy Spirit. But whoever enters the house of Wisdom cannot at the same time enter the house of Folly. It is necessary forsake the foolish company that one keeps and instead proceed along the way of understanding, on which Christ leads us.
Wisdom continually invites people into her home, but one has to turn from evil to enter into God’s presence. But many people are more convinced that their own way of life is superior to the Divine Wisdom. They do not realize the danger that they are in by insisting on the superiority of their own way of doing things. God’s Wisdom calls. Jesus Christ the Lord appeals to all to turn from a foolish, selfish, and futile way of life and to come to Him, the Bread of Life (John 6:35). Many suppose that they have plenty of time before they need to be totally committed to God. But they might not have all the time that they think they have. In Ecclesiastes 12:1, we read, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (KJV). We do not know when we might not even in this life have the ability to turn to God. Therefore, in another place we read:
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
(2 Corinthians 6:2, KJV)
Now is the time to turn to Christ for His wisdom, His salvation through the forgiveness of sins. The messengers have gone out to preach the Gospel, to call people back to God, and to the banquet he has prepared and provided for them in His House of Wisdom. But just as people pass by a place they ought to visit without realizing that they might not have an opportunity to do so again, so people pass by the House of Wisdom, without realizing what a wonderful banquet God has prepared for all who love Him! Why are so few coming to the Lord? They do not realized the spiritual danger of their rejection of God, nor do they even think they are foolish and in need of God’s wisdom.
The clue to salvation is given even in verse 6 of Proverbs 9:6 “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding” (KJV). We first have to repent and turn away from sin. Then we can enter the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and be reconciled to God the Father by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving him as Lord (John 1:12). Then we must go on having fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ daily, so that we may grow in God’s wisdom daily.
[1] p. 462, , Craig Brian Larson & Phyllis Ten Elshof (General Editors): 1001 Illustrations that Connect. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, Christianity Today International, 2008.