An Invitation from a Woman named Wisdom (Proverbs 8–9)

Two invitations arrive on the same day, handwritten and urgent. One leads to a well-lit house where the table is set with honesty, prudence, and clear thinking. The other promises sweetness in secret and a thrill that fades before the lights come on. We walk through Proverbs 8–9 to unpack why these twin calls still echo through our choices, our leadership, and our daily rhythms.

We explore how Wisdom doesn’t whisper from the margins but calls from the gates and crossroads, inviting the naive and the stubborn to learn. Together we break down what prudence and common sense look like in real life: goals tested by goodness, plans that resist shortcuts, and habits that turn knowledge into action. We also talk about influence, because Scripture ties wise leadership to just decisions. When rulers and managers anchor their work in wisdom, communities breathe easier, trust grows, and results last longer.

From there, we lift our eyes to the deep roots of wisdom in God’s character and creation. Proverbs paints Wisdom as present at the world’s foundations, aligning moral order with the fabric of reality. That lens changes how we see limits, seasons, and the long arc of cause and effect. Finally, we hold up the two tables: Wisdom’s nourishing feast versus Folly’s counterfeit banquet of stolen water and secret bread. The words sound similar, but the endings are not. One path matures the soul; the other drains it. If you’ve been craving clarity, courage, and a steadier way to live, pull up a chair and consider which invitation you’ll accept today.

If this conversation helped you choose the wiser table, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so others can find it. What practice will you adopt this week to stay near Wisdom’s voice?

The Christian's Compass is a companion study guide that corresponds to each of these lessons along The Wisdom Journey. Download a copy for free, or cover the cost of printing and shipping and we'll mail you a booklet.

Learn More: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/the-christians-compass

Chapters

• 0:00 From Warnings To Wisdom’s Call
• 2:43 Lady Wisdom Invites The Simple And Foolish
• 4:22 What Wisdom Produces In Daily Life
• 6:07 Wisdom, Creation, And God’s Character
• 8:31 The Feast Of Wisdom And The Scoffer’s Reply
• 10:09 Meet Lady Folly And Her Counterfeit Banquet
• 12:02 Two Invitations, One Destiny: Choose Life

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:16

In our wisdom journey through the book of Proverbs, we come to a point now where Solomon changes the focus of our attention. He has spent nearly three chapters describing the dangers of sexual immorality as he pictured for us an immoral woman inviting an immoral young man to sin. Well, now we're here in chapter eight, and Solomon uses another woman as an illustration, and she's passing out invitations as well. Only this time it's a wonderful invitation to accept. And that's because her name is wisdom. Here's how chapter eight begins. Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand beside the gates in front of the town. She cries aloud. So here's Lady Wisdom, so to speak, in prominent places at a busy crossroad, at the city gates, and she's calling out to people as they pass by. Well, what is she saying as she calls out? Verse four tells us to you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence. O fools, learn sense. Now in the Bible a simple person is naive, a fool is stubborn and unteachable. So wisdom is inviting all of them to come into her classroom. It's free of charge, there's no registration fee, there's no tuition. Solomon tells us here that she's teaching courses like Prudence 101, Common Sense 102. Well, prudence, by the way, is the word for clear thinking. And common sense is what we would call practical discernment. Now, both of these make for a useful, productive life. Now, following this invitation from Lady Wisdom, we're reminded how valuable she is, and for starters, we're told here that wisdom produces godly living. She says here in verse six, I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth. In other words, Lady Wisdom isn't going to lead anybody astray. Now the words of wisdom here in verse nine are straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. She's going to set you straight. She's going to put you right, she's going to help you walk in a straight line and on the right path in a very crooked world. Now, verse 12 adds that wisdom offers here knowledge and discretion. These words relate to your ability to plan wisely in achieving the right goals. And that's critically important because having goals doesn't automatically make you right or make them right. You know, a bank robber might have a goal of robbing a bank a day. That didn't make it right. A lazy person might have a goal of getting out of work as much as possible. They have goals, but their goals are dead wrong. Wisdom, Solomon indicates here in verse 13, keeps you from making the wrong goals, sinful goals. Now we're also told here that a wise person is going to influence people in the right way. That is, your wisdom is going to rub off on other people. In fact, wisdom isn't really for you to keep to yourself. Solomon writes here in verses 15 and 16 that wisdom is going to enable, well, political leaders to rule correctly. He writes, By me, that is wisdom, rulers decree what is just. By me princes rule, and nobles all who govern justly. Have you ever thought about the fact that good leadership actually depends on godly wisdom? You know, the reason our world is so messed up is because we're missing godly leaders. We got so many leaders in our business world, our financial world, our social world, our political world making unwise decisions. Why? Because at the heart of it, they've refused to take these classes from lady wisdom. They've rejected the wisdom of God's word. So the first benefit of learning from wisdom is that it produces godly living. Now the next benefit is this wisdom leads to godly appreciation. Let me tell you what I mean. Wisdom is an attribute of God's character. It's who God is, and it's what God does. It's impossible to separate God from wisdom and wisdom from God. Now, Solomon illustrates that by showing us how wisdom was connected to the creation of the universe here in verse twenty five. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I, that is wisdom, was brought forth. Before he had made the earth with its fields or the first of the dust of the world, when he established the heavens, I wisdom was there. When he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I wisdom was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight. That's so true, beloved. In fact, just look around. The wisdom of God is on display through his creation, and you, as a follower of God, get to appreciate and really fully enjoy his marvelous creation in a way that an unbeliever will never be able to, because they reject Creator God. Now, in chapter 9, Solomon tells us that Lady Wisdom is going to prepare a feast. She sets her table, she sends out those beautiful invitation cards to the feast. We read here the invitation, beginning at verse 4. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live and walk in the way of insight. What a wonderful invitation. Now Solomon gives us some examples of responses here to Lady Wisdom's invitation. For instance, here in verse 7, you got a bunch of scoffers who laugh at the idea of needing wisdom. They mock at wisdom's moral instruction. I mean, she is so old-fashioned. Their minds are closed. Well, it's useless to try to reason with them. Verse 8 says, in fact, do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. He frankly hates the invitation. Now, thankfully, other people are going to respond positively. Here's the promise given to them who do in verse 9. Give instruction to a wise man, will give him an invitation, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. Simply put, the wise person who is willing to hang around Lady Wisdom, well, he's going to grow even wiser. He's going to reap the benefits of living the right kind of life. Now, at this point here, Solomon introduces us to another woman. This woman's name is Folly, and Solomon is going to now contrast her ways with the ways of Lady Wisdom. He describes Lady Folly here in verse 13. The woman Folly is loud, she is seductive, and knows nothing. But I want you to notice her invitation cards sound very familiar. In verse 16, Lady Folly says, Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. That's exactly what Lady Wisdom said. It's kind of like the printer made a mistake and printed off the same invitation cards, but with a different return address for the dinner feast. Yeah, it sounds the same, but once you get inside that dining room, the food is going to be very different. You see, Lady Folly hasn't prepared a wholesome meal. We're told here in verse 17 that she set her table with stolen water that is sweet. She promises bread eaten in secret will be pleasant. In other words, she's put out a feast of stolen food. She's tempting her dinner guests with things that are forbidden by God. The expressions used here for stolen water and and bread eaten in secret actually refer to sexual immorality. Partaking of something that doesn't legitimately belong to you. Oh, but but let me tell you, her dinner guests think this is the place to be. This is the menu they've been waiting for. But Solomon now pulls back the curtain of time and reveals the dark danger. He says here in verse 18, but he, the dinner guest that is, does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol, that is the grave. In other words, they're not enjoying a feast that's going to bring satisfaction, it's going to bring life. They're playing around with judgment. They're eating dinner with death. So the contrast in Proverbs chapter 8 and Proverbs chapter 9 between Lady Wisdom and Life and Lady Folly and Death, well, that's the choice between these two, and it's very clear. So be careful. When you get an invitation, make sure it's going to take you to the house of wisdom. That's where you're going to find life. And life worth living. Well, until our next wisdom journey, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.