Have you ever said something out loud that you didn't think would surprise someone, but it totally did? When I was being trained in counseling, I would spend time training in a group lab with other counselors. In that context, we would practice our skills on each other and attempt to refine each others' abilities.
One afternoon, we were asked to give feedback to each other about what the experience was like and I admitted to another counselor something that she seemed shocked to hear. I told her, "I don't think you'd be easy to counsel." The look on her face when I said that was one of surprise, alarm, and possibly hurt. I certainly didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but her resistance to outside input during our practice session gave me that feeling.
Soon after that experience, I started to ask myself if someone might also be able to make that statement about me, and I think it's fair to say that, depending on the subject, I might also be difficult to counsel. That's an area of life that I'm actively trying to improve, and I suspect it will continue to be an area I'll want to keep an eye on.
What about you? How well do you respond to counsel or correction? Do you get defensive and dismissive, or do you receive it with humility? Proverbs 9 invites us to wrestle with that thought.
I. Will you walk in the way of insight?
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “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.” (Proverbs 9:1-6)
This proverbs utilizes the literary device of personification. As Solomon attempts to help us see the contrast between wisdom and folly, he presents them as if they are two different women. The woman of Wisdom is prudent, thoughtful, inviting, helpful, and filled with good counsel. She tries to guide lost people onto a better path. The woman of Folly does the exact opposite, but we'll examine her activities a little later.
In these verses, Solomon is trying to convey a picture of the benefits of embracing the wise counsel of the Lord. One of the major benefits we enjoy as those who trust in Jesus Christ is greater insight. He grants us His mind. He lets us see with His eyes. Through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we are being intentionally led toward the truth, and we're being shown all sorts of things we wouldn't have naturally perceived. This chapter of Proverbs helps us gain a better understanding of how the Lord is actively pursuing us with His wisdom.
When we observe the work of the Lord, we see that He is intentional, organized, and methodical with His plans and the ways in which He deals with humanity. The personification of wisdom that we see in this passage helps illustrate that. We're told that Wisdom has built her house, prepared food and drink, and sent out her servants to extend an open invitation to partake. The Lord's activity toward humanity is being illustrated in this description. He's building His house, preparing a banquet table, and sending out His ambassadors into this world to extend an invitation.
In this passage, we're told that Wisdom invites the simple to change course, to eat the food she offers, to leave their simple ways, and to walk in the way of insight. Again, this is all being shown to us to help us gain a greater glimpse of the redemptive work of our Lord. Through Christ, we're invited to change course, find our sustenance in Him, leave our life of spiritual blindness, and walk in the light of the truth of His gospel.
That's all beautiful to consider, but it begs the question, "Will you walk in the ways of insight?" True insight is found in Jesus. True wisdom is found in Him. Do you want what He has to offer, or will you settle for the counsel of an "influencer" or a "guru" that is not omniscient? And lest that sound like I'm pointing a finger at you alone, I promise I'm not. That's a question I'm forced to wrestle with as well.
I have two offices that are both filled with books. In addition to that, I have bookshelves throughout my home that are also full, as well as a vast collection of digital books on most of my devices. Every day I'm reading the words and ideas of people that I allow to influence me. To their credit, many of them provide counsel that helps me navigate different areas of life. But the counsel of someone who isn't omniscient cannot supersede the counsel of one who is.
The wise counsel of God, accessed through faith in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will allow us to gain real insight. And as our mind begins the grasp the value of godly wisdom, His Spirit is willing to empower us to put it into practice in our daily walk.
II. Can you be corrected?
"Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it." (Proverbs 9:7-12)
How well do you respond to being corrected? What's your gut-level response or reaction?
I have noticed that some of the most successful people I know in just about every field also tend to be the most correctable. I have also noticed that the people in my life who never really seem to gain traction or momentum also tend to resist correction.
In this passage, Solomon tells us about the nature of correcting the uncorrectable. If you correct a scoffer, you get scoffed at. If you challenge a wicked man, you get injured. In both cases, we're being shown the gut-level response of these people to correction. They fight against it, and they do everything in their power to keep those who correct them at a distance. At times, the uncorrectable aren't afraid to verbally or physically hurt those who offer them wisdom.
But what happens when you instruct a wise man? If you give him good counsel, he will love you because he realizes the nature of the favor you've done for him. You've saved him from needless harm, error, or expense. You've been more beneficial to him than an entire army of "yes-men."
I have also observed an interesting pattern among the wise that truly sets them apart from those who refuse to be corrected. The ignorant invest in their distractions. The wise invest in their understanding. Some of the wisest people I know are always telling me about courses they're taking, books they're reading, and discussions they're having, while the ignorant only seem to care about the next thing that might make them giggle.
In drawing the contrast between the scoffer and the wise man, Solomon goes on to make it clear that the wisest among us will always be those who fear the Lord. When a person lives with genuine reverence and respect for the Lord, they are in a perpetual listening posture. Their entire life is being lived with an ear toward Heaven as they await the counsel and instruction the Lord will offer them next.
Years ago, a pastor told me the story of how his church building was built. When it was being founded, a wealthy businessman offered to pay for its construction. During the process, he asked the pastor to give him an answer related to something in his personal life. The pastor gave an honest answer, in a gentle way, even though it challenged the businessman's decision. Most people were afraid to challenge him, but because the pastor gave him honest counsel, he thanked him and said, "Thank you for your honesty. I had already decided that if you weren't honest with me, I wasn't going to continue funding this church."
I also know of a ministry leader that completely rejected the counsel of his board of advisors when they corrected him about an obvious (but correctable) error. In fact, he made this his ongoing pattern, and now they refuse to work with him at all. Nearly all have resigned.
What's your story? Can you be corrected, or will you do your best to resist it?
III. Who has your ear?
The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. (Proverbs 9:13-18)
The picture Solomon paints in these verses is unpleasant and possibly offensive. He personifies folly and tells us that it's like a seductive woman who knows nothing. She yells, she entices passers by, and she invites people to join her on her path toward utter destruction. The picture painted here reminds me of a something my daughter and I witnessed last year in Philadelphia.
My daughter was purchasing a car from an older gentleman, and after we test-drove it, we took it to a business to complete the purchase and have the title changed. Twenty feet away from the door of the business, there was a woman standing on the corner of the street. She had a broom in her hand and she was yelling at nearly everyone who passed by, including another woman who looked like she was trying to walk home from work. As she yelled at that woman, she started making fun of her physical appearance, and it was so offensive that it caused a man who was also walking in close proximity to react and try to stop the screaming woman from yelling such hurtful words.
As I witnessed that, I prayed that the woman who was insulted wouldn't take the insults she just received to heart. I was hopeful that the Lord would strike those thoughts from her memory so she wouldn't internalize what she just heard.
In a similar vein, it's probably good for us to ask, "Who has our ear?" Are we listening to the loud yelling of folly, or can we hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to our conscience?
If we're arrogant, we won't hear the voice of the Spirit. The arrogant have ears that have been conditioned to primarily perceive folly, but the humble are listening for the voice of God.
The arrogant don't like to listen. They would rather speak than open their ears to the truth. They would rather live their lives convinced that they've already got everything figured out. In a sense, they attempt to be their own messiah. Instead of responding to the gracious offer of Jesus to save them, they attempt to be their own savior. Their ears aren't open to hear His life-giving gospel. They only want to hear themselves speak.
What about you? Do you think you're perfect? Do you even think you need Jesus? He's offering Himself to you. In fact, He may be calling out to you today, but you're going to have to turn down the volume on "the woman of Folly" if you're going to hear Him. But if you do hear Him, and respond to His invitation, He will graciously guide and protect you for the rest of your life.
Accepting correction isn't easy for many people, but a correctable heart is a redeemable heart. With Spirit-empowered humility, let's ask the Lord to make us receptive to the wisdom He grants us through prayer, through His word, and through the loving counsel of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
© John Stange, 2020
