Read | Psalm 119:1–24
Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved out her seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her female servants;
she calls out from the highest points of the city:
“Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense, she says,
“Come, eat my bread,
and drink the wine I have mixed.
Leave inexperience behind, and you will live;
pursue the way of understanding.
The one who corrects a mocker
will bring abuse on himself;
the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt.
Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.
Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still;
teach the righteous, and he will learn more.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”
Folly is a rowdy woman;
she is gullible and knows nothing.
She sits by the doorway of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
calling to those who pass by,
who go straight ahead on their paths:
“Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense, she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten secretly is tasty!”
But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
How does Solomon personify and describe wisdom and folly in this passage? Compare and contrast how they are presented.
Focus
Watch this video from BibleProject (The Book of Proverbs • What It Teaches About Being Good at Life) explaining the genre of this book of Scripture. What is one thing you learned from the video?
Pray
Use today’s Scripture as a model for your prayer. Follow along using the prayer points below and reference the Scripture passages to inspire your own prayer today.
- Take some time to slow down and enter God’s presence.
- Praise God that he has made his wisdom available to everyone who is diligent enough to pursue it (Proverbs 9:1–6). Ask him to empower you through the Holy Spirit to pursue his wisdom.
- Ask God to give you a teachable spirit and people in your life to sharpen you and gently point out where you are going astray (Proverbs 9:7–9).
- Reflect on how you may be tempted to chase after folly and not live how God created you to live (Proverbs 9:13–18).
- Praise the Lord God that fearing, revering, and respecting him is how we start to have wisdom. Ask him to make you wise and to allow you experience the benefits of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10–12).
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.