“THE COMMUNION OF WISDOM AND FOLLY” (Proverbs 9)
INTRODUCTION
Today’s Funny: A Yogi-ism for Yogi Berra’s 90th Birthday (May 12, 2015!)
Former major league ball player Joe Garagiola said he and Yogi Berra decided at spring training one year to meet for Mass at 5:30 a.m. Knowing how important punctuality is to Berra, Garagiola showed up at 5:10 a.m., only to discover Berra waiting.
“Yogi says, ‘What took you so long?’” Garagiola recalled. “I said, ‘What took me so long? I’m early. I’m 20 minutes early. You said 5:30 a.m. We agreed on it. Here I am and you say, What took him so long?’ Then Yogi said, ‘That’s the earliest you’ve ever been late.’”
QUESTION:
Did you know that there are 2 different kinds of communion listed in Scripture? Proverbs 9 is a classic passage which displays both communions in vivid picture form. May we learn from the Lord this morning as we look forward to the communion service after the message. And may we examine our hearts to see which communion we have been observing in our personal lives.
PRAYER
#1 THE COMMUNION OF WISDOM (9:1-12)
a. The foundation (vs. 1-2) cf. Matt. 7:24-27; Acts 4:12
Question: what is the foundation of your heart?
b. The invitation (vs. 3-6)
* Many are involved (v. 3) cf. Matt. 28:18-20
- The invite is to ALL (v. 4) Note that those invited don’t have to be “perfect” or “mature” or ‘church going” before they are invited!
* The invite is 2-fold
#1 COME ! This is one of the richest words in Scripture
“Come into the ark” (Gen. 7:1) Scripture’s FIRST invitation
“Come – you who are thirsty” (Isa. 55:1ff)
“Come unto Me” (Matt. 11:28)
#2 COMMUNE !
As symbolized by the food and wine, the invite is to commune with the One Who has done the inviting – even the Lord Himself as symbolized by “Wisdom”. Note communion doesn’t end here, but continues with a life (vs. 6-8) and learning (v. 9-12)
HAVE YOU RESPONDED TO THIS INVITATION?
Have you come to the cross and are you growing in Him? COME !!!
#2 THE COMMUNION OF FOLLY (9:13-18)
a. The foundation: there is NONE!
Question: what is the foundation of your heart? Is it THIS one? Is it NONE AT ALL?
b. The invitation (vs. 11-16)
* “Folly” is loud, undisciplined, without knowledge (v. 13)
- She sits – she herself does not commune with wisdom (v. 14)
* This invitation as well is 2-fold:
#1 COME ! (vs. 14-16) For Folly, without a foundation, this invitation has no purposeful meaning. As with the true gospel, some come, some “go straight on their way” (v. 15)
#2 COMMUNE ! (v. 17) But unlike the true communion, the elements of Folly are both a poor substitute and subtly deceiving.
The fruit of folly: unlike those who come to wisdom, these invitees do not know to what they’re communing, nor the end result: the grave.
CONCLUSION
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” This could have been Jesus’ commentary on Proverbs 9.
Everyone is invited to the true communion – to know the Lord Jesus and to fellowship with Him. To those who have come, the cross is not the end but the beginning of an abundant life in Christ.
There’s one final warning in this passage: is it possible that those who have come to the cross and are enjoying the communion of wisdom, that they can still be lured into the invitation of the communion of folly? It is interesting to me that the author of Proverbs doesn’t give a rebuke; he doesn’t list the follies to avoid. He simply reminds his readers of the end of that road: the grave. Emptiness. Longing for more.
Come! Come to the Communion of Wisdom in Christ!
CLOSE IN PRAYER
Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, retired pastor, and his wife, Thuvia