Sermon: Wisdom Calls

Text: Proverbs 9:1-18

20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

August 16, 2009

Scripture introduction.  Our second reading this morning is the ninth chapter of the Book of Proverbs.  Originally, I was going to read only the first six verses—and that’s all that’s printed in the bulletin—but the more I thought about the passage the more I wanted you to hear the contrast between the two women who call.  The chapter divides itself up quite nicely into three parts of six verses each.  In the first part Lady Wisdom makes another of her several appearances in the Book of Proverbs.  She is a literary device—a personification of the quality of wisdom, perhaps even of divine wisdom.  Although she may represent one of God’s qualities—wisdom—as represented in this text, she is not a goddess.  Centuries later, Christians analogized Lady Wisdom with Jesus Christ, who, as we learn from the Gospel according to John, was the “logos of God,” which might be translated roughly as “wisdom of God.”  But for the Old Testament writers, Lady Wisdom was simply the personification of the attribute of wisdom.  Her audience—the youths to whom she calls—are called “the simple ones.”  In Hebrew the term does not mean “unintelligent” or “stupid,” but rather “naïve and inexperienced.”

Part two, the second six verses, are typical proverbs—wise sayings that are useful for daily living.  I will suggest later that they form a kind of bridge between part one and part three.  In the last part of the chapter, the final six verses, we are introduced to Lady Stupidity, sometimes called Dame Folly.  While she is very similar in some ways to Lady Wisdom, and while she, too, beckons to the naïve and inexperienced youths, she contrasts sharply with Lady Wisdom in her intentions and actions.  Put yourself in the place of the youth, now, and listen to the ancient instruction.

Sermon.  “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away and know when to run.  You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.  There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.”  These words from the famous song, “The Gambler,” by Kenny Rogers, are a kind of modern proverb.  In the song the old gambler—just before he goes to that great card table in the sky—passes along some wisdom to a younger man, who we may presume is naïve and inexperienced in gambling.  If you listen carefully to the song, however, the old gambler never tells you when, exactly, it is time to “hold” and when you should “fold.”  He simply says that sometimes it’s best to do one, and sometimes the other.

There’s a sense in which the Book of Proverbs works in a similar way.  Except for a few passages like the one for today, when various characters make an appearance, the rest of Proverbs consists of ancient wisdom sayings.  Usually, they are quite short, and often they contrast qualities of wisdom and foolishness, or righteousness and error.  Hobart McWhorter was a former colleague at my Birmingham law firm and a practical joker.  One of his favorite tricks was to sneak up from behind and startle you.  When you turned around to see who had given you the scare, he would smile knowingly and quote, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.  Proverbs 28:1.”  That’s a good example of a proverb—short and pithy and practical—and the Book of Proverbs is full of them.

The only problem is that some of the proverbs contradict themselves.  The best example is chapter 26, verses 4 and 5.  The first proverb advises, “Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself.”  The next proverb—the very next verse—says just the opposite, “Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.”  But we should not be surprised by the contradictions.  By their nature proverbs are simplistic.  We cannot expect them to cover all situations in one sentence.  Our modern proverbs also contradict one another.  For example, we are admonished to “Look before you leap,” but at the same time we are told, “He who hesitates is lost.”  It is always a mistake to underestimate the biblical authors.  They knew exactly what they were doing when they included contradictory proverbs in their collection, even back-to-back.

Let me try to explain.  As I have learned from a series of lectures by Dr. Christine Yoder, a professor at Columbia, the Presbyterian seminary just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, the whole Book of Proverbs was probably a moral educational program for a youth—perhaps even a young prince and future king.  The book begins with instruction from parents and then introduces the character of Lady Wisdom, and then a number of proverbs are set forth in various collections.  As the book progresses, presumably the youth, having decided to pursue wisdom, becomes increasingly sophisticated.  In the next-to-the-last chapter, however, the character of wise old Agur is introduced, and we may imagine the youth’s training not to be over until he has spent some time with Agur.[1]  Despite his vast knowledge, wisdom, and experience, Agur does not consider himself to be wise.  The more he has learned, the more he realizes how little he knows.  Compared with the wisdom of God, Agur understands that even his best wisdom is folly indeed.  After his imaginary conversation with Agur, the youth might well conclude that all the proverbs he has learned—all the previous part of the book—do not themselves make him wise.  Now it is clear to the youth why some of the proverbs are in conflict.  It is because different situations call for different responses.  The sages placed the contrary proverbs together in order to teach this very lesson.  Sometimes we should answer fools according to their folly, and sometimes we should not.  “You have to know when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em.” 

Until I had heard Dr. Yoder’s lectures, I simply thought of the Book of Proverbs as a very long collection of disconnected and unorganized proverbs, relieved occasionally with a few interesting passages about characters like Lady Wisdom.  After hearing the lectures, I believe I understand better how the entire book fits together as an instruction manual for a young ruler.  I think this helps us understand better the passage for today.  Clearly Lady Wisdom is good:  those who come in and eat at her banquet will live.  Just as surely, Dame Folly is bad:  she is with the dead—the shades, the ghosts—and those who become her guests are in the underworld of Sheol. 

Yet on the outside they look very similar.  The words used to describe them are almost identical.  In one verse, common to both their speeches, their words are exactly identical.  Both are women, and both call out from their high-placed dwellings.  Both alike call to the simple—those who are naïve and unsophisticated, those who have not yet even decided to pursue the path of wisdom.  Ostensibly, both offer food and hospitality to those who pass by.  But in fact they are quite different.  Lady Wisdom offers life, but Dame Folly’s invitation leads to death.  How is a youth to tell the difference from the outside?  It’s almost the same problem as with the contradictory proverbs: how do you know which one to use, which way to go?  

One of the commentators[2] suggests that Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly are metaphors, respectively, for the right use and the wrong use of God’s good creation.  All of the things that God has provided for our use and enjoyment—food, sex, talent, material comforts, and the like—can be used correctly and within appropriate bounds.  Or they can be misappropriated, ab-used.  As Saint Augustine wrote so many centuries ago, evil has no independent existence but is essentially a distortion of the good.  Because evil begins with something good, it can be hard to recognize at first.  We walk up to Dame Folly’s house, and her hospitality looks just fine at first.  But when we are committed to her company, when it is too late to escape from her house, we know that we have been tricked—or that we have tricked ourselves.  What seemed good at first now shows itself to be empty and corrupted. 

For example, there is nothing wrong with working hard and making money.  God gave us talents and skills that are useful to others and that can bring us material gain.  But if we begin to pursue wealth as if it were an end in itself—or purely for selfish reasons—we have taken something good and by twisting and distorting it, we have changed the good into something that is harmful—greed.  Deception, and self-deception, are always at the heart of sin.  Jesus called the devil “a liar and the father of lies.”[3]  If you think of the decisions in your life that you regret the most, you will find deception somewhere in the mix.  The two women, seated in their houses on the hill, look very similar because Dame Folly is masquerading as Lady Wisdom.  But again, how is the youth to tell the difference?

I believe the structure of chapter 9 suggests the answer.  Notice that Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly are separated by six verses of proverbs.  Physically, on the page, these six verses of text separate the two women.  They also are the key to keeping them separate in our minds—that is, not being deceived by Dame Folly.  They are the key to keeping these women separate in our lives and in our behavior.  We learn from these six verses that wise persons are not scoffers.  A wise person values well-intended criticism, using that instruction to become wiser still.  In other words, wise persons are not afraid to evaluate their own behavior and to learn from their mistakes.  The purpose of self-analysis, of reflecting back on our decisions, is not to beat ourselves up and to feel guilty.  God is merciful and forgives.  The purpose is to learn. 

These six verses also tell us that wise persons fear God.  That is, we respect God.  We recognize who we are, and who God is.  We realize that we are not God, and we do not attempt to substitute our judgment for God’s judgment.  Because we respect God, we do our best to remain in God’s company through prayer and reflection.  Often God is the source of the loving criticism that helps us become wiser, as the Holy Spirit works through our heart and our conscience. 

Thus, the very structure of chapter nine, which places the fear of God between the house of life and the house of death, shows us how we are to “choose life.”[4]  The ancient sages labored under no misapprehension that life is simple and that moral decisions are easy.  Sometimes the bad masquerades as the good, and good things taken too far become bad.  We have to “know when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em.”  We need true wisdom to decide which proverb is right for which time.  And the key to that wisdom is an awesome respect and love for God.  When our actions are motivated by a closeness to God’s Spirit, we will choose wisely.  We will live in the right house, eating the right bread and drinking the perfectly-mixed wine that only Wisdom can offer.