"Let all who are simple come to my house!" To those who have no sense she says, "Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. – Proverbs 9:4-5

Today's Scripture Reading (November 6, 2022): Proverbs 9

I have always believed that if you want a job, you must be willing to walk away from it. Apparently, this pastor believed the same thing. He came to the church to apply for the job of Senior Pastor. He looked at the church and then met with the Church Board about the job. The church board members were interviewing the pastor, but whether they realized it or not, this pastor was also interviewing them. He pointed at several maintenance issues at the church and argued that "often when you come here every week, you get used to rooms that need paint and carpet that needs to be replaced. But if you want me to come and be your pastor, these things need to be fixed." And then he added, "Every Sunday, we invite visitors to come to this house, and we need to make sure that everything is as it would be if you had invited an important guest to your home for a meal."

I admit that I was almost continually in conflict with this pastor who served at the church of youth, and I have few good memories of him, but on this point, we agree. Guests are coming every time we open our doors, and we should be ready for them as if they are the most important guests that ever could be invited into our homes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a few new names began to attend online. As the pandemic eased, I hoped they would start attending in person. I remember being on vacation when I received a phone call on a Sunday morning informing me that one of these couples had attended church for the first time. I told my daughter, the one on the other end of that phone line, 'Great, treat them like the Royalty that they are." She promised that they would. But the truth is that it does not matter who the visitor might be; every one of them deserves to be treated like royalty.

Wisdom does the same thing. She spreads her table and invites the simple to come and eat. She dresses up in her finery, letting those who attend her table know that she thinks they are important. She tells all who come to her that they deserve the wisdom she carries with her. She tries to impress us, but we can still ignore her.

Solomon also indicates that the wine had been mixed. Under normal conditions, wine was not used for its intoxicating properties. It was used for taste and as a drink to care for thirst. Methodist Theologian Adam Clarke (1762-1832) reminds us that

Among the ancient Jews, Greeks, and Romans, wine was rarely drank without being mingled with water; and among ancient writers we find several ordinances for this. Some direct three parts of water to one of wine; some five parts; and Pliny mentions some wines that required twenty waters: but the most common proportions appear to have been three parts of water to two of wine (Adam Clarke).

We don't need to get drunk to accept wisdom's invitation. Wisdom would argue against that. The wine has been mixed so we can accept wisdom's invitation that intoxication would reject. But the decision is still up to us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 10