Two Voices Are Calling You Right Now
Every single day, without fail, you are being called. Not by a phone notification or a coworker down the hall, but by two distinct voices competing for your attention, your loyalty, and ultimately your life. One voice leads to flourishing. The other leads somewhere far darker than it lets on. The ancient book of Proverbs, particularly its ninth chapter, lays this reality out with striking clarity, and the message is as urgent today as it was when it was first written.
The Concept of Adulting Is Not New
There is a popular modern term that has crept into everyday conversation: adulting. Merriam-Webster defines it as the act or practice of attending to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult. Paying bills, making appointments, doing the hard thing not because it is fun but because it is right. What is fascinating is that this is not a new struggle. The same writer who declared there is nothing new under the sun had a word for it thousands of years ago. He called it wisdom. And just like adulting, wisdom is a choice that must be made, not once, but every single day.
Two Women, One Choice
In Proverbs 9, Solomon uses a vivid metaphor to frame this daily decision. He describes two women, Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly, each calling out to anyone who will listen. These are not literal figures. They are powerful images representing two paths, two value systems, two destinations. And here is what makes the passage so arresting: both women are calling to the same person.
The word Solomon uses for that person is "simple." Before you bristle at that, understand what it means in the original language. It does not mean stupid or lazy. It means someone who is unformed, undecided, someone who has not yet committed to a direction. In other words, it means most of us, most of the time. If you have not fully arrived at perfect wisdom, Solomon is speaking directly to you. The call is going out, and the question is not whether you will respond. You will. The question is which voice you will follow.
The Offer on the Table
On the surface, both voices seem to offer the same thing. Lady Wisdom sets a table with slaughtered meat and mixed wine. Lady Folly offers bread and water. Both promise to satisfy your hunger. Both promise to meet your need. This is exactly the point. Folly rarely presents itself as obviously destructive. It presents itself as a reasonable alternative, a shortcut to the same destination.
But look closer at what each actually provides. Wisdom is busy. She builds her house, prepares her feast, and sends out witnesses to testify about what she has done. Everything she offers comes from her own hand, produced through effort and love. Folly, by contrast, is seated. She is not building anything. She is not producing anything. What she offers is stolen, and she knows it. Her sales pitch leans heavily on sensation: this is sweet, this is secret, this is pleasant. She has to sell it that hard precisely because it cannot stand up to scrutiny on its own.
There is a reason why wisdom's invitation is declared publicly from the highest places in town while folly whispers in secret. Truth does not need to hide. What is real and good can bear the light of day. What is counterfeit survives only in the shadows.
The Heart That Can Receive
Proverbs 9 makes a counterintuitive statement that deserves careful attention. It says that correcting a scoffer only earns you abuse, but correcting a wise person earns you their love. This seems backward. Should not the foolish person be the one most in need of correction? Yes. But the foolish person has already decided they have all the answers. There is no room left for truth to enter.
This is the heart of it all. Wisdom is not primarily about intelligence or education or life experience. It is about humility. It is about being willing to say, I do not know everything. I need to be taught. The smartest person in the world can pursue folly with great efficiency if their heart is closed. And the most unassuming, ordinary person can walk in profound wisdom if they remain teachable.
This is why Proverbs 9:10 keeps returning as the anchor of the entire discussion. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the accumulation of knowledge. Not the achievement of status. The fear of the Lord. Recognizing that there is a God who is greater, wiser, and more knowing than you, and choosing to orient your life around that reality.
Where Each Path Leads
Both paths have destinations, and they could not be more different. Wisdom says, leave your simple ways and live. There is movement in that word, growth, transformation, forward motion. Life, by its very nature, is dynamic. Wisdom is not a static trophy to be won. It is a road to be walked.
Folly, however, conceals its destination entirely. Proverbs 9:18 reveals what is actually behind Lady Folly's door: the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of Sheol. The stolen water was sweet. The secret bread was pleasant. But no one told the simple person what was waiting at the end of that road. This is the oldest bait and switch in human history, played out first in a garden when a piece of fruit looked good for food, was a delight to the eyes, and seemed to offer wisdom. The offer was appealing. The cost was everything.
The Wisdom That Changes Everything
Here is the extraordinary good news. Wisdom is not something you must manufacture on your own. The Apostle Paul, one of the most educated men of his generation, declared that he had decided to know nothing except Christ Jesus and him crucified. He chose to be simple, and in that simplicity found everything. Because Christ himself became wisdom for us, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Two voices are calling. One offers life. One offers death dressed up as something pleasant. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that wisdom has a name. The question worth sitting with today is simple: which voice are you following?
Every single day, without fail, you are being called. Not by a phone notification or a coworker down the hall, but by two distinct voices competing for your attention, your loyalty, and ultimately your life. One voice leads to flourishing. The other leads somewhere far darker than it lets on. The ancient book of Proverbs, particularly its ninth chapter, lays this reality out with striking clarity, and the message is as urgent today as it was when it was first written.
The Concept of Adulting Is Not New
There is a popular modern term that has crept into everyday conversation: adulting. Merriam-Webster defines it as the act or practice of attending to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult. Paying bills, making appointments, doing the hard thing not because it is fun but because it is right. What is fascinating is that this is not a new struggle. The same writer who declared there is nothing new under the sun had a word for it thousands of years ago. He called it wisdom. And just like adulting, wisdom is a choice that must be made, not once, but every single day.
Two Women, One Choice
In Proverbs 9, Solomon uses a vivid metaphor to frame this daily decision. He describes two women, Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly, each calling out to anyone who will listen. These are not literal figures. They are powerful images representing two paths, two value systems, two destinations. And here is what makes the passage so arresting: both women are calling to the same person.
The word Solomon uses for that person is "simple." Before you bristle at that, understand what it means in the original language. It does not mean stupid or lazy. It means someone who is unformed, undecided, someone who has not yet committed to a direction. In other words, it means most of us, most of the time. If you have not fully arrived at perfect wisdom, Solomon is speaking directly to you. The call is going out, and the question is not whether you will respond. You will. The question is which voice you will follow.
The Offer on the Table
On the surface, both voices seem to offer the same thing. Lady Wisdom sets a table with slaughtered meat and mixed wine. Lady Folly offers bread and water. Both promise to satisfy your hunger. Both promise to meet your need. This is exactly the point. Folly rarely presents itself as obviously destructive. It presents itself as a reasonable alternative, a shortcut to the same destination.
But look closer at what each actually provides. Wisdom is busy. She builds her house, prepares her feast, and sends out witnesses to testify about what she has done. Everything she offers comes from her own hand, produced through effort and love. Folly, by contrast, is seated. She is not building anything. She is not producing anything. What she offers is stolen, and she knows it. Her sales pitch leans heavily on sensation: this is sweet, this is secret, this is pleasant. She has to sell it that hard precisely because it cannot stand up to scrutiny on its own.
There is a reason why wisdom's invitation is declared publicly from the highest places in town while folly whispers in secret. Truth does not need to hide. What is real and good can bear the light of day. What is counterfeit survives only in the shadows.
The Heart That Can Receive
Proverbs 9 makes a counterintuitive statement that deserves careful attention. It says that correcting a scoffer only earns you abuse, but correcting a wise person earns you their love. This seems backward. Should not the foolish person be the one most in need of correction? Yes. But the foolish person has already decided they have all the answers. There is no room left for truth to enter.
This is the heart of it all. Wisdom is not primarily about intelligence or education or life experience. It is about humility. It is about being willing to say, I do not know everything. I need to be taught. The smartest person in the world can pursue folly with great efficiency if their heart is closed. And the most unassuming, ordinary person can walk in profound wisdom if they remain teachable.
This is why Proverbs 9:10 keeps returning as the anchor of the entire discussion. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the accumulation of knowledge. Not the achievement of status. The fear of the Lord. Recognizing that there is a God who is greater, wiser, and more knowing than you, and choosing to orient your life around that reality.
Where Each Path Leads
Both paths have destinations, and they could not be more different. Wisdom says, leave your simple ways and live. There is movement in that word, growth, transformation, forward motion. Life, by its very nature, is dynamic. Wisdom is not a static trophy to be won. It is a road to be walked.
Folly, however, conceals its destination entirely. Proverbs 9:18 reveals what is actually behind Lady Folly's door: the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of Sheol. The stolen water was sweet. The secret bread was pleasant. But no one told the simple person what was waiting at the end of that road. This is the oldest bait and switch in human history, played out first in a garden when a piece of fruit looked good for food, was a delight to the eyes, and seemed to offer wisdom. The offer was appealing. The cost was everything.
The Wisdom That Changes Everything
Here is the extraordinary good news. Wisdom is not something you must manufacture on your own. The Apostle Paul, one of the most educated men of his generation, declared that he had decided to know nothing except Christ Jesus and him crucified. He chose to be simple, and in that simplicity found everything. Because Christ himself became wisdom for us, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Two voices are calling. One offers life. One offers death dressed up as something pleasant. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that wisdom has a name. The question worth sitting with today is simple: which voice are you following?
Two Voices Are Calling You Right Now
Every single day, without fail, you are being called. Not by a phone notification or a coworker down the hall, but by two distinct voices competing for your attention, your loyalty, and ultimately your life. One voice leads to flourishing. The other leads somewhere far darker than it lets on. The ancient book of Proverbs, particularly its ninth chapter, lays this reality out with striking clarity, and the message is as urgent today as it was when it was first written.
The Concept of Adulting Is Not New
There is a popular modern term that has crept into everyday conversation: adulting. Merriam-Webster defines it as the act or practice of attending to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult. Paying bills, making appointments, doing the hard thing not because it is fun but because it is right. What is fascinating is that this is not a new struggle. The same writer who declared there is nothing new under the sun had a word for it thousands of years ago. He called it wisdom. And just like adulting, wisdom is a choice that must be made, not once, but every single day.
Two Women, One Choice
In Proverbs 9, Solomon uses a vivid metaphor to frame this daily decision. He describes two women, Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly, each calling out to anyone who will listen. These are not literal figures. They are powerful images representing two paths, two value systems, two destinations. And here is what makes the passage so arresting: both women are calling to the same person.
The word Solomon uses for that person is "simple." Before you bristle at that, understand what it means in the original language. It does not mean stupid or lazy. It means someone who is unformed, undecided, someone who has not yet committed to a direction. In other words, it means most of us, most of the time. If you have not fully arrived at perfect wisdom, Solomon is speaking directly to you. The call is going out, and the question is not whether you will respond. You will. The question is which voice you will follow.
The Offer on the Table
On the surface, both voices seem to offer the same thing. Lady Wisdom sets a table with slaughtered meat and mixed wine. Lady Folly offers bread and water. Both promise to satisfy your hunger. Both promise to meet your need. This is exactly the point. Folly rarely presents itself as obviously destructive. It presents itself as a reasonable alternative, a shortcut to the same destination.
But look closer at what each actually provides. Wisdom is busy. She builds her house, prepares her feast, and sends out witnesses to testify about what she has done. Everything she offers comes from her own hand, produced through effort and love. Folly, by contrast, is seated. She is not building anything. She is not producing anything. What she offers is stolen, and she knows it. Her sales pitch leans heavily on sensation: this is sweet, this is secret, this is pleasant. She has to sell it that hard precisely because it cannot stand up to scrutiny on its own.
There is a reason why wisdom's invitation is declared publicly from the highest places in town while folly whispers in secret. Truth does not need to hide. What is real and good can bear the light of day. What is counterfeit survives only in the shadows.
The Heart That Can Receive
Proverbs 9 makes a counterintuitive statement that deserves careful attention. It says that correcting a scoffer only earns you abuse, but correcting a wise person earns you their love. This seems backward. Should not the foolish person be the one most in need of correction? Yes. But the foolish person has already decided they have all the answers. There is no room left for truth to enter.
This is the heart of it all. Wisdom is not primarily about intelligence or education or life experience. It is about humility. It is about being willing to say, I do not know everything. I need to be taught. The smartest person in the world can pursue folly with great efficiency if their heart is closed. And the most unassuming, ordinary person can walk in profound wisdom if they remain teachable.
This is why Proverbs 9:10 keeps returning as the anchor of the entire discussion. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the accumulation of knowledge. Not the achievement of status. The fear of the Lord. Recognizing that there is a God who is greater, wiser, and more knowing than you, and choosing to orient your life around that reality.
Where Each Path Leads
Both paths have destinations, and they could not be more different. Wisdom says, leave your simple ways and live. There is movement in that word, growth, transformation, forward motion. Life, by its very nature, is dynamic. Wisdom is not a static trophy to be won. It is a road to be walked.
Folly, however, conceals its destination entirely. Proverbs 9:18 reveals what is actually behind Lady Folly's door: the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of Sheol. The stolen water was sweet. The secret bread was pleasant. But no one told the simple person what was waiting at the end of that road. This is the oldest bait and switch in human history, played out first in a garden when a piece of fruit looked good for food, was a delight to the eyes, and seemed to offer wisdom. The offer was appealing. The cost was everything.
The Wisdom That Changes Everything
Here is the extraordinary good news. Wisdom is not something you must manufacture on your own. The Apostle Paul, one of the most educated men of his generation, declared that he had decided to know nothing except Christ Jesus and him crucified. He chose to be simple, and in that simplicity found everything. Because Christ himself became wisdom for us, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Two voices are calling. One offers life. One offers death dressed up as something pleasant. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that wisdom has a name. The question worth sitting with today is simple: which voice are you following?
Every single day, without fail, you are being called. Not by a phone notification or a coworker down the hall, but by two distinct voices competing for your attention, your loyalty, and ultimately your life. One voice leads to flourishing. The other leads somewhere far darker than it lets on. The ancient book of Proverbs, particularly its ninth chapter, lays this reality out with striking clarity, and the message is as urgent today as it was when it was first written.
The Concept of Adulting Is Not New
There is a popular modern term that has crept into everyday conversation: adulting. Merriam-Webster defines it as the act or practice of attending to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult. Paying bills, making appointments, doing the hard thing not because it is fun but because it is right. What is fascinating is that this is not a new struggle. The same writer who declared there is nothing new under the sun had a word for it thousands of years ago. He called it wisdom. And just like adulting, wisdom is a choice that must be made, not once, but every single day.
Two Women, One Choice
In Proverbs 9, Solomon uses a vivid metaphor to frame this daily decision. He describes two women, Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly, each calling out to anyone who will listen. These are not literal figures. They are powerful images representing two paths, two value systems, two destinations. And here is what makes the passage so arresting: both women are calling to the same person.
The word Solomon uses for that person is "simple." Before you bristle at that, understand what it means in the original language. It does not mean stupid or lazy. It means someone who is unformed, undecided, someone who has not yet committed to a direction. In other words, it means most of us, most of the time. If you have not fully arrived at perfect wisdom, Solomon is speaking directly to you. The call is going out, and the question is not whether you will respond. You will. The question is which voice you will follow.
The Offer on the Table
On the surface, both voices seem to offer the same thing. Lady Wisdom sets a table with slaughtered meat and mixed wine. Lady Folly offers bread and water. Both promise to satisfy your hunger. Both promise to meet your need. This is exactly the point. Folly rarely presents itself as obviously destructive. It presents itself as a reasonable alternative, a shortcut to the same destination.
But look closer at what each actually provides. Wisdom is busy. She builds her house, prepares her feast, and sends out witnesses to testify about what she has done. Everything she offers comes from her own hand, produced through effort and love. Folly, by contrast, is seated. She is not building anything. She is not producing anything. What she offers is stolen, and she knows it. Her sales pitch leans heavily on sensation: this is sweet, this is secret, this is pleasant. She has to sell it that hard precisely because it cannot stand up to scrutiny on its own.
There is a reason why wisdom's invitation is declared publicly from the highest places in town while folly whispers in secret. Truth does not need to hide. What is real and good can bear the light of day. What is counterfeit survives only in the shadows.
The Heart That Can Receive
Proverbs 9 makes a counterintuitive statement that deserves careful attention. It says that correcting a scoffer only earns you abuse, but correcting a wise person earns you their love. This seems backward. Should not the foolish person be the one most in need of correction? Yes. But the foolish person has already decided they have all the answers. There is no room left for truth to enter.
This is the heart of it all. Wisdom is not primarily about intelligence or education or life experience. It is about humility. It is about being willing to say, I do not know everything. I need to be taught. The smartest person in the world can pursue folly with great efficiency if their heart is closed. And the most unassuming, ordinary person can walk in profound wisdom if they remain teachable.
This is why Proverbs 9:10 keeps returning as the anchor of the entire discussion. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the accumulation of knowledge. Not the achievement of status. The fear of the Lord. Recognizing that there is a God who is greater, wiser, and more knowing than you, and choosing to orient your life around that reality.
Where Each Path Leads
Both paths have destinations, and they could not be more different. Wisdom says, leave your simple ways and live. There is movement in that word, growth, transformation, forward motion. Life, by its very nature, is dynamic. Wisdom is not a static trophy to be won. It is a road to be walked.
Folly, however, conceals its destination entirely. Proverbs 9:18 reveals what is actually behind Lady Folly's door: the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of Sheol. The stolen water was sweet. The secret bread was pleasant. But no one told the simple person what was waiting at the end of that road. This is the oldest bait and switch in human history, played out first in a garden when a piece of fruit looked good for food, was a delight to the eyes, and seemed to offer wisdom. The offer was appealing. The cost was everything.
The Wisdom That Changes Everything
Here is the extraordinary good news. Wisdom is not something you must manufacture on your own. The Apostle Paul, one of the most educated men of his generation, declared that he had decided to know nothing except Christ Jesus and him crucified. He chose to be simple, and in that simplicity found everything. Because Christ himself became wisdom for us, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Two voices are calling. One offers life. One offers death dressed up as something pleasant. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that wisdom has a name. The question worth sitting with today is simple: which voice are you following?
Pastor Matthew Dionne
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