Proverbs 9 verses 1 through 6. These are God's words. Wisdom has built her house. She has hewn out her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also furnished her table. She has sent out her maidens. She cries out from the highest places of the city. Whoever is simple, Let him turn in here, as for him who lacks understanding. She says to him, come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding. So for the reading of God's inspired and inherent word, if we are foolish, It certainly cannot be blamed on lack of opportunity to be wise. The Lord has put the evidence of himself in all of the creation. He has made it so that folly and sin are harmful, undesirable in their outcome, that wisdom and righteousness are beneficial, blessed in their outcome. Further, he has even given us his word, which offers us not just life and health from him, but relationship with him. And so he gives us this extended metaphor, wisdom as a great queen who has built her house. There's a house that is built not upon a foundation of wood or even gathered stones, but great pillars that are hewn out of one great hard stone, like marble or granite. The slaughtering of the meat and the mixing of the wine. here indicating not just wine of one sort of grape but very carefully prepared rich wine with complex flavors and some of which would be brought with the sacrifice. The idea here being not like the loose woman who kind of winks and says, I have been to sacrifice, which means we can pretend away the guilt of our sin, plus we have meat here. But rather, wisdom is inviting openly. Note where the invitation comes from. She sends her maidens out and she cries out from the highest places of the city. Wisdom is the sort of thing that you don't have to hide from others and do secretly and shamefully. And so, fearing the Lord and receiving His Word, loving Him, obeying Him. It is a way of life. It is a way of relationship with the Lord. It is a way of being unashamed. It is a way of health. And so God gives this wonderful open invitation. And we know ultimately that the first part then of fearing the Lord is coming to him in Christ, turning from our sin, trusting in the Lord Jesus. For how else? Could we receive such open invitation if the wrath of God must destroy us, except that God, as pictured in the sacrifices that are implied in the background of this passage, except that God has satisfied His wrath upon our substitute, the Lord Jesus, and now When we read Proverbs 9, verse 5, come eat of my bread and drink of the wine that I have mixed. And we know that wisdom, which was pictured metaphorically at one point as a queen, is actually God and has become a man and gives himself to be our life and our gladness and our confidence and our bond with God. And so that which was pictured in verse five has turned out to be not just a metaphor, but a reality and a reality greater, not less real than physical bread and wine, but more real, our union with the Lord Jesus Christ and our life and health from it. And the Supper does do the same, tell us the same thing as verse 6 as well. Forsake foolishness. How can one who gets his life from the Lord Jesus, how can one who is bound to God in the Lord Jesus. Live foolishly. No. Forsake foolishness and live by the life of Christ in you, by God's covenant in Christ with you. Turn from foolishness. Live and go in the way of understanding. So let us remember how God has invited us by His whole world and in all His Word to have the wisdom of belonging to Him in Christ, having our life from Christ, and living for Him by that life of Christ. Let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, forgive us, for we have often ignored how obvious it is that goodness and righteousness and godliness are a way of life and blessing. And we have sometimes thought or felt in such a way as if to imply that it's difficult to figure out how we should live. Forgive us, Lord. We know that you have been clear and have given us a free and true offer of the gospel to turn from our sin and be yours in Christ. by your own grace to belong to you and live for you, be conformed to him. And so we ask that your spirit would restrain our ignorance and our stubbornness and that he would open our eyes to see all that you have told us of yourself in your world and especially in your word. So help us to heed this invitation. to receive your welcome and come to you. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.