Proverbs 9:5
"Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed"
Wisdom does have an agenda. It wants more people to enjoy the fruits of wise choices. It does not try and hoard what it knows. In fact, wisdom is trying to get the message out. It is just that many are not interested in long-term gain. Many are only interested in short-term pleasure and fulfilling their selfish desires at the moment.
This proverb continues the banquet analogy with food being the substitute for wisdom. The food of wisdom looks different than the food of fools. One is filled with selfish delights; the other is filled with deep and abiding joy. They look different. One is pastry and immediate sugar highs; the other is vegetables and fruits and whole grains for stable health.
come eat of my food
Wisdom is doing a recruiting job for people to mentor. If you are not passing on your leadership secrets, then you are not being wise.
The picture of wisdom being food is that wisdom brings nourishment. Wisdom is what the soul feeds on – a long-term plan to build a successful family, a good marriage, a satisfying career, and a deep relationship with God. It is the nourishment of wisdom that feeds the pursuit of real life. This is not the quick-fix of sin and selfishness.
The obvious questions arise: Have you been feasting on wisdom's nourishment or the folly of selfishness? Do you have a reasonable plan to have a better marriage in five years than you have today? Do you have a workable plan to have a great family that you are working and that has worked elsewhere? Are you planning your career in such a way that you have a constantly renewing sense of purpose and satisfaction? Is there a growing amount of resources so that you can smooth out more of the difficulties and storms of life?
drink of the wine I have mixed
Notice that the wine is mixed. This means that the alcoholic content was cut, not strengthened. This analogy continues with the drink being healthful. In that day and age, diluted wine was much better for the stomach than straight cistern water. This was the way to decrease your exposure to disease and quiet your stomach. This wine was not designed to get a person drunk but instead to satisfy thirst in a healthful manner. Wisdom and understanding are like that. They may not be flashy, but they get the job done. And over time there is a significant difference between the results that flow from wisdom and what flows from folly.
Let the slower satisfaction of the nourishment of wisdom and understanding minister to you rather than seeking the thrill ride and consequences of selfishness.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz