“Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars. She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her female servants; she calls out from the highest points of the city: ‘Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!’ To the one who lacks sense, she says, “Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue the way of understanding.” (Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB – Read the chapter) ‬‬

Have you ever been to someone’s house who clearly wasn’t expecting you? Nothing was prepared. The house wasn’t clean. Nothing about the place communicated that they were prepared for you or even wanted you there. Now, contrast that with a time you went to someone’s house who clearly was expecting you. There, everything was ready. You were clearly on their mind. They made all their plans around your being there. That felt good. Solomon tells us that wisdom is a good host like this. As much as we need to be searching for wisdom, she is planning on us finding here. Let’s not disappoint.

As we draw near the end of this lengthy opening section of Proverbs, one of the themes we have run into again and again is that wisdom is seeking us out. Yes, we should be pursuing wisdom. That much has been abundantly clear as well. But wisdom is also actively seeking us. Personified as a woman, she is on a diligent search for us so that we might receive her and the blessings of all her benefits. Here at the end, Solomon drives home this theme one last time.

Wisdom is prepared for us to find her. She has made all the necessary preparations so that when we do finally accept her open invitation the party will be ready to start.

“Wisdom has built her house.” One of the first and most important things that has to be in place when planning a party is choosing the location. We have been watching through the Amazon Prime series, Elle, which is basically a retelling of the Clueless story but with a few fun twists. Rather than following the titular character through her grad school journey, we meet up with her in high school. It has been a really cute show that has been soaked in 1990s nostalgia, which has been extra fun for someone whose most formative years were all in the 1990s.

In any event, in one of the episodes, a friend’s mom has died and Elle takes on planning a memorial service for her. Why a high school junior is planning a memorial service for the mother of a friend she has known for about three months is a totally valid question, but suspend your disbelief and stay with me. Although Elle has several different ideas, the first thing she feels the pressure to do is to pick the right location. If the location isn’t right, the event is going to be a flop.

Look at this again: “Wisdom has built her house.” She is ready for the party. She has constructed the perfect location. She didn’t merely find some random place to host that will cost as little money and effort as she can get by with, she built a house for it. She wants a permanent place so that everyone who is willing to receive her invitation knows where the party is going to be.

And this isn’t just any house either. She has built it to the nines. “Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars.” Seven is the number for completion, and pillars like this were often figuratively imagined to be the foundation points of creation itself. This house Wisdom has built is perfect. It is strong. It is plenty big enough for everyone willing to come to the party to have space to really enjoy it.

With the location secured, then, she has set about making sure everything is ready on the inside as well. “She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.” When planning a party today, when it comes to the food, we just run to the store to pick up the things we need. Or maybe we contract with some sort of catering service so that we only have to go pick up the food already prepared. We run to the liquor store to get the drinks that will be served. Piece of cake.

Not so in the ancient world. If you wanted meat for a banquet, you had to prepare that yourself. You had to butcher the goat or the cow. You had to break down the carcass. You had to process everything. Then you could start figuring out how you were going to actually cook it. It was a ton of work. The same thing was true with the wine you would serve. You couldn’t just run to the local Bubbles or Total Wine and be met with an almost endless variety for every possible taste or desire. You had to mix it up yourself. There was risk here. If you didn’t get the mixture right, your guests weren’t going to be pleased. Setting the table feels like almost an afterthought to all of this, but the idea was that you had prepared a place for each of your guests. Wisdom has prepared a place for each of her guests. She has prepared a place for you if you will receive her invitation.

And when it comes to those invitations, she is working to make sure they are received. “She has sent out her female servants; she calls out from the highest points of the city.” Here we are back to the diligent search Wisdom makes for us; for you. She wants to be found. She wants to be found by you. She has a place ready for you. All you have to do is receive it, follow her, and learn from her all the ways to live the life that is truly life.

This is Wisdom’s call. Experience for those who are inexperienced. Life for those who are dying. Help for those who are struggling. Understanding for those who are clueless. “‘Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!’ To the one who lacks sense, she says, ‘Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue the way of understanding.'”

There is a way that leads to a robust and full life, a life that is uncomplicated and joyful. This path is open to anyone who desires to walk it. There are voices calling us down this path so that we can find it. We won’t walk it alone. And at the end of the path is the life we’ve always wanted. Wisdom has prepared everything so that we can simply enjoy the fruits she produces in us. Don’t spend another minute wandering blindly through this life trying to figure things out all on your own. There’s no point to that. Take the road that is already paved for you. You will be glad that you did.