Dock
Resource Kit
Sunday sermon, 21 June 2026
Summary
This week Michael talked to us about the two paths set before us in the book of Proverbs — the way of wisdom and the way of folly — drawing on Proverbs 4:18–19 and the extended chiastic structure of Proverbs 9. He showed how wisdom and folly are personified as two women, each issuing an invitation. The choice between wisdom and folly is not a one-off decision but a daily, even moment-by-moment one.
Key Points & Takeways
Two paths run through the book of Proverbs - Proverbs 4:18 says the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining brighter and brighter, while the way of the wicked is like deep darkness in which people do not know what makes them stumble.
This light and darkness language carries through into the New Testament's picture of life in Christ - Jesus declares himself the light of the world (John 8:12), John's prologue says the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it, and Peter writes that we are called out of darkness into God's wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). Wisdom's path and the gospel's light are the same trajectory.
Wisdom prepares a feast; folly offers nothing but theft - Wisdom has built a spacious house with seven pillars and prepared meat and spiced wine; luxury and nourishment, deliberately and lovingly prepared. Folly, by contrast, simply sits at her door offering stolen water and bread eaten in secret; enticing, but empty and without any preparation at all.
Both wisdom and folly are loudly, persistently calling out to us - Both voices call from the highest point of the city, a picture reminding us of the constant barrage of competing voices: social media, news, entertainment, political outrage all clamouring for our attention and shaping what we feed our souls on.
How we respond to correction reveals whether we are walking in wisdom or folly - Proverbs 9:7–9 says a mocker who is corrected responds with hatred, while the wise person who is corrected grows wiser still, how we respond to correction is an indicator of the path we are travelling on.
Wisdom leads to life; folly leads to death - Verse 11 promises that through wisdom your days will be many and years added to your life, while verse 18 warns that folly's guests are unknowingly deep in the realm of the dead, this contrast is not abstract but a real fork with real consequences.
The choice between wisdom and folly is not one decision but a daily, moment-by-moment one - Even though we are positionally changed forever in Christ, Proverbs is concerned with the day-to-day: Woman Wisdom says tell the truth, keep your word, be generous, forgive; Woman Folly says nobody will know, you deserve this, just this once, look after yourself first. Both voices speak to us every day, and we choose which table to sit at.
Dock Discussion Questions
Ask yourself; "What is feeding my soul? What am I consuming?" Is it social media, news, entertainment, podcasts, political outrage, scripture, prayer, and Christian community, or other things. Which of these are you feeding on most right now, and how are they shaping you?
Michael described tripping in the dark crypt precisely because he thought he knew the space too well to need light. Is there an area of your life right now where overconfidence or familiarity might be leading you to walk in the dark without realising it?
The feather-balancing illustration showed how one small correction transformed Sarah's ability almost instantly. How do you typically respond when you receive correction? Does that change based on who gives it? Does it tend to provoke growth or defensiveness in you?
Michael said the choice between wisdom and folly isn't a one-off decision but a daily, even moment-by-moment one. What is one concrete choice you'll face this week where you could deliberately choose to "sit at wisdom's table" instead of folly's?
Long-form, edited transcript
Growing in Wisdom.
Two Paths, Two Invitations.
Proverbs 4:18-19; 9
Introduction: Continuing the Foundations
It's my very great pleasure to unpack the next instalment of our Proverbs series. We're building two weeks of foundational work, and after this week we're going to move into thematic examinations of how we grow in speech, in our relationships, in work, in money, in humility, and in justice. But this week we're laying a little more foundation.
The Language of Wisdom and Folly
This week we're focusing on a section of Proverbs that is rich with metaphorical language. It talks about wisdom and folly as two different women, and I want to take a couple of minutes to unpack that language, because for some of us today, this heavily gendered imagery could be a bit of a blockage. It's worth sitting with the questions it raises before we read the passage together.
We talked last week about the ancient Near Eastern background of wisdom literature, that it was something seen across the whole region, with real similarities and real differences between cultures. One strong similarity across this literature is the narrative of a father figure giving wisdom to a son figure. Some of it is literal; Egyptian wisdom literature, for example, was sometimes literally written by a wealthy patriarch handing down generational wisdom to his actual son. Some of it is more metaphorical; a metaphorical father to a metaphorical son. The omission of daughters reflects the patriarchal society we're examining; even wealthy daughters were often not educated in the ancient Near East.
But that's not new to us: certain books of the Bible are written to certain audiences at certain times, and we accept that as we interpret them. We think of Paul's letters to specific churches: Ephesians, Galatians, Corinthians, written to particular people in particular circumstances. We also know that 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings were written to the Israelites in exile, while 1 and 2 Chronicles was written for Israel after the exile. The scholar Tremper Longman says of Proverbs that we must willingly use our "readerly imagination" to place ourselves in the position of the son. I'd encourage you to do the same as we look at this today. Some of the language may sound strange to our modern ears, but we are looking at ancient literature that still speaks powerfully to us, breathed out by God and useful for building us up.
Two Paths: Light and Darkness
We're going to look at two short sections of Proverbs today. First, Proverbs 4:18–19:
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Two paths lie before us, and that's what we're looking at today: two paths and two invitations. This concept of two paths runs throughout the first nine chapters of Proverbs; a straight path and a crooked path and the metaphors of light and darkness are extremely common in ancient Near Eastern and Hebrew literature, including here in Proverbs.
God invites us onto journeys, onto paths, that's not new to us. But look at the imagery here: the path of righteousness like the morning sun, shining ever brighter until full daylight. Is anyone here a keen hiker? If you're a sensible hiker, what time do you set off? Early morning, to walk in the light of the rising sun, which gives more light and more warmth as it climbs. The path of righteousness is a path of light; a path that leads to light, but also a path that increases in light as we grow along it, just as the sun gets brighter the longer we hike.
But the way of wickedness is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. I've been at this church for nearly nine years, and before I was ordained I looked after the building. I got so familiar with every space that when I locked up at night, I wouldn't bother putting any lights on I'd just walk through in the dark. I stopped doing that the night I went down to the crypt and tripped over a table leg, landing flat on my face. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. I was fine in the dark as long as I thought I knew where everything was. But I didn't, and I fell.
I'm not going to spend ages unpacking this metaphor, but the path of wisdom, the path of light, sheds light on daily life, so we can walk confidently, knowing that as we grow, the light increases. The way of the wicked makes everyday life genuinely hazardous, because we can't even see what we might stumble over. And both the light and the darkness are growing.
This language of light is, of course, deeply familiar from the New Testament.
Jesus says in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John writes in his prologue that in Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all mankind, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Peter writes to the church that we are called out of darkness into light:
"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).
And Paul writes in Philippians that we can shine like stars in a warped and crooked generation. Two paths are available to us as we journey through Proverbs.
The Chiasm of Proverbs 9
Last week we looked at the fear of the Lord, and it's going to come up again today. Now we turn to Proverbs 9, which helps us see what these two paths actually look like in practice.
I wanted to show you this proverb in its highlighted form, because it is structured as a chiasm. A chiastic structure is a special way of arranging scripture so that it flows toward and highlights one central verse. In our modern writing we'd usually put the most important thing at the beginning or the end — but in Israelite and Hebrew scripture, and often in the Greek New Testament too, the most important theme tends to sit at the very centre, with mirrored sections leading up to and away from it. On the highlighted version you have been given, the yellow sections (vv 1-6 & 13-18) show the invitations of Wisdom and Folly, which mirror one another. The blue sections (7-9 & 11-12) show the response to correction and the fruit that follows for each. And the green section in the middle, verse 10, is the crux: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Here is the full passage:
Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, "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. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight." Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way, "Let all who are simple come to my house!" To those who have no sense she says, "Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!" But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead. (Proverbs 9:1–18)
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Wisdom's Feast and Folly's Theft
I could spend many weeks on the symbolism here, but I'll pull out only what's of real value to us now. Let's start by comparing the invitations, the yellow sections. "Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars." Wisdom has prepared a place for you. Compare that with verse 14: "Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house." No speech, no sign of preparation from Folly, but Wisdom has clearly prepared.
Many of you will know that seven is the number of perfection, the seven days of creation, which God called good. There's been centuries of debate about the significance of seven here, but at minimum we know a house with seven pillars is large and spacious. There is room for everyone in the place of wisdom. There is preparation. In the place of folly, there is none.
Verse two: "She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table." It's easy to forget, in an age where meat is on every menu, that at the time of writing meat was a luxury, a rarity. Wisdom has prepared a nutritious, luxurious feast. Wine mixed either with water for drinking, or with spices to make it even more delicious. A sumptuous feast; something that truly sustains. Folly, by contrast, offers stolen water, which is sweet, and food eaten in secret. Some translations render that word as "bread" rather than "food," stolen bread and water, eaten in secret, set against a feast lovingly prepared for nourishment.
There are similarities too. Verse three: Wisdom "has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city." In verse 14, Folly also takes a seat at the highest point of the city. We see this in our own lives, don't we: both wisdom and folly call to us from elevated places, loudly, from the rooftops. In every channel through which we receive information, there is a constant barrage of voices telling us to follow them. But notice again the difference in preparation: Wisdom sends out servants in advance; Folly simply sits on the doorstep, shouting at whoever happens to pass.
What do we take from these similarities and differences? This whole chapter is built around two meals. Wisdom says, "Come and eat." Folly says, "Come and eat." What is feeding our souls? What are we actually consuming?
Jesus answers a similar question in Matthew 4:4: "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." That powerful verse carries an interesting implication; that the other things we take into ourselves do feed us, in some way. And we see that clearly here in this proverb. We do feed on folly. We do feed on foolishness. We do feed on things that do not bring life, but bring death.
What is feeding my soul? What am I consuming? My social media, my news, my entertainment, my podcasts, my political outrage, or scripture, my prayer, my Christian community? What is feeding me? We are all eating somewhere. We are all growing in some way. Will we choose the nutritious, considered, prepared, costly food of wisdom; the meat and the spiced wine? Or will we choose the stolen bread and water that's enticing, but ultimately empty?
Correction: A Litmus Test for Wisdom or Folly
There's more in the yellow section I'd love to unpack, but we need to move on. Verse seven:
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse... Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning."
Here the writer compares the mocker and the wise person by how each responds to correction. This might be my own personal takeaway from studying this passage over the last few weeks: how we respond to correction is a crucial litmus test for whether we're living in wisdom or in folly.
Some of you will know I trained as a professional circus acrobat. One of the things we did when coaching acrobats learning to walk the tightwire was to practise balancing a feather, it preps the brain and helps you understand balance. I invited a volunteer, Sarah, up to try it. The illustration only really works if you're not naturally good at it, thankfully, on her first attempt, Sarah couldn't balance it at all. Then I gave her one small correction: "Look at the very top of the feather and keep the tip pointing at the ceiling." Immediately, she balanced it perfectly.
When I was an acrobat, I received hundreds of small corrections every single day, chest up, shoulders down, core in, legs straight, point your toes. Small corrections, like the one Sarah received, made the difference between not being able to balance something and being able to balance it really well.
How do we respond to correction? Not a theoretical correction, but an actual one from a spouse, from children, from colleagues, from a boss, from a Dock leader, from a pastor? When we respond wisely, we grow through correction. The fool is offended by it and responds with hatred. The wise person doesn't necessarily love the process of being corrected, but they love the result it produces; the wisdom and growth, the ability to balance, that comes from it. We can, of course, also be wise in how we correct others, but that's a topic for when we look at growth in speech in a few weeks.
The Crux: The Fear of the Lord
That brings us to the centre of this chiasm verse 10:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Last week we unpacked the fear of the Lord. We talked about Bruce Waltke's image; that you can't understand a butterfly by analysing "butter" and "fly" separately, because the fear of the Lord is inextricably bound together. It's about a relationship with God, not an abstract fear. It's about a right relationship, submission, and trust.
It matters that this theme reappears here, because over these two weeks we are building a foundation, a lens through which to examine all biblical wisdom. The fear of the Lord is key to the whole book; it's the lens through which we look at everything else. And this verse actually deepens that butterfly picture, because it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Knowledge of the Holy One is our relationship with God and that relationship leads to understanding. This is so important that we carry it forward into everything we examine, remembering it's about a right relationship with God. Last week we saw how that relationship was exemplified perfectly by Jesus, and that we access it through him.
The Fruit of Each Path
Briefly, the blue section: verses 11 and 12 say:
"For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."
This is another key part of the invitation: there is fruit here, there is life here. Compare verse six, "Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight," with verse 11: long life, wisdom, insight, light.
And then the impact of folly, in verse 12 and verse 18: "If you are a mocker, you alone will suffer... little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead." Wisdom leads to life. Folly leads to death. But you have to make the decision. Most scholars don't think verse 12 is saying that foolishness only impacts the individual — we know that not to be true. What it's saying is that you are the one who has to walk the path. You are the one who decides which table to sit down at. It's up to you how you respond.
Application: A Daily, Not a One-Off, Decision
I need to address the obvious thing in the room. You're here, praising God, choosing to be in church on a Sunday. Praise God! That's indication enough to me that you've already made a decision about which path to follow. Maybe some of you are still thinking it over. But many of you are sitting there thinking, "Yes, Michael, interesting exegesis, nice colours on the handout, but I'm here. I've chosen this path." That's amazing. So have I. Praise God.
But the crux is that every single day, in every single moment, we make the decision we see in verse 12. It's not a once-and-for-all response to a call, though we believe positionally we are forever changed in Christ Jesus. In the day-to-day, this is what Proverbs is unpacking. Remember last week: ancient Near Eastern wisdom is a profoundly practical body of work, telling people how to navigate the daily ins and outs of life: decisions, questions, conversations, relationships.
So I praise God for those of you here, watching online, or away on holiday, I know which path you're walking. But it's in the day-to-day. It's tomorrow morning. Woman Wisdom says: tell the truth, keep your word, be generous, be faithful, forgive one another. Woman Folly says: nobody will know, you deserve this, just this once, look after yourself first, take the shortcut. Every day, both voices are speaking to us. Which table are we going to sit down at? Which path are we going to walk? That's our decision.
Closing Prayer
Father,
We thank you for the invitation. We thank you for the nutrition, for the preparation, for the value, for the life and the light that comes from the meal that you offer.
We thank you for the ways your scripture helps us understand that what the world offers, the foolishness, the meal that does not satisfy us.
Lord, this week, as we look to walk to path that you lay before us, walk with us by Your Spirit, that we may respond moment by moment to the invitation of wisdom and to walk in light, bringing light to others.
In Jesus name
Amen