Christ With Coffee On Ice - every choice is taking you somewhere

Episode Date: September 23, 2026

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Wednesday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost reads in Proverbs chapters 8 and 9. We talk about the contrast between wisdom and foolishness and how choosing wisdom is far more valuable than riches and it leads to life. So let's read the Word of God together and let us know if you'd like to continue reading Proverbs in our next episode :) "Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold." Proverbs 8:10 _____________________________________________ ☆ PRE-ORDER 'LOVE THAT LASTS' HERE: https://allyyost.com/en-usd/pages/book ☆ OUR NEW MERCH IS LIVE! SHOP AT: https://allyyost.com ☆ MY BIBLE (code 'ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-belfast-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/cwcoi-glass-tumbler-white _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice  _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost  Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with coffee on ice. I am your host, Aliost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys. Hey guys. Hey everybody. Hi all my friends. Hi friends. What's everybody doing? How is your week so far? This really is one of the moments where I wish I could, I wish I could audibly hear you guys on the other end. But I hope that you guys are doing well. I hope that your week has been amazing so far To be honest, I am so excited to be here with you guys today, genuinely. I can't say it enough. I'm sorry if it gets repetitive, but I genuinely love my job so much.

I love you guys and I love being able to sit with y'all. You are actually genuinely like, hear my heart, my favorite part of the week. like doing this and being with you guys is my favorite part of the week and well i should say parts of the week now that we do meet twice a week which is so fun but yeah and it's so funny because this podcast became something that i could have never imagined i never even imagined myself having a podcast to begin with and so it's just so cool that something so unexpected in my life happened and then it became something I could have never expected. And because of that, it's actually ended up being my favorite thing in the world. Like, I don't, it's, it's so funny. In a lot of ways,

I feel like I stumbled my way here and we're here. And we have this really cute routine of hanging out every week and we get to talk about Jesus. And I genuinely love the community that we have here. I love the comment section. I love seeing you guys in life listening to the podcast like it's just the coolest thing ever this community is so special to me and i can't even take the credit of that you know like i think obviously it's what god is doing in my life and all of your lives that he's brought us all together for such a time as this and all of it is him but also it's like it's you guys for just being the best people ever like i'm just like, I'm just here grateful for the people you are. And I'm so proud of you guys. Like, what in the world?

How did I get so blessed with the most amazing, genuine, kind, just amazing people. I don't know how other other way to describe. I don't know in what other, there's bigger words, I'm sure. But that's all I can really come up with right now. You guys are just the best people ever. And I'm so lucky to know you at least virtually. I know that we don't really know each other super personally. All of it is very virtual. But yeah, just really grateful for you guys. So anyway, I'm filled with gratitude today. And I'm really excited for what God has in store for this episode. And here's the thing. The last episode that we did, we were reading in the book of Proverbs. And we were reading Proverbs chapter 1 through chapter 7 and we kind of did it where I had read all seven of the chapters

to you guys and then we did a recap of all of that in bulk at the end and it's not that I don't like that style but I almost wish that we took more pauses like I actually wish that we had done it by chapter by chapter and kind of like chewed it a little bit slower instead of it being like this massive download at the end. Obviously, I think that something like that does leave space for you guys to kind of interpret your own in each chapter and like, you know, have the Lord kind of speaking to you on your own as we're reading through it. And then at the end, you know, as I'm sharing things, I think that's a cool time to see if there's anything that was already speaking to you that's very parallel to the recap. So I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I would just like

to try something different today because I do want to continue to read in the Proverbs. Okay. that is totally what we're doing today because I thought it was so fruitful last time. I was obsessed with it. I was learning so much. And I'm in the mood to get smarter today. Like, I don't know about anybody else, but I woke up today feeling like, yeah, I want to be smarter. I want to learn something from God today. You know, it's so exciting.

It's such a privilege. And like, every day that we wake up, there really is an opportunity to learn more from God. And not in a performative way, not in a way where it's like, okay, God, what can I do for you? but it's like, I think every day is such an opportunity for fresh curiosity with Jesus. And so that's what I have today. I am so curious about what else Jesus could show us today and reveal to us and teach us. And so I'm very excited to learn. I'm ready to be a student.

Okay? I'm ready to get smarter today. I'm ready to absorb more of his wisdom. And so I would love to continue to read Proverbs with you guys if you don't mind. If you're also in the mood to be a student, let's do it. Do it. Together. Let's learn from our teacher with a capital T. Okay? But yeah, I think what I want to do is just do a little recap after each chapter and see how that flows. Does that sound good for everybody? Okay, great. Before we get into it, we do have our Christ. Of course. Of course we do.

What do you mean? Not only is he dwelling with us. He's in this space with us right now. Thank you, Jesus. He's in your space wherever you are right now. He's dwelling inside of us. what? What an honor. Doesn't make sense. A perfect God wanting to dwell and make a home in each and every one of our imperfect hearts. Okay. That's insane. But he is. He's dwelling inside of us. He's dwelling inside of you and me. And he's in every single one of these pages of this really fun, loaded, amazing book called the Bible. The Holy Bible. The air we breathe. This is oxygen. Okay, so we do have our Christ. Biggest introduction of Jesus ever.

Geez, Allie. First John did it so much simpler. It says, In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Done. Short and sweet, Al.

Learn from First John. Okay. But I have my Bible here. It is my favorite Bible right now. It has been for a while. I've been talking about it for months. I love this butter yellow. It's just so stinking cute.

Okay? From Hosanna Revival, they make the most beautiful, gorgeous. Oh my, if you don't have a Bible yet, please do your mind, body, and soul a favor. The biggest favor you could ever give your mind, body, and soul is get yourself a Bible. Because these words are going to not only renew your mind and complete. transform your brain. It will transform your heart and it will transform your life. And before you know, you're going to turn around and you're going to be like, oh my gosh, I think different. Oh my gosh, I'm starting to see life differently. Like things are actually

making sense. Like this is true wisdom, y'all. True wisdom starts with fear of the Lord, aka trusting that what the Lord says is true. And so get a Bible. Oh my gosh. If you don't have a Bible, please get a Bible. Hossana Revival. I have a code with them too. So if you ever want to shop them, you can use my code. It's just my first and last name, Allie Yost. And I'm going to be reading to you guys.

Of course, I'm going to be reading the book of Proverbs. And we're going to be starting in chapter 8. And I am reading the NLT translation, which stands for the new living translation. It's honestly like the most, in my opinion, besides it's NIV, the new international version, I think those two translations have been my favorite and

the easiest to understand. As of, I don't know why I feel led to share all of this. Maybe there's just new people tuning in today. But when I first started my journey, I was reading NIV. That's what the internet told me. It was like the most like beginner friendly translation. But I really think that NLT is good as well. So that's what I'm reading. Okay, we have our crisis. And of course, of course, we have our Christ with coffee on ice, glass tumblers. We have our coffee on ice, okay? And I'm going to drink it this time. Ready?

Watch me go. Okay. Oh, it's good coffee. I say that because I gave you guys a disclaimer in the last episode, I think, where I was like, I haven't been drinking my coffees because I've been filming too late at night and I can't be wired. I'll never go to bed. Well, okay, I can't say I'm actually filming that earlier in the day right now. whatever. This coffee's too good to not drink it. Okay. There we go. And also, this is my book,

by the way. I haven't talked about this in a few episodes. Well, because one, I'm trying not to overwhelm you guys. Okay. I don't want to become obnoxious about it. It's just like the biggest thing I've ever done with my life, but it's fine other than give my life to Jesus. But, you know, that obviously led to this. So, but biggest thing I've ever done is write a book. What the heck is even going on? How did that happen? IDK. IDK, my BFF Jill. I don't actually know how it happened, but I'm so proud of it, and it's the coolest thing I've ever done, and it's the coolest thing Jesus has ever done through me, and it was such a fun thing to write with the Holy Spirit,

and I learned so much even as I was writing it, and it's the best thing. It's the best thing. I'm not saying it's the best book in the world. There's a lot of really awesome books, but it is, it blessed me so much, and I really believe it's going to bless so many people. Just because of the love of Jesus, that's it. because of the love that Jesus has showed me in my life and now I get to like extend that to other people and so it's just him but anyway this is my book called love that lasts and it is officially it has been available for pre-order so you can order it on

Amazon Target Barnes & Noble Walmart so many things you can pre-order it on my website which is just my first and last name and but it's going to be available in stores November 3rd So wherever you can buy books, it's going to be in Barnes & Noble, Target, it's going to be in stores, select store. It's not going to be in every Barnes & Noble ever. So, I don't know. I'll have to ask my team if there's a way to figure out which locations. But anyway, I'm nervous, but I'm so excited and I'm really proud of it. And so that's my book.

Okay, and she lives here. She sits with us now. She's a guest every single week. It's my child. Okay. Guys, I'm so excited. Are you ready to read the Proverbs now? Cool.

Me too. Oh my gosh, guys, can I just tell you I had the best day ever? Well, I had therapy today, and that was really fun. And so today was a good day because I only cried twice. I know, that sounds like a lot, but sometimes I cry like five times. Oh my gosh. And like, I just think surviving the ludial phase is like genuinely an uphill battle. Okay. Being in your ludial phase and going to therapy? Yeah, that equation is tough. Where are we? Okay. I was giving Gracie some hugs and kisses before I came up here to record with you guys. And now I feel like I have her hair tickling my nose. I can't eat, e, eat. All right, here we are. We're in the Proverbs. Yes, Lord, we want to learn.

Okay. Oh, no, I did cry more than twice today. I cried at the coffee shop this morning. So I went to the coffee shop this morning. I was trying out a new local coffee shop. And I got this pumpkin pie latte at first, and I really thought I was going to love it. and then I wasn't obsessed with it. So I went back to my OG, which is just an ice vanilla latte with almond milk.

So I got my vanilla latte and I'm sitting at this coffee shop because I just wanted to switch it up a little bit with my quiet time. Usually I just sit at my kitchen table or I'm on my bed or I'm in my closet. So anytime I'm spending time with Jesus, it's like in my home, which is great. But I just felt like spending my quiet time like out in fresh air somewhere with him and like put my headphones in. and read my Bible and drink a coffee or something. And so I loved the idea of like spending time with Jesus at a coffee shop. So I go to this coffee shop. You can sit outside.

I sit at a table. And I open up Proverbs. And I started reading in Chapter 8 because I wanted to pick up where we left off because I was eating it up. I was like, Proverbs rocks. And I forgot how much it rocked. And I was crying. It's so beautiful. God is so beautiful.

So I did cry more than twice today. I cried at the coffee shop reading this. but I'm excited to read it again with you guys. I think it's going to bless you a lot. All right. You ready? We're almost 20 minutes in and I've been blabbing this whole time. All right.

So we are starting at the top of Proverbs chapter 8 verse 1. Listen as wisdom calls out. Here as understanding raises her voice. On the hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads. By the gates at the entrance to the town, on the road leading in, she cries aloud,

to you, to all of you. I raise my voice to all people. You simple people, use good judgment, you foolish people, show some understanding. Listen to me, for I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold, for wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it. I, wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment. All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,

corruption and perverse speech, common sense and success belongs to me. Insight and strength are mine. Because of me, kings reign, and rulers make just decrees. Rulers lead with my help, and nobles make righteous judgment. I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice. My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold. My wages are better than sterling silver. I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice. Those who love me inherit wealth.

I will fill their treasuries. The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. I was appointed in ages past. At the very first, before the earth began, I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters, before the mountains were formed, before the hills, I was born, before he made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.

I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans. I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth. I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth's foundations, I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence, and how happy I was with the world he created, and how I rejoiced with the human family. And so my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don't ignore it. Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home. For whoever finds me

finds life and receives favor from the Lord, but those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death. Okay, so that was the end of chapter eight. Now let's do a little recap. I think I just want to get some extra commentary on each chapter as we go along. And so obviously in Proverbs 8, it is completely talking about wisdom personified as a woman, right? So Proverbs 8 is one of the clearest places in Proverbs where wisdom is personified, spoken as though she were a woman standing in public calling people to listen to her, right?

That was the beginning of chapter 8 was she was calling out to people. She was raising her voice. She was standing on a hilltop along the road. And she's calling out to people saying, I call to you, all of you, I raise my voice to all people, you simple people use good judgment, right? So she's calling out to the world, essentially, being like, listen to me, I am wisdom. This chapter is essentially saying that God's wisdom is not hidden, right? I mean, even as we're reading those first few verses in this chapter, she's standing on a hilltop, she's obvious, she's out in the open, she's in the public.

So that in itself, I think, is representing that God's wisdom is completely accessible to us. Here it is. You know, but God is not hiding his wisdom and his wisdom is actually always calling out to us. It's more valuable than anything that we could acquire. It leads us into a life that is good and righteous and it has been woven into God's created order from the very beginning. So what this chapter is saying is listen to wisdom rather than trying to navigate life on your own. This is like actually a lot of the whole point of living, right? It's like we aren't actually supposed to do it alone. We don't have to. I think in our human nature, it's kind of our instinct to want to do everything on our own. That could be out of self-righteousness, pride, ego,

you know, all the same reasons that we probably also sin, you know, or just we just want to do things. our own way. Or maybe we don't know. There also is, I think, a part of it too, where there could just be a lack of wisdom of like, oh, I don't have to do life alone. Like, oh, there is someone bigger than me that has created me for a bigger purpose of just not just living for myself and figuring everything else on my own, but there's an invitation to know that person and be in relationship with them. And I don't have to feel like an orphan, you know, who like has to figure it all out on their own. This is how we were. always supposed to live our lives. So if we ask who is talking in Proverbs 8, I think it is clear

that the speaker is wisdom herself. And verses 1 through 11, like I said, this is obviously wisdom calling out to all the people publicly, right? All of us. And one of the first things that stands out is where wisdom speaks. She is at the crossroads beside the game. And at the entrance to the city. In other words, wisdom isn't hiding somewhere inaccessible. And then comes a major theme also, which is take my instruction instead of silver and knowledge rather than choice gold for wisdom is better than jewels, right? And so Proverbs is obviously trying to completely rearrange our value system because a lot of

times we just naturally think if I had more money, if I had more opportunity, more influence, more success, more security, right? We naturally just go to these other things and say, okay, but if I just had more of this, but what Proverbs is doing right now is actually flipping all of that upside down. Proverbs says there is something even more valuable than all of those things and that is the ability to know what is true and then live accordingly, aka the wisdom that only comes from God. So you can possess tremendous resources, right? We see that time and time again. History has repeated itself a million times that people can have all the things in the world. And you can even have tremendous resources and still destroy your life through foolishness.

But wisdom actually helps you know what to do with everything else you've been given. Because I wouldn't even say it's necessarily an issue to possess and have tremendous resources, right? let's say that you do have really great opportunities and success and, you know, you have security in ways in your life. So it's not that those things are bad, but also I think wisdom from the Lord absolutely helps you know what to do with everything that you've been given, you know, how to steward our lives well. Even if you've been given the gift of a community and friends and relationships in your life, it's like wisdom from the Lord is the true place of wisdom. of how to navigate those relationships in a healthy manner and how to love people well and to show up better.

And it's the wisdom of the Lord is just life. So it doesn't even have to just be about things, you know, and success in that sense. It could even be gifts of relationships. And it's like if we aren't accessing the wisdom of God, we're probably not showing up the best that we can. And why wouldn't we want to do that, you know? And then moving on to verses 12 through 21, what does wisdom actually produce? I think is being revealed in these verses. So verse 12 says, I wisdom live together with good judgment.

And then in verse 13, it says, all who fear the Lord will hate evil. And this is important because biblical wisdom isn't merely intelligence. Okay. So someone can be incredibly intelligent and still be profound. foolish in the biblical sense. Biblical wisdom involves seeing reality from God's perspective and ordering your life accordingly. That's why wisdom is associated here with prudence, knowledge, discretion, righteousness, justice, counsel, sound judgment, and wisdom opposes pride, arrogance, evil, and corrupt speech. So becoming wiser isn't simply becoming better at making decisions.

That's not all it's about. It's becoming a person whose character increasingly agrees with God. That is so, so good. And that is actually all I want to become as a person. if becoming wiser means that I am becoming a person who their character actually increasingly agrees with God more and more where I'm like, yep, God, you knew what you were doing with that. I agree, I agree. And I become quicker to choosing the wisdom of God. Oh my gosh, I think I've won at life. Like that is, that is the win, you know. Okay, so now moving on to verses 17 through 18. Um, these verses contain a really beautiful promise. And I actually brought my other, my Navy Blue Bible. I have a different Bible. That's literally identical to this. But that was the one that I brought to the coffee shop. And I remember I highlighted that and I wrote a little heart to it and next to it. And I wrote, this is a promise. And I love when I catch God's promises, like his vows to us as a faithful father. And it just makes me so weepy. What, he says here as he says, I love all who love me, those who search will surely find me. And so

what wisdom is saying here, aka also God, because wisdom only comes from God. So I think this is also such a clear reflection of the Lord's heart. And this is his promise to us, especially when it comes to seeking out his wisdom. But wisdom is saying here, I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently find me and there is an intentionality here wisdom usually doesn't just happen to us you seek it right you ask god you study scripture but there's you know i think we've talked about this in the last episode maybe is that there is a pursuit of course anything that we want to learn from god it's never just going to be like jesus you know i i did say this last episode i think he just waves a magic wand and then all of a sudden we're just downloaded with all this wisdom it's like the holy

Spirit can absolutely give us downloads, but like there has to also be a pursuit on our end. And so the promise God is making here is, listen, if you love wisdom, wisdom's going to love you right back. Don't you worry. Like you, as long as you seek me, you will find me. As long as you seek my wisdom, you will find it. And it actually is that simple. God is making a very simple promise to us that if we seek it, if we ask God, if we study the scripture, right? If we accept correction from him, if we listen before immediately reacting, if we learn from our consequences, if we surround ourselves with wise counsel and we become teachable, that is actually one of the most reoccurring messages throughout Proverbs, is that wise people aren't people who already know everything. They're

people who are willing to learn. And I think I've even seen a quote circulating on the internet. This isn't even like technically a Christian quote, but it's like somebody who thinks that they already know everything knows nothing at all. And it's true. Like the wisest people are actually the people who stay curious and recognize that they don't know everything and that they are people who are willing to learn always. And so that is also my deepest prayer, not only for myself, but for all of us for you guys too like i pray that we always stay at a heart posture and i think that that takes humility you know like always being grounded and rooted in the fact that there will always be something to learn from god and i pray that we are always teachable vessels you know that we never get to that place of like

oh i made it and i know everything like i pray that as a body we continue to have the humility and the willingness to just be like god what else do you want to teach me right now because that actually is wisdom. Believe it or not. That's not you saying that you're not smart. I think the only thing that it speaks to is wisdom because that takes a wise person to recognize, hey, I don't know everything, God. What else do you want to teach me? And then moving on to verses 22 through 31, this is where Proverbs 8 gets really interesting, in my opinion, because wisdom suddenly starts talking about creation, right? Remember that part where she was going into, you know, all the details of when the Lord formed her? And at the top of it, it says, the Lord formed me from the beginning before he

created anything else. Wisdom already existed. And so she describes herself as being there before the mountains, before the fields, before the earth had ever been formed. And I think that this part is actually enormous because wisdom isn't something humans invented, obviously. I think that what's being shown to us here is that wisdom existed with God before human civilization existed, before the earth literally existed. God created the universe wisely. It's actually in wisdom that God created everything, which means wisdom had to have come before anything was created. There is an order, design, and strong structure and intentionality to God's creation, right? And it all started with wisdom. So when Proverbs tells you to live accordingly to wisdom, it isn't merely saying, here are some

helpful life hacks. It's essentially saying live according to the grain of the universe God created. Foolishness fights against God's created order. Wisdom learns to live within it. That explains why Proverbs so often connects actions with consequences. Wisdom says, in effect, this is how God designed life to work. Isn't that so interesting? And so I think one question we could ask, okay, as we're like reflecting now and we're like, wow, our brains are all being absolutely blown into a million bets. Because God's wisdom is so stinking cool. But like one question we could ask is like, okay, well, is wisdom in Proverbs 8 Jesus?

And this is where some theological nuance matters. So Christians have historically noticed striking connections between Proverbs 8 and the New Testament descriptions of Jesus. John says in the book of John, obviously, in the beginning was the word. We just quoted that at the beginning of this episode. That's so fun. And Colossians describes Christ as one through whom all things were created. Paul even calls Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. That's 1 Corinthians 1.24.

So Christians have understandably read Proverbs 8 and seen Christological echoes. However, in the immediate literary context, Proverbs 8 is talking about personified wisdom, not straightforwardly introducing Jesus as the speaker. So I think that a safer way of putting all of this is Proverbs 8 presents God's eternal wisdom poetically. And the New Testament ultimately reveals the fullest embodiment of God's wisdom in Christ himself. But I mean, honestly, yeah, if we're really going to talk about how wisdom is introduced in chapter 8, it is very similar to how Jesus is described. I think that's a really fun observation to make. And then when we move on to verses 32 through 36, this is where after everything wisdom has said now, right, she basically turns toward the reader and says, so what are you going to do?

Joyful are those who listen to me watching for me daily at my gates. That was in verse 34. And I love the word daily here. Wisdom isn't something you consult once when your life falls apart. it's something you wait for listen for and pursue every day which is going to take discipline right which i do and self-control and consistency which i do believe are all fruits of the spirit and it's a muscle that we have to this is this is another part of our spiritual discipline that we will learn how to do more and more hopefully every day in our walks with the lord and as Christians

but this is a daily pursuit. And this chapter ends incredibly strongly by saying, whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord, but those who miss me injure themselves, all who hate me love death. And so ultimately what chapter 8 is concluding on is that wisdom is life and foolishness is destruction. Right?

Anybody who chooses to hate wisdom, aka they don't choose the wisdom of the Lord, they don't want to obey what God says, they don't want to listen to what he has to say. That's where free will comes into play, right? That's where we genuinely have the choice to either live by our own ways, live into our own understanding or the understanding of the world, and let all of these other voices fill our minds and give us lowercase wisdom, lowercase W, or we could choose the uppercase W, that comes from our, our uppercase G. God. Sorry if that was really cheesy. No, but it's true. It's like that's our, those are our options though, right? Is we can choose true wisdom, but it's pretty black and white. God says, you choose my wisdom, it'll lead to life. But if you choose any other wisdom, you choose foolishness, you choose to hate my wisdom, it's going to lead to destruction.

And I also think that this is worth disclaiming as well. It's just because we choose wisdom of the Lord doesn't mean that every wise decision made in wisdom from God immediately produces an easy life. That like that's not what the Proverbs is promising here. And that's not that's not something God has actually ever promised us ever. If anything, he speaks to the fact that there will be suffering. And I think a huge part of God's heart for us is teaching us how to suffer wisely. And so there is suffering. and sometimes even choosing wisdom is painful.

And so nothing in this is actually saying that choosing God's wisdom is going to produce an easy life. But what Proverbs is specifically describing is just the trajectory of these two paths, right? It's like ultimately at the end of it all, wisdom does lead to life. It's not an easy path. It's not going to be a super smooth path. but it is a path that leads to life. It leads to Jesus. It leads to his truth. It leads to his freedom, his peace. It leads to eternity with him. But the path of foolishness probably also has its bumps. But ultimately at the end of that road is destruction. And so it's also about like where those paths ultimately end. All right, everybody, let's keep freaking going. Chapter 9. Verse 1. Wisdom. has built her house. She has carved its seven columns. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.

She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. Come in with me. She urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, come eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways behind and begin to live. Learn to use good judgment. Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother correcting mockers. They will only hate you. But correct the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. There it is. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.

If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn't know it. She sits on her doorway, on the heights overlooking the city. She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. Come in with me, she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says,

stolen water is refreshing. Food eaten in secret tastes the best. But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave. All right, that chapter was much shorter, obviously, but I do think that there's still some things worth mentioning and recapping right now, at least briefly. So at the beginning of this chapter, right, verses one through six, wisdom is clearly preparing a table, which is really sweet. Wisdom has been. built her house, she has her seven pillars, wisdom prepares a feast, she mixes her wine, she gets her table all set up for everybody, and then sends out invitations. And who does she invite? It says on verse four that she urges the simple to those who lack good judgment. And I think at first when we hear the simple, like the simple-minded people, we could interpret that as a person who is stupid or maybe even evil but I don't think the simple person is necessarily dumb or evil um the Hebrew idea is actually closer to someone who is naive inexperienced impressionable or easily led so that's the person that wisdom is talking to right now and inviting into her home and

And that person who is extremely impressionable, naive, inexperienced, right, is standing at a crossroad. And they haven't necessarily chosen wisdom or foolishness yet. But they have a choice. They're standing at this cross road. Okay. And so wisdom is talking to this person who's standing at the crossroad. They could either choose wisdom or foolishness. And she is saying, leave your simple ways behind and begin to live.

Learn to use good judgment. And so something to notice here is that wisdom requires you to leave something behind, right? And so what wisdom is saying to us, essentially, I think in a lot of ways that's us. We have options to choose wisdom or foolishness every day. There are probably multiple crossroads that we face a day. And so it's worth noticing that that's actually what wisdom asks of us, though. is like if we're going to choose wisdom it does mean that we have to leave something behind whether that's a thought pattern in in this verse it's described as leaving your simple ways behind so whatever

ways that you were living before outside of wisdom if we want to gain true wisdom from the lord there are things that we have to let go of put down and leave behind and so god's wisdom isn't merely information that you add onto whatever life you're already living, let that sink in. Sometimes wisdom, I actually think every time, wisdom actually says you can't keep living this way. You can't keep thinking this way. You can't keep following that desire. Turn around. Come this way instead.

That's what wisdom says to us. That's what wisdom encourages us to do. Wisdom from God. That's the Holy Spirit, y'all. Okay, that's conviction from the Holy Spirit. And I think that even in the act of repentance, that's what we choose wisdom. We decide to turn, to think differently, to live differently, to no longer follow that desire. Right.

And so there's actually also repentance that's embedded in the invitation, that we have to choose. There's a crossroad, there's a choice, and the result to that is actually life. Choosing wisdom leads to life. And so it could feel like loss. It could feel like grief. It could feel like, you know, you've now lost control for the things that you are now setting down, the simple ways of which you've been living your life. It can feel like that at first when you let go of those things or put them down or leave them behind. It can feel scary. It can feel vulnerable. It can feel like you're now out of control. But it's in that surrender. It's in that repentance. It's in that turning away. Yes, it's going to be uncomfortable, but it ultimately leads to life. So much life.

Wisdom of the Lord leads to life. And then verses 7 through 9. And it's funny because as we started to read these verses, it seemingly changes the subject. I think that's what it kind of seems like is happening, but it actually hasn't. It says, don't bother correcting mockers. They will only hate you, but correct the wise and they will love you. This has to be one of the most upside down verses in the Bible that's just like, what do you mean? How does that even make sense? And this actually is like one of my favorite ideas in the entirety of the Proverbs, in my opinion, because Proverbs gives us an unexpected diagnostic for wisdom, and that is, how do you respond when someone tells you're wrong? Because a foolish person hears correction and thinks, how dare you?

A wise person can eventually say, is there something here that I need to learn? Again, humility, right? And then verse 9 says, instruct the wise and they will be even wiser. And I just think that's so fascinating. Like that alone just seems so funny because you may expect, you know, give instruction to a foolish person so that they can become wise. Like, duh, right? That's what my brain wants to do.

But Proverbs says the wise person keeps becoming wiser because they remain teachable, which we already kind of talked about. Like that's my deepest prayer for me and for all of you guys. But that actually is a wise person. Is somebody who remains teachable and like a sponge. And recognizes like, sure, yeah, I have wisdom. I've learned things, but there's still more wisdom to learn from God. So wisdom isn't arriving at a point where you no longer need instruction.

One of the clearest signs of wisdom is recognizing how much you still have to learn. That's actually really sweet. I love that so much. And then we move into verse 10. And this is the thesis statement, I think, of the entire chapter. And this is our famous verse that says, Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

This means that living with a profound awareness of who God is, that means you are aware of his. holiness, his authority and his power, his goodness, his sovereignty, and therefore recognizing God is God and I am not. That is fear of the Lord, is recognizing who he is and who you are. And that actually, when you come to that realization, that is the beginning of wisdom because wisdom starts when we stop assuming that our own perspective is the ultimate authority. We're just humbled, right? We're made aware of our place and God's place.

And so instead of saying something or thinking something like what feels right to me, a wise person begins asking what is right according to God? What does God say? That's a massive shift. That is what fear of the Lord looks like. and that is ultimately where wisdom begins. Wisdom can only begin if you recognize who God is wholeheartedly and who you are. And when you've come to that conclusion, you're just going to be open to whatever wisdom God has to say.

Because you recognize that his wisdom is, that's it. It's either God's wisdom or foolishness. And then even as we read verse 12, it said, if you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. it. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. And ultimately, I think what that verse is saying is like, your choice ultimately belongs to you, right? Like we, again, have the free will. We have the choice to choose God's wisdom or not. And I think what's being shown here is that, yeah, there's a personal responsibility here. It's ultimately up to us to choose. It's not something God could ever force onto us. It's actually that eventually we have to decide what we're going to do with what we've

been given. Nobody can choose wisdom for you and no one else can completely absorb the consequences of your foolishness either. I think that's the honest reality of the part of all of this that really is our responsibility is choosing it. And then right here in the last few verses of chapter nine that story of Folly. The woman named Folly is brash. So this is where the chapter actually kind of became clever, because obviously as we were reading this, there were some parallels with what wisdom was also doing, right? We obviously met Lady Wisdom at the beginning, and now we're meeting Lady Folly. And we notice what she does. She sits outside her house and calls to people. people passing by. Then she also says, whoever is simple, let him turn here. But that's literally

exactly what wisdom said. Both women are calling to the same person. And that's actually the whole point, right? Again, I mean, if we're talking about us, we are the person. Let's be honest, we are the person standing there at the crossroad. The person walking through life is constantly receiving competing invitations. Wisdom says come here and Folly says come here and both promise something desirable. But I think Follies kind of like sales pitch here is incredibly revealing because what she says is stolen water is refreshing. Stolen water is refreshing and food eaten in secret tastes the best.

it's appealing because you're not supposed to have it that's like the underlying message here it's rebellion that there's excitement in secrecy there's immediate gratification right there's something intoxicating about nobody will know just this once you deserve this it feels good what's the harm you know like those are like the feelings and the questions and the temptations like low key y'all that's our flesh that's sin that's what it sounds like and folly conveniently leaves something out though she tells you about the pleasure but she doesn't tell you about the destination where all of those things ultimately lead you then scripture actually does pull back the curtain and it says but little do they know that the dead are there her guests are in the depths of the grave i think that's obviously a very

sobering ending, right? Folly says, come enjoy yourself. God says, look where the road actually goes. I think what's worth mentioning, and I think all of us should write this down to those who are writing notes right now, write this part down. Wisdom and Folly look surprisingly similar at first. This might be the most important feature of this entire chapter, right? Both women have a house. they call publicly invite the simple so they're both reaching out and trying to talk to the same people us they both offer food and they both promise something desirable but there's one enormous difference wisdom tells you where her road leads right write that down everybody but folly aka sin aka foolishness a.k.a. the devil, aka your flesh, okay?

Everything else that goes against God's word. Hides where hers actually leads. She kind of leaves that part out. And what's interesting is that wisdom's invitation requires something from you. And that's just the truth. I think following Jesus and picking up our crosses daily and resisting our flesh, denying ourselves, and choosing Jesus every day is,

an invitation from God, but it does require something from us, right? It requires sacrifice. All of that is sacrifice. Wisdom is saying, leave your simple ways, learn, accept correction, fear God, you know? And what's so interesting is that Folly's invitation actually requires almost nothing. Like, her invitation actually says, come inside and eat the food and just like do whatever you want. And that's often how temptation works, right? It advertises that. the immediate experience while concealing the eventual cost. Because like, if we're being honest, there is a cost to following Jesus, but at least it leads to life. It's probably not always the easiest choice to choose God's wisdom.

It's probably not always the easiest choice to choose Jesus. But it ultimately in the long run leads to life. And I think that, and again, we've been talking about this on the podcast already, is that wisdom is truly recognizing. that there is more than just the moment that we are in right now. Like the instant gratification, it's like the short-sightedness that we can be so tempted to have. But wisdom recognizes that there's more after this moment and there's more after this temptation and there's more after this desire.

Like there's consequences and yeah, it's just like there's a life, there's a path and there's a future. And if we continue to choose wisdom, there will be life. at the end of this path. And this, you know, example of folly, this woman personified as basically our sin, temptation, all of that stuff. It's so short-sighted. It's like, sure, yeah, it may not feel like it's costing you anything right now.

It probably feels a lot easier to choose right now because it's like, yeah, just come on in and like do whatever you want. Freedom, fun, right? But like you realize after those moments are over, those immediate decisions, it's like it actually costs you everything in the end. And then there's no life at the end of it. There's bondage, there's oppression, there's addiction, there's cycles, there's depression, there's depression, there's, you know, just weight, heaviness. Okay? So there's like there's no life at the end of that. Maybe you're getting that instant, you know, gratification. The dopamine, you're scratching the itch, you know, you're doing the things that you want to do. But that doesn't last. You know, choosing the wisdom of God is everlasting. And so, sure, we could be like, no, it doesn't cost you.

She doesn't ask anything of you at first, but like, ultimately it costs you your life. And it doesn't lead to life. It leads to death. It leads to foolishness. And so it's like, pick your battles, you know. Would you rather make the decision that's hard right now and resist? and follow Jesus and choose him and do the hard thing right now to then lead to a life that is full. And I'm not even talking about life here just on earth.

I'm talking also about the afterlife. Like, I don't know, going to heaven and spending all of eternity with him. Like, it's, it is worth it to make the harder choices now versus making the easier ones now and then it leads to nothing. Okay, I'm repeating myself. But you get it, right? At least that's what I'm getting from it all. That's what I'm reading. Anyway, we read two chapters, but I think that's enough for us to just, like, meditate on.

Because I actually, all I want to just sit here and kind of like disassociate for a second and be like, wow. Yeah, I'm going to think about that for a long time. I loved everything that we just read. Thank you, Proverbs. Thank you, God. Hey, guys, I love you. I'm really proud of you. I hope that this episode was so fruitful for you.

Please leave comments below in whatever format, wherever you're watching. this if there's a comment section comment below i'd love to hear your thoughts i'd love to hear whatever wisdom you guys have to share that you've learned from god or if anything really struck out to you or you know was like screaming at you in this episode i would love to hear it that's like another one of my favorite parts about what we do here is i just love seeing all the recaps and i love seeing you guys interact with each other and it's the best so anyway i hope that this episode blessed you guys. I love you. Like I said in the beginning of this episode, thank you for being like one of my favorite parts of the week. You guys are the best. And before we go, actually, could we do something really

cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Can we walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like Jesus today? I think that sounds like a good plan. All right, y'all, I love you to pieces. I'll see you in just a couple days, okay? Okay, bye.