Proverbs 9:3-5, Come! Come! Come and Welcome!

April 8, Proverbs 9:3-5

Matt. 22:1-10 “Lazarus, come forth! And he that was dead came forth” (Jn. 11:43-44).

Come! Come! Come and Welcome!

They would not come, but they made light of it, and went their ways. Here, Wisdom expresses a most gracious compassion for man, caring for him, loving him, spreading abroad the blessings of peace, of purity, and the promise of Eternal Life. Is not this an accurate description of the ministry of the Word Incarnate?

1. The Heralders: Wisdom employs her maidens to carry this Warrant (v.3). They correspond to the servants sent forth by the King in the parable Jesus told. Because Wisdom is the figure of a Queen, her messengers are called maidens. Obviously these represent the ambassadors Christ commissioned. They had no prestige or worldly power. All the strength that they had was through the Spirit’s empowering them and the joyous Good News that they had to tell. We need to remember, especially in our day, that to be a Heralder of the Gospel is a Calling not a Career! “I cannot recall, in any of my reading, a single instance of a prophet who applied for the job” (Tozer). Gentleness and grace were their only qualifications to bring this Warrant to a lost and dying world.

2. The Heralded: The Heralders were nobodies, so also were the heralded (v.4). It was not to the rulers, or to the rich and powerful that they were sent. The message was and is for the simple, those open to instruction because conscious of their simplicity or ignorance. Also, him that wants heart let him come now and get a heart of understanding. Such will confess themselves to be empty vessels, and ever ready to learn from Wisdom’s store because it is food for mind and heart. Those who were too busy with marketing, managing, and marrying, sent their pitiable excuses. Therefore, from the hedges and lanes the guests must be gathered. What a picture of the ruined, the guilty, and the helpless condition of man! The gospel is preached to the ignorant, the guilty, the wretched, and they receive it gladly. These were the Heralded, not for their wealth or worthiness, but because of their poverty and helplessness. He must have all the glory that calls us to this feast.

3. The Herald: Turn in hither (v.4) is the earnest and urgent appeal! It is a whoso banquet spread for all who come (v.5). Plato had inscribed over the door of his Academy: “Let none but geometricians enter here.” On the portals over Christ’s School is written: Whoso is simple let him turn in hither. Come, eat and drink. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good, and let him that heareth, come! When Bunyan’s Pilgrim came to the Wicket-Gate, he found written over it. “Knock and it shall be opened unto you. He knocked, therefore, more than once or twice, saying:

May I now enter here? Will He within open to sorry me,
Though I have been an undeserving rebel?
Then shall I not fail to sing His lasting praise on high.”

Thought: “Come to the Saviour now; He gently calleth thee”. 

Prayer: Lord, speak with the voice that wakes the dead and make the sinner hear!