The Public Square's Only Hope Text: Proverbs 8:1-11
Introduction: Two Women, Two Cities
The book of Proverbs is not a collection of quaint, disconnected sayings for your grandmother's needlepoint. It is a book of spiritual warfare. From the very beginning, it sets before us two ways to live, two paths to walk, two masters to serve. And these two ways are embodied by two women: Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly. These are not just abstract principles; they are living, breathing invitations. Dame Folly, the adulteress, whispers her propositions in the dark alleys and shadowy corners (Proverbs 7). She promises stolen waters and secret bread. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.
But Wisdom is not like that. She does not lurk. She does not whisper. She does not hide. She makes her appeal in the most public, most visible, most trafficked places imaginable. She is not ashamed of her message, and she is not selective in her audience. She is building a city, a glorious city on a hill, and her call is to everyone. Folly builds a city also, a city of man, a city of destruction, but its foundations are lies and its end is ruin.
We live in a time when our own public square is dominated by the shrill, clamorous, and incoherent shouting of Dame Folly. Our universities, our halls of government, our media conglomerates all echo with her talking points. They offer a twisted and crooked message that promises liberation but delivers bondage. They offer what they call enlightenment, but it is a darkness that can be felt. Into this cacophony, Lady Wisdom still lifts up her voice. The gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24), is still the only hope for our civilization. And that gospel is not a private hobby. It is a public proclamation, a summons to all men, everywhere, to repent and believe.
This passage in Proverbs 8 is the manifesto of Lady Wisdom. It is her public, unapologetic, and universal invitation. It describes where she speaks, to whom she speaks, what she says, and why her offer is of infinitely greater value than anything else this world has to offer.
The Text
Does not wisdom call, And discernment give forth her voice? At the top of the heights upon the way, Where the pathways meet, she takes her stand; Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she makes a shout: “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. O simple ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand a heart of wisdom. Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal upright things. For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. Take my discipline and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest fine gold. For wisdom is better than pearls; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
(Proverbs 8:1-11 LSB)
The Unashamed Proclamation (vv. 1-4)
We begin with Wisdom's public posture.
"Does not wisdom call, And discernment give forth her voice? At the top of the heights upon the way, Where the pathways meet, she takes her stand; Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she makes a shout:" (Proverbs 8:1-3 LSB)
This is a rhetorical question, and the expected answer is a thunderous "Yes!" Wisdom is not silent. She is not sequestered in an academic ivory tower or hidden away in a monastery. She is out in the world, where life happens. Notice the locations. "At the top of the heights," the most visible place. "Where the pathways meet," the crossroads of life, where decisions must be made. "Beside the gates," the center of civic, judicial, and commercial life in the ancient world. She is at the city council meeting, the courthouse, and the marketplace. She "takes her stand" and "makes a shout." This is not a timid suggestion. It is a bold, authoritative proclamation.
This is a picture of the Great Commission. The gospel is not something to be whispered among ourselves in the holy huddle of the church. It is a public truth, to be proclaimed from the housetops. We have been given a message that is the wisdom of God, and we have been commanded to make it known to all nations. This means we must engage in the public square, contending for the truth in every sphere of life. When the church retreats from the public square, it abandons it to Dame Folly, and we are living with the consequences of several generations of that kind of retreat.
"To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men." (Proverbs 8:4 LSB)
Wisdom's call is universal. It is not just for the religious elite, the intellectually gifted, or one particular ethnic group. It is for "men," for the "sons of men." This is the glorious, free offer of the gospel. Whosoever will may come. This is a frontal assault on every form of gnosticism and elitism that says true knowledge is only for a select few initiates. God's wisdom, the wisdom of the cross, is for all mankind. No one is outside the scope of this call.
The Character of the Call (vv. 5-9)
Next, Wisdom specifies her target audience and describes the nature of her speech.
"O simple ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand a heart of wisdom." (Proverbs 8:5 LSB)
She calls out to the "simple" and the "fools." The simple are the naive, the uninstructed, those who are easily led astray. The fool is the one who is morally deficient, who says in his heart, "There is no God." Wisdom's message is precisely for such people. The gospel is not for those who think they are already wise and righteous. Jesus said He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The first step to gaining wisdom is to admit that you are a fool without it. Our culture celebrates folly. It tells the simple to follow their hearts and tells the fool that his rebellion is authentic self-expression. Wisdom calls them to repent and be transformed.
"Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal upright things. For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing twisted or crooked in them." (Proverbs 8:6-8 LSB)
Here is the content of her message. It is noble, upright, true, and righteous. It is the absolute antithesis of the words of the serpent in the garden, and the words of Dame Folly today. Folly's speech is filled with innuendo, flattery, lies, and deceit. It is "twisted and crooked." Think of the language of our modern political and cultural debates. It is a language of euphemism, propaganda, and deliberate ambiguity. It is designed to obscure reality, not reveal it. But God's Word is straight. It calls sin, sin. It calls righteousness, righteousness. It does not mince words. Wickedness is an abomination to God's lips, and it should be to ours as well. We are to be a people who love the truth and speak the truth in love.
"They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge." (Proverbs 8:9 LSB)
This is a crucial point. The message of wisdom is not complicated or obscure. It is "straightforward" and "right." So why do so many people reject it? Because understanding is a moral, not merely an intellectual, category. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. To the one whose heart has been opened by God's grace, the gospel makes perfect sense. It is the key that fits the lock of the human heart and the universe itself. But to the one who is in rebellion against God, the cross is foolishness. The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. The problem is not with the clarity of the message, but with the condition of the hearer's heart.
The Supreme Value of Wisdom (vv. 10-11)
Finally, Lady Wisdom presents us with a choice, a fundamental calibration of our values.
"Take my discipline and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest fine gold. For wisdom is better than pearls; And all desirable things cannot compare with her." (Proverbs 8:10-11 LSB)
Here is the choice set before every human being. What do you value most? What are you living for? The world, represented by Dame Folly, offers you silver, gold, and pearls. It offers you wealth, pleasure, and power. And Lady Wisdom says, "Take my instruction instead." You must choose. You cannot serve both God and mammon.
Notice that she offers "discipline" or "instruction." Wisdom is not a magic pill. It is a way of life that requires discipline, submission, and correction. It is the path of discipleship. And this path, this relationship with God through Christ, is of infinitely more value than all the riches of the world. All the "desirable things" this world can offer are trinkets and trash compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our culture is drowning in a sea of materialism because it has rejected this fundamental truth. Men chase after wealth thinking it will bring them happiness, only to find themselves empty and miserable. They build their lives on the sand of financial security, and then the storms come and wash it all away. Wisdom offers us something durable, something eternal. She offers us durable riches and righteousness. She offers a treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Christ, The Wisdom of God
As we read this glorious personification of Wisdom, we cannot help but see the one who is the perfect embodiment of this wisdom. The New Testament is clear: Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God. Later in this very chapter, Wisdom is described as being with God in the beginning, before the creation of the world (Prov. 8:22-23). This is a glorious, poetic description of the eternal Son, the Logos through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3).
Therefore, the call of Wisdom in the public square is nothing less than the call of Christ. When Wisdom stands at the city gates and shouts, it is the voice of the King of kings, summoning the nations to bow before Him. When she offers her noble and upright words, she is offering the gospel of grace. When she calls the simple and the fools to repent, she is extending the offer of salvation that is in Christ alone.
And when she asks us to choose her over gold and silver, it is the voice of our Lord saying, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" The choice between Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly is the choice between Christ and chaos. It is the choice between building your life on the solid rock of God's Word and building it on the sinking sand of human opinion. It is the choice between the City of God and the city of destruction.
Therefore, we must heed this call. We must first embrace this wisdom for ourselves, valuing Christ above all else. And then, we must become the voices of Wisdom in our generation. We must take our stand in the public square, at the crossroads of our culture, and without shame or apology, make a shout. We must proclaim the noble, upright, and true words of the gospel to a world of simple ones and fools. For this wisdom is their only hope. It is the only thing that can save them, and it is the only thing that can save our civilization from its suicidal embrace of folly.