Compare and Contrast: Proverbs 9:1 and Proverbs 14:1

"Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars."  
Proverbs 9:1

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands." Proverbs 14:1

The question for today is this: Should we make a correlation between Proverbs 14:1 and Proverbs 9:1 (since they seem to be similar), and conclude from this relationship that building one's house is symptomatic of someone, particularly a woman, who is associated with wisdom, whether in being wise or being Wisdom herself? The common factors between the two texts do seem to lead us that direction:

1) In both cases wisdom is involved
2) In both cases a woman is involved
3) In both cases a house is involved
4) In both cases the woman builds the house

However, the common factors aren't the only factors playing into these passages, especially 9:1. This is particularly evident when we begin to examine the contexts surrounding each of these verses, and pay attention to the differences between the two. One big difference is in the size of each context, which is quite significant as I will explain.

Proverbs 9:1 is the first verse in a fairly sizable context (for Proverbs anyway), that extends all the way to the end of the chapter, depending on how 'microspective' you want to be. The fact that this one section is so large isn't really too surprising because of its placement in the book of Proverbs, namely that it precedes chapter 10 verse 1. What's significant about 10:1? Well there we not only have a new introductory statement ("The Proverbs of Solomon"), but there is a noticeable shift in the format of the verses. Before 10:1, the chapters are composed of strings of verses forming their own little contexts and flows of thought. Sometimes these "strings"take up the whole chapter (such as in chapter 9), and sometimes not. For example, Proverbs 1:20-33 stands distinct from the preceding verses not only by a paragraph marker in Hebrew but just the natural flow of the text, even in English. However for some time after 10:1 the verses fly solo for the most part, and don't really cooperate a whole lot as far as forming one uninterrupted context is concerned.

With that in mind, Proverbs 9:1 is, as we said, only one single verse at the very start of an entire string of verses which do actually work together to form one collective plot. So, to be fair, I think it would be wise to examine not only the things in verse 1 that seem to correlate with another verse we know (in this case Proverbs 14:1), but to also investigate how these seemingly common elements are actually used in 9:1 and what they contribute to the text in which they appear. After doing that, perhaps then we can look to see if they match up with another verse which seems to have similar wordings (like, oh I don't know, 14:1 or something).

So then, in 9:1 we find an individual who is simply identified as "Wisdom" with a house that she has built. There are actually two statements in verse 1, and they both have to do with a place of lodging constructed by "Wisdom". But, if we continue to verse 2, we find three more statements, this time regarding dining. We read about "food", "wine", and a "table" - all prepared by this lady Wisdom.

So here's the stage: a full-size house, sufficient food, purposefully prepared wine, and a table set and ready - all made ready by a woman called "Wisdom". She arranged these things intentionally, not accidentally or thoughtlessly.

So, what's the occasion? What is Wisdom going to do with all this stuff? She's made a place to stay, stuff to eat, and a table to eat it at. What is she going to do with it?

Watch what happens in the following verses:

"She has sent out her maidens, she calls
From the tops of the heights of the city: 
'Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!' 
To him who lacks understanding she says,
'Come eat of my food 
And drink of the wine that I have mixed.
Forsake your folly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.' " 

What does she do with all this? She gives it away! Well, at least she offers to. She opens up her resources for public use, specifically inviting the "naive" and the one who "lacks understanding" to make use of them. She calls them to turn aside from their normal course of life and...

1) Speaking to the naive, she says "turn in here". Turn in where? Remember her house she built back in verse 1? That seems to be what she has is mind. The only other possibility is that "here" refers to where she was actually standing at the moment (given, of course, that where she was standing and her house were two different locations). Going with the former option, we notice that she prepared it, and now she presents it.

2) Speaking to him who lacks understanding, she says "eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed". What food, and what wine? The only other food/wine mentioned in connection to Wisdom was back in verse 2, so that must be what she is referring to. Again, she prepared it, and now she presents it.

So, what Wisdom is basically saying to her audience here is "Look, stop going where you're going and stop doing what you're doing, and come to me and be sustained of my resources! Let it be the things that I have prepared that provide for you! Be nourished from what I will give you!"

In other words, be cared for by Wisdom. Be refreshed and be nourished by the things she would give. That's the function or role her food, wine, and table all serve - to provide sustenance for the naive and those who lack understanding, that they would turn aside to her for these necessities that sustain and prolong life.

Now, before we move on there is one more dynamic about this that I want to bring out. When Wisdom called, who did she call for? The naive. Thus, if somebody turned aside and responded to her call, what does that tell you about that person? He considers himself naive. If you know someone by the name of "Einar" and you call out for "Einar", only Einar is likely to come to you. So, by using this specific title for her target audience, Wisdom effectively filters out those who are convinced that they aren't "naive" and don't really need the help she is offering. She eliminates those who are persuaded that they're doing just fine apart from Wisdom's provision. A similar tactic is used by Christ in the familiar passage of Matthew 11:28:

"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." 

You don't respond to this invitation unless you think you're what? Weary and heavy-laden! If you believe you're not in that condition and everything really is ok, then you don't think you fit the bill and you won't respond.

Going back to Proverbs, then, this is one big reason why it is so dangerous to be wise in our own eyes. If we don't think we need any help then we may not get any. If we want to be left to ourselves, then we just might be. One must be convinced that he really is naive and that Wisdom really will provide what she is offering him (or at least be curious enough to investigate) before breaking from the normal course of the day (going back to the picture of 9:3b-4) and turning aside to Wisdom. If not, then that person will just keep walking and miss Wisdom altogether. 

So that's Proverbs 9:1. It's the first verse in a larger context in which Wisdom prepares sufficient lodging and dining and offers it to the naive and "him who lacks understanding" so that they can now be sustained from Wisdom's resources.

Does this have anything to do with Proverbs 14:1? Is this a model for ladies to prepare food and drink and lodging?

I'm going to suggest that the answer is no.

If 9:1 is an example for women to prepare their houses, then why isn't the rest of the chapter an example for them to call from the tops of the heights of the city, inviting the naive to turn in? Why shouldn't they follow Wisdom's example in offering her food to "him who lacks understanding"? Further, if we're going to compare the wise woman of 14:1 with Wisdom in 9:1, why don't we compare the foolish woman of 14:1 with the "woman of folly" in 9:13? If we do that, then we will find the lady of 14:1 on the demolition crew using her own hands to do it. Next, if the comparison is consistent, we would expect the woman of folly to be doing something similar back in chapter 9, right? But when we look, what do we find?

"The woman of folly is boisterous, she is naive and knows nothing. 
She sits at the doorway of her house , 
On seat by the high places of the city , 
Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their way straight:
'Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,'
And to him who lacks understanding she says,
 'Stolen water is sweet;
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant' "

Is she destroying a house?

Nope.

What is she doing instead? She's sitting, and calling.¹

And, not only is the woman of folly in chapter 9 not doing what the foolish woman of chapter 14 is doing, but the lady in chapter 14 isn't "sitting" or "calling" although the woman of chapter 9 is. So they don't match up either way.

Now, this is not to say women don't need to be preparing their households, or doing any work related to their homes. It is to say that such a conclusion probably shouldn't be gleaned from Proverbs 9:1. What other verse does address this subject? Well, here's a good one:

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."

~ Proverbs 14:1

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¹ By the way, notice that the woman of folly in 14:13ff has the exact same target audience that Wisdom does. This is a dangerous situation for the person conscious of his own naïveté, since both ladies use a title that he is likely to respond to. The difference is not in the addressee, but what is said to him (besides the personal characteristics of the two ladies,  their actions, and the outcome of their advice). In short, not everything that barks is a dog.