Proverbs 9:5 Study Bible: "Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed.

◄ Proverbs 9:5 ►

"Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed.

Come, eat my bread
This phrase is an invitation to partake in wisdom, symbolized by bread. In the Hebrew context, bread is a staple of life, representing sustenance and nourishment. The Hebrew word for bread, "lechem," is often used in the Old Testament to signify not just physical sustenance but also spiritual nourishment. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, sharing a meal was an act of fellowship and communion. Here, wisdom personified is inviting the simple to partake in a relationship that offers spiritual growth and understanding. This invitation echoes the call of Christ in the New Testament, who is the "bread of life" (John 6:35), offering eternal sustenance to those who come to Him.

and drink the wine I have mixed
Wine in the biblical context often symbolizes joy, celebration, and the covenantal blessings of God. The Hebrew word for wine, "yayin," is associated with both physical and spiritual joy. The act of mixing wine, as mentioned here, suggests preparation and intentionality, indicating that wisdom is not only available but has been carefully prepared for those who seek it. In the ancient world, wine was often mixed with spices or water to enhance its flavor and potency, symbolizing the richness and depth of wisdom's offering. This phrase invites the reader to experience the fullness of life that wisdom provides, much like the abundant life promised by Jesus in John 10:10. The imagery of wine also points to the New Covenant, where Jesus offers His blood as the true drink (Matthew 26:27-28), inviting believers into a deeper relationship with God.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Wisdom
Personified as a woman in Proverbs 9, Wisdom invites people to partake in her feast, symbolizing the acceptance of divine instruction and understanding.

2. Folly
Also personified as a woman in the same chapter, Folly offers a contrasting invitation, leading to ignorance and destruction.

3. The Simple
Those who lack judgment and understanding, whom Wisdom seeks to instruct and guide.

4. The House of Wisdom
A metaphorical place where Wisdom's feast is prepared, representing a life built on understanding and knowledge.

5. The Feast
Symbolizes the spiritual nourishment and fulfillment found in embracing wisdom and God's teachings.

Teaching Points

Invitation to Wisdom
God's wisdom is available to all who are willing to accept it. Just as Wisdom invites the simple to her feast, God invites us to partake in His wisdom through His Word and Spirit.

Spiritual Nourishment
The bread and wine symbolize the sustenance that comes from living a life grounded in God's truth. We are called to seek spiritual nourishment through prayer, study, and fellowship.

Contrast with Folly
Proverbs 9 contrasts the paths of wisdom and folly. Choosing wisdom leads to life and understanding, while folly leads to destruction. We must discern and choose wisely.

Communal Aspect of Wisdom
Wisdom's invitation is communal, reflecting the importance of learning and growing in faith within a community of believers. Engage in Bible study groups and church activities to grow together.

Practical Application of Wisdom
Wisdom is not just theoretical but practical. It should influence our daily decisions, relationships, and actions, aligning them with God's will.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the invitation in Proverbs 9:5 reflect God's desire for us to seek His wisdom?

2. In what ways can we "eat" and "drink" of wisdom in our daily lives?

3. How does the personification of Wisdom and Folly in Proverbs 9 help us understand the choices we face?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to ensure you are partaking in the "feast" of wisdom rather than the "feast" of folly?

5. How can the communal aspect of Wisdom's invitation be applied in your church or Bible study group to foster spiritual growth?

Connections to Other Scriptures

John 6:35
Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life," drawing a parallel to the sustenance and life-giving nature of Wisdom's invitation.

Isaiah 55:1-3
An invitation to come and partake freely of what God offers, emphasizing the spiritual nourishment available to those who seek God.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17
The sharing of bread and wine in communion, symbolizing unity and participation in the body of Christ, reflecting the communal aspect of Wisdom's feast.

James 1:5
Encourages believers to ask God for wisdom, reinforcing the idea that divine wisdom is available to those who seek it.

Sermons

The Soul's Diet	F. Taylor, B.D.	Proverbs 9:5
Wisdom's Invitation	J. R. Hibbard.	Proverbs 9:5
Wisdom's Invitations	T. De Witt Talmage.	Proverbs 9:5
The Divine Invitation	W. Clarkson	Proverbs 9:1-6
The Rival Banquets	St. J. A. Frere, M.A.	Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom's Banquet; Or, the Call to Salvation	E. Johnson	Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom's House	S. Waller.	Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom's Invitation	Gearge Smith, D. D	Proverbs 9:1-6

People

Solomon

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Bread, Drink, Eat, Mingled, Mixed, Wine

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Proverbs 9:1-6

     4478   meat
     5312   feasting
     8365   wisdom, human

Library

The Temple of Wisdom
(Preached at Wellington College, All Saints' Day, 1866.) PROVERBS ix. 1-5. Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. She hath sent forth her maidens; she crieth upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and to him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. This allegory has been …
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

The Dryness of Preachers, and the Various Evils which Arise from their Failing to Teach Heart-Prayer --Exhortation to Pastors to Lead People Towards this Form Of
If all those who are working for the conquest of souls sought to win them by the heart, leading them first of all to prayer and to the inner life, they would see many and lasting conversions. But so long as they only address themselves to the outside, and instead of drawing people to Christ by occupying their hearts with Him, they only give them a thousand precepts for outward observances, they will see but little fruit, and that will not be lasting. When once the heart is won, other defects are …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Letter xxi (Circa A. D. 1128) to the Abbot of S. John at Chartres
To the Abbot of S. John at Chartres Bernard dissuades him from resigning his charge, and undertaking a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 1. As regards the matters about which you were so good as to consult so humble a person as myself, I had at first determined not to reply. Not because I had any doubt what to say, but because it seemed to me unnecessary or even presumptuous to give counsel to a man of sense and wisdom. But considering that it usually happens that the greater number of persons of sense--or …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

To Pastors and Teachers
To Pastors and Teachers If all who laboured for the conversion of others were to introduce them immediately into Prayer and the Interior Life, and make it their main design to gain and win over the heart, numberless as well as permanent conversions would certainly ensue. On the contrary, few and transient fruits must attend that labour which is confined to outward matters; such as burdening the disciple with a thousand precepts for external exercises, instead of leaving the soul to Christ by the …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

From his Entrance on the Ministry in 1815, to his Commission to Reside in Germany in 1820
1815.--After the long season of depression through which John Yeardley passed, as described in the last chapter, the new year of 1815 dawned with brightness upon his mind. He now at length saw his spiritual bonds loosed; and the extracts which follow describe his first offerings in the ministry in a simple and affecting manner. 1 mo. 5.--The subject of the prophet's going down to the potter's house opened so clearly on my mind in meeting this morning that I thought I could almost have publicly …
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
2 Tim. iii. 16.--"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We told you that there was nothing more necessary to know than what our end is, and what the way is that leads to that end. We see the most part of men walking at random,--running an uncertain race,--because they do not propose unto themselves a certain scope to aim at, and whither to direct their whole course. According to men's particular …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the …
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

The Gospel Feast
"When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?"--John vi. 5. After these words the Evangelist adds, "And this He said to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do." Thus, you see, our Lord had secret meanings when He spoke, and did not bring forth openly all His divine sense at once. He knew what He was about to do from the first, but He wished to lead forward His disciples, and to arrest and …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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