Wisdom Dey Call

One city gate wey crowd full. Traders dey shout dem price. Donkeys dey cry. People dey push pass each other. And on top all di noise, one voice ring out. Listen! Na you I dey call. Yes, you.

Di book of Proverbs na collection of wise sayings, wey dem gather to teach young people how to live well for God world. Most of am na short, sharp advice. But for chapter eight and nine, di book do something different. E draw picture. Wisdom become person, one woman wey go out enter di streets to find people. She no hide for library or wait make clever people come meet am. She go where everybody dey. Di top of di hill. Di junction. Di gate wey enter di city.

Na una I dey call, all of una people, she talk. Una wey simple, learn sense. Una wey dey foolish, get understanding. Notice who she first call. No be di experts. Na di people wey know say dem no know much. She make big claims. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge instead of di finest gold. Wisdom better pass jewels. Nothing wey you fit ever want reach am. She talk say kings dey rule well because of am. She talk say: I love di people wey love me, and di people wey dey find me with all dem heart go find me. And she talk wetin wisdom dey start with. To fear Di Lord, she talk, na to hate evil: pride, big head, and mouth wey dey talk crooked. Wisdom no be just to dey clever. Na to dey good.

Then her talk reach back go di very beginning. Di Lord get me for di beginning of im way, before im works of old. Before dem settle di mountains. Before di springs begin bubble from di deep. When e set di heavens for dem place, I dey there. When e mark di boundary of di sea, so dat di water no go pass im command, I dey there beside am. And see di part wey sweet pass. She no just stand there stiff like soldier. I be im delight every day, I dey rejoice for im front every time, I dey rejoice for di world wey people dey live, and I dey delight for di children of mankind. Di same wisdom wey shape di stars dey happy with people. And she end her talk with promise. Anybody wey find me, don find life.

For chapter nine, Wisdom do party. She don build her house and carve im seven pillars. She don prepare meat and mix her wine and set her table. She send her servants go call from di highest places for di town. Anybody wey simple, come inside here! Come, eat my bread and drink di wine wey I don mix. Leave your foolish ways, and live. Waka for di way of understanding. For di middle of di chapter, di line wey di whole book lean on come. Di fear of Di Lord na di beginning of wisdom.

But another voice dey. Proverbs call her Folly. She dey make noise, di writer talk, and she no know anything. She sit for di door of her house, high for di town, and dey call people wey dey go straight for dem way. And she use exactly di same words. Anybody wey simple, come inside here! Then she add her own trick. Water wey dem thief dey sweet. Bread wey person eat for secret dey taste well well. E sound exciting. E sound like shortcut. But di chapter end with warning. Di people wey enter no know where dat road dey lead. Her guests go end up for di deep part of di grave.

Why Wisdom stand for di city gate? For Israel of old, di gate pass ordinary door. Na di town meeting place, market and court. Di book of Ruth show Boaz as e sit down for di gate with di elders of di town to settle one family case for di front of witnesses. Di prophet Amos tell people make dem establish justice for di gate. So Wisdom no dey shout from one quiet corner. She dey talk exactly where dem dey make decisions, where dem dey do business, and where lives dey take shape.

Wisdom dey call. You go find her for Proverbs, chapter eight and nine. Two voices, wey dey use di same invitation. One table dey lead go life; di other one only look fine from di door. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you hear two voices wey dey call you dis week, how you go take know which one na Wisdom?