Episode Transcript
If you take your Bibles and turn to Proverbs 9, Proverbs 9, God willing we'll be expounding verses 3 through 6 tonight.
Proverbs 9 verses 3 through 6.
The title of the message tonight is "The Maidens of the House."
The maidens of the house.
I stand amazed as I study God's Word time and time again and rejoice in the fullness and the light that's in it, the sustenance that's there.
Proverbs 9 verses 3-6.
In this chapter, Solomon has been telling us about the house that wisdom has built.
Last week we learned that wisdom had a feast that she made for those who come into her house,
and how that feast is a picture of the gospel, which God and His great wisdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
"By His grace all things are ready," the Bible says, and all we have to do is come and dine.
And now tonight we're going to see that wisdom built her house for the purpose of being occupied.
I mean, don't fix food and build a house for nobody, but she built her for the purpose
of being occupied with souls that are hungry for God's truth.
But wisdom lets us know tonight that people can't find her house unless someone tells
them.
People cannot find her house unless someone tells them.
The Bible says, look now in verse 3, "She hath sent forth her maidens," take your pens,
underscore the word sent.
and I'm getting tingles just thinking about
the scriptures we're looking at tonight.
That's good stuff, isn't it, brother?
We already know where it's going.
When you study it in its context,
suddenly everything just falls into place.
She has sent forth her maidens.
Wisdom has been likened to a woman
who faithfully cares for her home.
This gospel covenant, like a woman who builds
house, cares for the house, furnishes the house.
Wisdom has maidens.
We've already learned that wisdom is the gospel of Jesus Christ in the home she built is the
church of Jesus Christ.
Who are the maidens in this passage?
Who are the maidens of the house?
Well, a maiden is a servant woman.
A maiden is a servant woman.
So wisdom has maidens who are servants in her house.
If you want to know who these maidens are,
then you've already taken your pen
and you've underscored the words sent.
Wisdom did what?
Wisdom sent forth her maiden.
So maidens are servants who've been sent out.
Isn't that beautiful?
Wisdom has maidens and she has sent them forth.
These maidens are the ministers of the gospel
right here in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament
who've been sent to preach the message of Christ.
Romans chapter 10 verse 14 through 15a,
If you want to write that down in your margin, Romans 10, 14 through 15a says, "How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher or a maiden?
And how shall they preach except they be sent?"
The preachers are the maidens of the house whom wisdom has sent to preach the gospel.
The gospel of John chapter 20 verse 21, if you want to write that down in your margin
as well, John 20, 21, then said, "Jesus, to them peace be unto you."
This is Jesus speaking to his disciples, to his apostles specifically, "As my father hath
sent me even so send I you." We already know that Jesus is the builder of the house. The
church is the house of God. Jesus said, "I'll build my church." Jesus is the wisdom. The
church is the house. And then the wisdom of the house is sending people out with a message.
And that's the preachers of the gospel.
This chapter nine in Proverbs fits like tumblers
and a key together.
They were designed by the same master.
And through these maidens, through these gospel preachers,
wisdom makes her appeal to the world.
Solomon says, look back in your text,
She cryeth upon the highest places of the city.
She cryeth upon the highest places of the city.
So wisdom sends her maidens, she sends them forth.
They go to the highest places of the city.
But when the maidens go, who's going?
Wisdom's going.
When the maidens cry out the message,
Who is crying out the message?
Wisdom is crying out the message.
Wisdom cries on the highest places of the city.
If you look after the word maidens,
do you see that full colon?
So the thoughts being continued,
there's not a new thought here.
It's not she has sent forth her maidens period.
By the way, you know what else wisdom does?
She cries from the highest place of the city.
Now it's a colon with the thought being clarified.
Wisdom sends her maidens to the highest place of the city
and through them she cries to the world.
Write this down in your notes,
in your margins, 2 Corinthians chapter five verse 20.
2 Corinthians chapter five verse 20.
Watch how accurate Proverbs nine is
when it comes to the gospel.
The Apostle Paul says, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ."
Right?
They're the maidens sent out.
We are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us.
We pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God.
We're going, we are the ones that are sent out,
which is what Apostle means.
We are the ones that are sent out.
We're the delegates of God.
And God is the one that is beseeching you,
and he's doing it by us.
We're praying you in Christ,
and we are begging you in the person of Christ,
as if it was Jesus doing the work.
The word "beseach" means to urgently plead.
Gospel preachers are the voice of Jesus.
And God urgently pleads through us to His people to be reconciled to Him through His
Son.
If you've ever pled with a friend or loved one to come to Jesus and they have been so
heavy on your heart and you've pled with them to come to Christ, did you know that
It was God beseeching them by you.
Wisdom's the one that cries out from the highest places of the city.
There is never a burden on your heart to win a lost soul to Christ.
Never an original burden on your heart.
What you have is God's burden placed in your heart.
And when you speak and you plead with someone to trust Christ as their savior, that is God's
love pleading through you.
Wisdom sends her maidens to the highest parts of the city.
Did you notice that?
Not into the city.
She sends them to the highest parts of the city.
You know, if someone wants to speak to a large crowd, what do they do?
dig a hole and go get down in it and start talking to people. They get up as high as
they possibly can. That's what the preachers used to have to do. If we were in the olden
days, then I'd be up a little higher probably because the voice would cast down when they
didn't have electronic amplification as we do today. But she goes to the highest place
of the city so everyone can hear the message they bring. Why? Because Matthew chapter 5
14, Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the world." A city that is set on a hill cannot
be hid. You see? She goes to the highest places of the city. She goes up high so
her light can be seen by all. Mark 16 15 and he said unto them, "Go ye into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. The maidens have been sent forth to the highest
parts of the city, which is another way of saying to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Because that's who God loves. That's who God wants to plead with. And we pray them in Christ's
stead to be reconciled to him. Wisdom is going to continue to send forth her maidens. She's
She's going to continue to do that until the end of this present world.
Until Jesus comes and what we call the church age today comes to its final end.
Matthew chapter 24 verse 14.
Matthew 24, 14 says, "And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the income."
As we're sending forth gospel preachers, we're fulfilling the Old Testament book of Proverbs.
You realize that wisdom's sending forth her maidens for a house that she is building.
That was fulfilled when Jesus said, "I'm going to build my church on this rock."
And then he says, "As I was sent, so send thou you."
That was wisdom sending her maidens out, wisdom building her house.
The maidens are still being sent to the uttermost parts of the earth today.
We're fulfilling these scriptures.
But as Jesus said, the gospel, that message from those that are preaching from the highest
parts of the city is going to continue to be preached.
That line is going to continue to shine.
And it says, "It will be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and
then shall the end come."
That's the next thing on the agenda is the church age, the age in which Jesus' house
is being built, his maidens are being sent out, or the wisdom's maidens being sent out,
preaching from the highest parts of the city.
That's the age we're in.
But it's going to come a time where the gospel won't be preached anymore because it's like
in the days of Noah preaching, there was a designated time to preach.
I think it was 120 years.
Now, right brother, she ever seen the number to me.
And once that designated time had ended at door of opportunity, literally closed.
And only God knows the time that we have right now to preach the gospel before
that door of opportunity closes.
And as I'm looking at what's going on in the world right now and how we're getting more
and more like Sodom and Gomorrah, as Jesus said, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall
the coming of the Son of Man be.
As I'm watching that, I get troubled at the wickedness.
I get excited at the times because all it's doing to me is reaffirming to me what God's
word says.
We're preaching, but the flood is coming.
The door of opportunity is going to close.
Now is our time to get the message out.
And so until then, the maidens of God's house cry from the highest place of the city saying,
look in verse four now, who so is simple?
Let him turn in hither.
You say, "Well, Brother Richard, that's not the gospel."
We don't get out and say, "Who's so as simple?
"Let him turn in, Heather."
This is a proverb.
It is not an epistle.
It does not explain the doctrines of salvation
by grace through faith, even though it's teaching
the doctrines of salvation by grace through faith,
like we saw last Wednesday, where all things were ready.
The meal was all ready, you just had to come.
But if you'll look here, you'll see the gospel.
The maidens are saying, and wisdom is saying through the maidens,
"Whoever's simple, let him turn in where?"
Turn into the house which wisdom has built.
And the house is built of what? The gospel covenant.
So whoever's simple, that is, whoever is not being enlightened,
and whoever doesn't know the truth,
whoever is wandering in their lostness and in darkness.
Remember Jesus said, whoever believes in me
shall have the light of life,
and whoever doesn't, they walk in darkness.
Whoever's simple, whoever is still--
The idea is that the world is walking that broad path
that leads to destruction.
In wisdom, the gospel covenant is calling for people
from the highest place of the city
and calling for these people
and giving them the opportunity
to turn from the broad road of destruction into the safety.
into the safety.
They can't find
the light on the broad road, but they can find the light that gives them life if
they'll turn in
to the house that wisdom has built.
Wisdom cries through her maiden saying look back in your text as for him that wanteth understanding now
Remember, this is the King James version. That means it's based on on a lot of archaic English and
So if we were to say want today, we would mean desire
Alright
Here it means a lack to lack something to not have something and and and it's still in the same family of
of the thought of that word,
because if you desire something,
you can only want something you don't have, right?
So, but because of that being such a close relationship
in the thought of that word, the meaning of that word,
one has turned into another.
So when she's saying, as for him that wanteth understanding,
she's saying, whoever doesn't have understanding,
whoever lacks understanding,
Wisdom is offering an invitation to whoever doesn't have spiritual understanding,
whoever needs guidance to find the narrow way that leads to life.
Turn in here, we've got it for you.
It's right here in the Gospel.
What else does wisdom say to the simple-minded person?
Look in your text.
She saith to him in now in verse 5 come
Eat of my bread and drink of the wine which I have mingled
now folks, this is the gospel it's as clear as the
nose on
Hannah's face
That clear. It's the gospel take you pin underscore the word bread
Now underscore the word wine
The two things, wisdom is inviting these weary travelers to come and eat.
And it's only found in the house.
And the house can only be found by the maidens that are sent forth.
Isn't that something?
And the maidens that are sent forth are crying out a message that wisdom is given.
not their own message. The maidens are inviting travelers to turn into the house to gain the
understanding they need to escape the damnation of the road they traveled, but notice the means
for them to escape. They escape by eating the bread and wine that wisdom has to offer
them. That's how they escape. That's how they gain the enlightenment.
Church, this is nothing less than a picture of preachers from the church, inviting sinners
from the world to come eat the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which was broken and shed
for them on the cross to be saved.
The Gospel of John chapter 6 verse 53 through 54, if you'll write this down in your margin
outside of verse 5, "Come eat of my bread and drink of my wine."
Jesus said in John 6 53 through 54 says then said Jesus of them verily verily
I send you except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood
ye have no life in you he that eat of my flesh and drinketh my blood hath
eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day the two things they ate on
On the night of the Lord's Supper, Jesus took bread and Jesus took wine, and he told his
disciples to eat and drink both of them.
He took the bread, this is my body, he took the wine, this is my blood, and here in the
book of Proverbs, wisdom is telling people the same thing.
Come eat my bread, come drink my wine.
Turn in here because you've got to turn off the broad road to get to it.
The world has nothing like this to offer.
Everyone is born on the broad road and there has to be a time when you repent and you realize
this is not the way.
If you look this direction here, you see Jesus, this is the way.
The truth and the life, and we can't get to the Father any other way.
So the appeal is for sinners through faith in Jesus Christ crucified for them to, verse
6, forsake the foolish and live.
The only way they could live, you see forsake the foolish and live, you know what that means?
There is a presupposition here that the foolish are dead.
And only by turning off that broad way can they live.
And only by eating the bread and the wine can they escape death and do so.
You've got a house.
You've got wisdom building the house.
The house is the church.
The bread and the wine is inside the house, which means the church is the caretaker of
the Gospel. The church is the house it houses the truth that gives men eternal life. It's
the only place the people in the world can get it is in the church of Jesus Christ.
And so from the church because people aren't born in the church, they're born out of the
So the maidens are sent out that they might tell people to come in.
And once you get in, there's bread and wine there for you.
And by coming into the house, you've received the wisdom of God,
therefore you're no more in the foolishness of the world.
You've received God's wisdom of Jesus Christ, and now you live.
How beautiful.
"Forsake the foolish and live." Revelation chapter 18 verse 4 says, "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Come out."
Come out.
Turn in, Heather.
Get out of there and come in here.
Through the gospel we forsake the foolishness of this unbelieving world and we live by Jesus who died for us
Look back in your text
Whiz it was it says and go in the way of understanding
Once we turn on in to wisdom's house
That is once we partake of the message of the church
That preaches Jesus Christ and him crucified
We eat of his flesh and we drink his blood, which is another way of saying we
Digest the truth we consume the truth of what Jesus has done for us
We now go in the way of understanding
That is we're walking the light. We're no longer walking in darkness. I
Thank God each and every day that I get up. I don't get up and think why am I here?
Where am I going? What's my purpose in life?
What's going to happen after I die?
What am I supposed to do?
I don't do that.
I know why I'm here.
I know how I got here.
I know what I'm doing.
I know what my purpose is in life.
Thank God I know where I'm going.
I know what's going to happen to me.
Now that I know Jesus, I'm going in the way of understanding.
I've been enlightened by the gospel.
of the way of understanding in Matthew 7 verses 13 through 14.
Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way
that leadeth to destruction.
And many there be which go in there at, because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
That's the way of understanding.
walking the road that you enter through the narrow gate. He says narrow is the
way. What's a way? It's a road. The gate is the gospel. The road is the way of
understanding. Wisdom is going to continually to effectually plead from
the highest parts of the city, calling people from every nation to turn into
the house that she has built, to seek shelter in the gospel, and people from every parts
of the world will continue to come from every corner of the globe as they realize the foolishness
of their false religions and embrace the good news of what Jesus has done.
They're doing it now.
They've been doing it for centuries.
They're going to continue to do it until the end comes.
The prophet Jeremiah prophesied of this very thing.
In Jeremiah chapter 16,
Jeremiah chapter 16 verse 19,
Jeremiah 16, 19,
says, "O Lord, my strength in my fortress,
"and my refuge in the day of affliction,
"the Gentiles shall come unto thee
"from the ends of the earth."
Listen now, you listen to what Jeremiah's saying?
The maidens are preaching from the highest parts
of the city, their light can be seen around the world.
And he says, "The Gentiles," that means the nations,
"shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth
and shall say," now remember what wisdom said,
"forsake the foolish and live."
And now Jeremiah's saying, the Gentiles are gonna come
from the ends of the earth and they shall say,
surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no prophet."
There's going to come a time, Jeremiah said, when this is going to happen, they're going
to come unto thee, Jeremiah said.
They're going to come to you, O God, from the end of the world.
We're going to say surely our fathers inherited lies.
That is the religions that we were born into when we danced around the fire and to the
spirits.
When we meditated in our little houses and tried to find wisdom on the inside of us.
When we denied that there was even a God at all and that we made ourselves surely from
From the ends of the world, God, all the nations are going to come to you and say, "We inherited
lies.
Our fathers passed down lies to us."
You know what he's saying?
He's saying from all over the world that light's going to shine.
Wisdom's going to be calling for them to turn into the house of the gospel, to forsake the
foolish and live. And Jeremiah is saying, "That's what they will do." They're going to realize
inherited lies. They're going to forsake that foolishness. And they're going to come to
you, God. And the only way to get there is to come eat the bread and the wine of Jesus
Christ. Yes, they inherited lies, but they eventually heard the gospel of Christ from
His maidens and inherited truth and eternal life instead. What a beautiful passage of
Scripture. How rich, how powerful, and how reassuring these nods are. It's a nod from
the Old Testament to the church, and it's very precious.
Father, we thank You for Your Word.
We thank You, Father God, for Solomon, who was a picture of Christ, a representative
of wisdom, and Solomon's known for building a house.
The house was the temple.
And then in your New Testament you told us, "Church, you're the temple.
You are the temple of God.
We're the house that wisdom has built.
Thank you for speaking to us from so long ago.
In Jesus' precious name, amen."
