PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled” (Proverbs 9:5).

With as much of the Book of Proverbs a prophetic examination of the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ, should it be found strange that one of the most well-known words of invitation often uttered by God seeking lost sinners should be used? I refer, of course, to the word, “Come!”

TODAY’S VERSE:

“Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled” (Proverbs 9:5).

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1). This first invitation was only heeded by eight people, while the rest of humanity chose to reject it and perish.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). God’s great invitation to man; though he be drenched in blood and entrenched in a life of sin to be washed, purified, and made whiter than the freshly fallen snow.

Our verse before us today speaks of eating bread and wine. We have another verse that speaks to the very same invitation.

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).

This is the great invitation to come and dine freely at the Master’s table where grace is bestowed liberally and without cost—the exact price of salvation. How is it possible for God to offer so rich a gift and expect no payment from man? Because the price has been paid by Himself and the payment was “God’s blood”: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Due to our limited space, we’ll look at one more example of the word “come,” one which is surely the best known of all and is still an open invitation to you, if you are not sure that you have a home in heaven and sins forgiven—the invitation is open to you and to “whosoever will come.”

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

By the way, another use of the word “come,” is found in the phrase “it came to pass.” Bless God, this reminds us that in the midst of turmoil and trials, these things shall pass. One day, happily, we’ll be able to look back on these things and know how they were used of God to make us stronger, if indeed we remember them at all in our new heavenly home.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let's read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let's keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.

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