The Devotional - A Look at the Book #782

by Jesse Abel

A Word from Papa “J”

 

Proverbs 9:1-8 – The Word of God is perfect, if you have not settled this as truth in your mind then your faith in our Perfect Creator is suffering. Please don’t take my word for it; just read the whole of Proverbs 9 and notice the way of wisdom and the way of folly. Or, take a few moments over the next few days with me as we do just that.

 

Good Morning

Have you ever been invited to a banquet? Hopefully your answer is yes. Once many years ago as a young sailor at thanksgiving our ship was home ported in Newport, Rhode Island. Several days before Thanksgiving, in the afternoon the ship’s company (all onboard) was called to stand fast and listen to an announcement from the captain.

A well-known family was inviting up to twenty-five sailors to their home for a Thanksgiving Banquet. Those who wished to attend needed only to sign the attendance sheet which was located in the mess hall. The prerequisites were few; just single sailors and those who had no other obligations. As it turned out I was one who could go and I did.

The banquet as far as I remember was perfect and still stands tall as one of the most perfect dining arrangements that I ever attended in this life time. All of the food was prepared and portioned, wine and water was plentiful and the table which comfortably sat all of us sailors and the family was perfectly arranged. The sailors did not sit segregated from the family but were grafted in. one member of the family, one sailor and so on until all were seated.

Well I could go on and on about this, but in the early days of my career in the United States Navy, this sort of thing was common on all the major holidays. In fact; the our church family does host a meal for our military even to this day on the major holidays.

Proverbs 9:1 – There is nothing to add to wisdom, there are no new discoveries, whatever is discovered or invented is already understood and furnished by WISDOM. Wisdom simply opens the door and invites the hungry searcher or inventor in. Then it is up to that guest to feed from the prepared banquet.

There is this thought as I read Proverbs 9:1-12, this wisdom is not just for the seekers and reapers, but for the simple and the vagabond too. Truly I am a man of poor study habits; I quit school at the ninth grade level and later achieved a high school diploma through the GED program in the Navy. Also later after the age of forty I received an associate’s degree as Associate of Ministerial Theology, While I am not simple; I am the VAGABOND, yet I am blessed, daily.