As we read Proverbs, we are confronted with Lady Wisdom but also the foolish woman.
In both instances, either wisdom or foolishness is not ascribed to the female gender. Rather, this is a poetic way of describing the effect of the two upon the reader.
Chapter 9 describes the foolish woman’s character and her use of seductive words to entice naive or gullible humans.
The foolish woman is loud;
she is ignorant and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the high places of the town,
Calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
“You who are simple, turn in here!”
And to those without sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” (Proverbs 9.13-17)
Her Character
The first thing we need to know about the foolish woman is the nature of her character. She may be loud and persuasive, but she is also ignorant and knows nothing.
Several years ago, a beer commercial frequently appeared on television. It proclaimed, “You only go around once in life and you need to grab all the gusto you can.” Then, they stated the name of their product.
This type of advertising, paired with many other things in the media, reveals the lack of wisdom in today’s enticements to follow the way of the world’s system.
The Psalms reveal the essential nature of the fool.
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good. (Psalm 14.1)
The fool believes in God, but essentially, the fool is a practical atheist. They believe they can act any way they want and there will be no accountability for their actions.
Lady Wisdom visits the realms of commerce, business, and religion, where she calls upon people to listen and gain wisdom.
Conversely, the foolish woman also ventures into these same places, proclaiming, “Follow me. I offer you a great deal, and there won’t be any accountability for your actions.”
Our Response
Everyone faces the inner conflict between choosing Lady Wisdom and yielding to the words of the foolish woman. Which option will we select? We must examine the character of each and the consequences they bring.
Psalm 1 offers valuable guidance on how we should respond to this decision.
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path that sinners tread
or sit in the seat of scoffers,
But their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night. (Psalm 1.1-2)
Before Augustine became a saint, he frequented prostitutes in Rome. One day, following his conversion, Augustine came across one of his former prostitute acquaintances.
She exclaimed, “Augustine, it is I.” He turned away and walked in the opposite direction, replying, “But it is not I.”
This is a perfect illustration of how to react when foolish individuals attempt to entice us to follow their lead.
We can disregard foolish wisdom, as Augustine did, or actively push it from our lives.
When we dedicate our time to meditating on God’s Word instead of entertaining the foolish notions of the world’s system, we replace the words of the fool with God’s wisdom.
Chaff
My friends, who actively participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous program, often say, “Play the tape to the end.” When we examine the outcome of following the fool, we observe that it leads to death.
But they do not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. (Proverbs 9.18)
Paul wrote that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6.23).
It’s not the initial sin that directly causes our death, but rather, we sin a little and die a little, and gradually experience its harmful effects until death eventually overtakes us.
Psalm 1 describes the results of living by the rules of the fool.
The wicked are not so
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (Psalm 1.4-5)
I would hate for the ultimate outcome of my life to be reduced to a single word on my grave marker: “chaff.”
Today, Lady Wisdom and the Fool call out to us, and we must make a decision regarding whom we will follow.
Who possesses the character we wish to imitate? Who yields the end results we seek?
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 