Wisdom and Folly

Today at church we wrapped up our time in Proverbs with Proverbs 9. The first six verses stand in direct contrast to the last six, and the six in the middle summarize all we've been through thus far - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" - understanding who God is and who we are is our framework for reality, by which we know and see all other things.

Verses 13-18 are about Lady Folly:

The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!' And to him who lacks sense she says, 'Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant' But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. 

I was thinking about this as applied to ED. Like Lady Folly, ED is not set on high places by God, but by himself. He is the one who makes himself most important and screams for attention - to be noticed, to be appeased. His victims are minding their own business. They are on a straight path with bright futures ahead of them. He catches them off guard and convinces them to play tricks on themselves. And before they can realize it, they're on the road that leads to death. They're pulled off the path of life and create for themselves first a hell on earth, and if they are not pulled back, literal death itself. Folly and ED both want us to walk and live in darkness and shame. As Pastor Andrew says, "Satan is real. He hates you and wants you to die".

Conversely, look at Wisdom (verses 1-6):

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!' To him who lacks sense she says, 'Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight'

In Psalm 23, we are told that the Lord prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies (verse 5). Even as Folly cries out to us, Wisdom is there too. No matter how loud our Enemy may be, God's Truth will always stand up in direct contrast to him. Note also that Wisdom and Folly call out the same thing - they are both trying to attract the simple, those who need understanding and guidance. The guidance Wisdom gives brings peace and hope and life, however, whereas that of Folly only leads to death. When we know who God is and who we are in Jesus, the answer to a lack of wisdom is eating and drinking deeply of Life, of leaving the ways of stupidity and walking in the light. God offers us life found in focusing in on Him and living according to His ways. God knows the danger of walking in the darkness, which is why He, as the Light of the World, brings us into the light as well.

he knows what is in the darkness. Daniel 2:22 

even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. Psalm 139:12