The voice of folly

Folly personified

Proverbs 9:13-18 ESV
[13]  The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. [14] She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, [15] calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, [16]  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, [17]  “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” [18] But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.9.13-18.ESV

Folly:

In the Bible, folly is a state of moral and spiritual deficiency characterized by a lack of wisdom, understanding, and reverence for God, rather than mere intellectual weakness. It involves rejecting God’s moral and spiritual values, ignoring divine guidance, and acting in ways that are self-destructive and contrary to God’s order. Folly is often marked by pride, self-sufficiency, corrupt behavior, and a disregard for truth.

We see in Proverbs a frequent contrast between wisdom and its direct opposite, which is called “folly.”  In Proverbs ch.8, we see wisdom personified as a female, calling out to young men to receive her. While at the same time, folly is attempting to lure us away with her empty promises of pleasure and happiness.

The pursuit of pleasure and happiness consumes many young men and leads them down a pathway that leads to deeper darkness and folly.

Notice that Proverbs ch 8 is 36 verses long, while ch 9 is exactly half of that, and the woman Folly only gets six verses 9:13-18. See where I’m going with this?

Here’s my take away from this play on words: if we spend time reading and meditating on Scripture, which is the living power of God, able to cut through to the division of wisdom and folly, right and wrong, sin and unrighteousness, we will have the full armor of God, including the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith, to fight off folly, which comes in the form of foolish thoughts provoking our inner man to act on impulse and draw our hearts, minds and souls away from truth and righteousness.

Wisdom from God gives us strength and stamina to stand our ground, when the seductive, alluring temptations attack and attempt to strike and penetrate our heart and mind and capture our soul. Wisdom gives us the weapons to push back with wise decisions that will steer us away from the path of darkness and destruction which leads to death.

Focusing on God’s word through prayer and meditation gives us God’s wisdom to overcome the alluring voices of folly; temptation, greed, lust, etc.

Wisdom from God is so much more powerful than our foolish thoughts and emotions that attempt to occupy our minds, and our time and energy.

When you hear the voices of wisdom and folly, which way will you go? That, my friends, is the biggest dilemma of our daily lives.