24.241 | THE WAY OF FOLLY | Proverbs 9:13-18 | God’s Word for Today with Pastor Nazario Sinon

God’s Word For Today

Text: 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.

THE WAY OF FOLLY

These verses depicting a folly woman are inversions to the noble and wealthy woman. [see v1-6] The noble lady mentioned earlier provides insight, life, increased learning, and longevity. This woman Folly, however, is seductive and knows nothing. She lacks understanding. There is nothing good she can provide but trouble at the end.

The ‘simple’ and ‘he who lacks sense’ fall unto her tricks. They are drawn into her house like an unsuspecting bird being drawn into a trap. She’s not content to simply wait for her victims. She aggressively searches for one. She goes through the town and sits like a queen in the town's highest places, where she can be easily seen and heard.

Similarly, it is not hard to find evil today, especially on the Internet. There is a growing trend of young viewership to porn sites. According to Josh MacDowell [2018], “the largest consumers of pornography are 12 to 17 year-old boys.”

He is captivated by her loud talk, superficial beauty, and deceit. She says;

“Stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

The imagery of "stolen water" and "bread eaten in secret" is meant to evoke the idea of something forbidden or taken through illicit means. Satan is the author of lies. He points out that God is withholding good things from us, so we should defy His commands and enjoy what we want [see Gen 3:1-6] This folly woman convinced the naïve that illicit sex is more satisfying than sex between a husband and wife, which God has designed (Gen 1:28); that his sin will remain secret. However, it is not hidden from God's pervasive gaze (Heb 4:13). And the ultimate result of sin is not happiness, but death (Prov 9:18; Rom 6:23).

Let’s ponder for a moment. There is nobody strong enough to withstand the urges of his flesh by himself. “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”[Jas 1:14,15] What are we going to do? Let us ‘ put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.’[Rom 13:14]

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