Wisdom Lesson 12
The Epic Battle between Wisdom and Folly - Continued
Reflective Reading: 9:10-18
Good morning, and welcome to part two of The Epic Battle between Wisdom and Folly! Thus far we have followed the eleven Wisdom lessons that the father has taught his son. We have watched the son grow up from a simple, foolish youth to a young man of knowledge. His last lesson is twofold—involving that of Wisdom and Discernment.
Previously we discussed that the first four Wisdom books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) were framed with the fear of the LORD and the fear of God. Why? Because you cannot understand the love of God until you understand the fear of God—hating what God hates and loving what God loves. The last Wisdom book, Song of Songs, begins and ends with love; the word love appearing over thirty-three times. As the son cultivates distaste for what God hates and a hunger and thirst for what God loves, he is now ready to pursue the greatest of all rewards:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is discernment (Proverbs 9:10).
True Wisdom is to know the Holy One. Who is this Holy One? Jesus, of course! By divine design the Bible is written to point toward Jesus, and the book of Proverbs is no exception.
Then who is Wisdom? In Proverbs 1:23 she claims to pour out her Spirit and make her Words known to those who repent. Wisdom claims that to find her is to find life. Wisdom claims to be the architect of all creation. Wisdom claims to be eternal. Wisdom claims that she is the chief pursuit in all creation. Wisdom claims that seeking her is more important than anything that could possibly be desired. Wisdom claims that “whoso finds me finds life and shall obtain favor of the LORD. But he that sins against me wrongs his own soul: all they that hate me love death,” (Proverbs 8:35-36).
Who can make these claims? Only God.
Does this make Wisdom the fourth part of the Godhead? Of course not. Don’t miss this important truth: Jesus is the power of God and the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Jesus is the Rock. Jesus is the Bread of Heaven. Jesus is the Door. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Water of Life. Wisdom is Jesus. Jesus is God!
To know Wisdom is to know and love God—the Holy One. If you know and love God, then you will not be easily deceived when Folly comes to you in the form of God. We saw this deception in chapter 7 when Folly came in the form of a strange woman who acted like she was searching for her soul mate. She claimed to be religious, yet her real goal was to open the door to adultery and hell.
Knowing that she has not been successful in her previous enticements, Folly is about to bring the ultimate deception to the son. By imitating Wisdom’s invitation to drink her mixed wine that she made and eat her fresh baked bread that she baked, Folly will offer sweet stolen waters and hidden bread eaten in secret. While these seemingly innocent indulgences do not appear dangerous on the surface, they are reminiscent of God’s warning in Genesis 2:17.
…for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.
The son must now discern if Folly’s invitation is a trap. Again, her presentation seems innocent enough. How can he tell that her waters were stolen? Why does she want him to eat the bread in secret? Good questions. Discernment starts with thinking things through and asking questions. As soon as Folly wanted him to eat with her in secret, alarms should have been going off! In contrast, the way of Wisdom is always in the light. This test of discernment should be easy for most, but those who are caught in the sin of what appears to be innocent “secret” indulgences, will in the end pay a high price.
All of the father’s teaching comes down to the test of discernment. This is what Wisdom is trying to teach the son: “Knowledge of the Holy One is discernment.” If you know the Holy One, then you can discern between good and evil—between Wisdom and Folly. If you know the Holy One, then your mind is stayed on Him; your tastes and longings are not for this world. And no matter how loud and enticing Folly’s invitation might be, you won’t easily fall for it. Notice her next assault:
A foolish woman is loud: she is simple, and knows nothing. For she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city (Proverbs 9:13-14).
See the similarities to Wisdom? Last week, Wisdom was hard at work hewing out seven pillars, preparing a meal, making bread, mixing wine, and crying out in the high places of the city for the simple to enjoy a feast. This week Folly is sitting at the door of her house, in the high places of the city, loudly enticing the simple to come in and enjoy a secret and stolen feast.
In contrast to Lady Wisdom, Folly knows nothing. She is simple. And because she is simple, she attracts other simpletons—for like attracts like. Notice that she even does nothing as she sits at the door of her house; Folly makes herself easily available in all the prestigious places (internet, Youtube, social media, movies, video games, spring break beach vacation). You have to give her credit; she doesn’t give up! What does she do next?
Calls passengers who go right on their ways: (Proverbs 9:15).
She knows who to target; those who are oblivious to who they are and where they are going. These are people who do the same thing day after day without any thought of why they were created and what they are called to do with their lives. As a result, Folly calls to them:
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that lacks discernment, she saith to him… (9:16).
Folly has two primary targets here—the Simple and those who lack discernment. The Simple are an easy target, but she is also after those who possess knowledge and wisdom yet do not have their powers of discernment fully developed. The author of Hebrews writes:
…for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:13,14).
Developing discernment requires constant practice. This is where life-transforming books and audio dramas come in. This is where our children need to see discernment lived out by godly role models. Developing discernment is a full-time job. If your children are around teachers and friends who display simple-minded tendencies, get them away from them! No one is going to care for your children more than you do. The litmus test for good writing is whether they possess Delight, Truth, and Wisdom. Of anything outside these boundaries, God says to beware (Ecclesiastes 12:8-14).
As if the son hasn’t had enough to face already, he must now face Folly’s most deadly enticement. This is her go-to, fail-safe temptation:
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant (Proverbs 9:17).
On the surface this doesn’t seem so deadly—but that is exactly the point! Notice that the waters are stolen. Why stolen waters? Sin is most enjoyable when there is a rush of adrenaline. Those who walk between heaven and hell think they are getting away with something. Wisdom warned about this in chapter 5—a warning to those who commit sin even while they are in the midst of the congregation (Proverbs 5:14).
Folly makes forbidden fruit look better than it really is. At first it is sweet, but afterwards it is bitter. If stolen waters are not enough, there is secret bread! Why? Because, she entices, it’s best to keep some things secret. “Why tell my wife?” or “Why tell my husband? It will only make things worse,” or “I don’t think I can ever tell my parents.” Folly knows that if the son walks in the light and exposes his sin, her plans for him will be ruined. To miss this truth is to reap a grave consequence. Folly is banking on keeping the son in his sin. She knows that if she can do this, then she will have her reward. What is her reward?
But he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell (Proverbs 9:18).
Folly’s reward is securing you as a guest of hell. Wisdom’s reward is you accepting her invitation to become a child of God.
As I bring this epic battle to a close, I would like to give you a glimpse of how this lesson means. The following structure is one of the most beautiful designs I have ever come across in the Scripture. The way God has written His Word is breathtaking! Take some time to study this structure (in the link below) and see how it means—how it communicates so much truth and places knowledge of the Holy One in the center, for Jesus, being God, is, after all, the center of all things.
As always, thank you so much for reading! We’ll catch you next week for the conclusion to our Wisdom Lessons. It’s been a joy to journey through these with you.
Blessings,
Dr. Mark Hamby
Regarding this epic battle, I would like to encourage you to read to your children or have them read or listen to the following powerful, life-changing stories:
Book and Audio
· The Captive (Ages 9-14)
· The Robbers’ Cave (Ages 9-14)
· Sir Knight of the Splendid Way (Ages 12+)
· The Haunted Room (Ages 12+)
