A Tale of Two Ladies--Lady Folly Proverbs 6

 

In chapter 6, King Solomon gives his son three warnings, which will become a theme throughout the rest of the book.  

The first one is found in 6:1-5.  The son has made some questionable promises and loans to others, neighbors and strangers.  He spoke without thinking, and now he's stuck with a vow he didn't mean.  His choices have consequences, and Solomon tells his son to make it right immediately; waiting just brings more danger as the neighbors and strangers will demand he make good on his vows.  

The second warning is found in 6:6-11. (This may also be the first proof that the son was a teenager 😁😁) I did a quick list of contrasts between an ant and a sluggard in these verses.  The ant does what needs to be done without needing to be bossed; the sluggard can't even crawl out of bed without someone else waking him.  The ant provides for herself; the sluggard is constantly looking for shortcuts.  The ant looks ahead to future needs; the sluggard has no thought for the future.  The ant is wise; the sluggard is foolish.  Solomon is using this picture to warn his son that the way of foolishness is lazy and indifferent.  Lady Folly will lead him down a useless road, and he will have nothing to show for it.  

The third warning is found in  6:12-15.  In the ESV, the word in verse 12 is worthless; in the NIV, it's troublemaker.  He is wicked; he uses crooked speech and deceptive body language.  He is constantly planning and inventing evil from a deliberately wicked heart.  The consequences are calamity and unfixable brokenness.  

It's three separate scenarios, but the warnings are the same.  Solomon is using this imagery to drive his point home.  And I think we can recognize who it all points to--Lady Folly. 

In Proverbs 4, we learned to guard our heart, to put away crooked speech, to let our eyes look directly forward, and to walk straight toward wisdom and away from folly.  In Proverbs 6, we see the polar opposite playing out in Lady Folly's followers--prideful eyes, lying tongue, murdering hands, a wicked heart, feet running to pursue evil, a liar--one who is different that the lying tongue because the intent is to cause pain, and then finally a mob mentality sets in, where not even family is safe from the evil.  

Whether you follow Lady Wisdom or Lady Folly, it's a full-body commitment.  We are prone to desire Lady Folly, she's so smooth and beautiful and apparently has noteworthy eyelashes. 😳(Remember, this is a word picture, we are not caught up in gender.)  Lady Folly is about the affair, Lady Wisdom is about the marriage.  Lady Folly is here for a fling; Lady Wisdom is here for a commitment.  You can't play around between the two.  Emotional decisions have painful, actual consequences.  We cannot waffle between the path of Wisdom and the path of Folly.  They do not ever meet.  

We can't do this on our own; our heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.  So as part of our discipline and training to choose wisdom, we go back to the teachings of the Father.  Hide his words in your heart, tie them around your neck! Let them lead you and watch over you.  Let them preserve and protect, let them provide light and life.  Oh, how He loves us.