A Tale of Two Ladies--Lady Folly Proverbs 7

 

Proverbs 7 begins with King Solomon, the father, pleading with his son to engage his mind and heart when it comes to choices.  He says to keep my words, keep my commandments, keep my teaching.  First in your mind.  Then he says to treasure my commandments, live, and behave as if the teachings are your most treasured possession.  First in your heart. Wear them like they are cherished jewelry, rings and necklaces.  

I've heard a piece of advice given--"Treat your girlfriend/wife the way you'd want someone to treat your sister."  That is the same advice Solomon is giving.  If the son would consider Lady Wisdom with the same  loyalty between a brother and sister, or a best friend, he would not be as tempted to "cheat" with Lady Folly.  Solomon says "Let me tell you a little story.  One night, I was up and standing at my window.  Through the blinds, I saw a group of kids--simple, naive--and one in particular stood out.  A young man, clearly senseless. He had no will power, no conscience; his mind was empty. (Ecclesiastes 10:3; Jeremiah 5:21; Hosea 7:11)  He goes right down Lady Folly's street, right by her house, in the dark!!  And right on cue, out comes Lady Folly.  For every bit he's NOT prepared, she IS!!  She is crafty, scheming, shifty, crooked to the core.  She is constantly roaming, looking for victims.  (1 Peter 5:8) She kisses him intimately. She says she's been to church and given her tithe, hinting that she's actually very religious.   She's been looking for him, prepared her bed, and don't worry, her husband is gone for a while. She's beautiful, but it's her seductive words that win him over. Then her plan for him unfolds--he walks into her trap, she holds onto him until his strength is gone, and then he's dead."  That is a very dramatic, and very accurate, word picture!!  It felt like writing the script to a soap opera (I would imagine, I've never actually done it.😂)  

Lady Folly.  We aren't done with her, we will see her and hear her call out to us over the next two weeks in places we may not have imagined.  But King Solomon, led along by the Holy Spirit, (2 Peter 1:21), has just exposed Lady Folly for who she really is.  She is trying to set herself up as Lady Wisdom, tricking if she can the simple, the naive, those who have no will power, those who hate discipline and despise teaching.  She's like Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness. The man is not her first and he won't be her last.  She's restless with searching for victims.   She promises a bed covered with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.  A "pleasant" place to commit prostitution and adultery while her husband is gone.  

Her choice of scent is not accidental.  Look with me at Psalm 45:6-8.  "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.  The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.  Therefore God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, and aloes, and cassia..." Myrrh, aloes, and cassia.  Cassia and cinnamon are almost the same thing.  But while cinnamon is bitter, cassia is sweet.  All three are used to treat a body after death.  (John 19:39) So while Lady Folly is doing her best to trick us and imitate the promises of God, all she has to offer is the bitterness of death.  Christ Jesus-our loyal Brother, Husband, and Friend-took the bitterness of death and now offers to us the sweet scent of life.  Keep this truth, cherish it like your life depends on it, and LIVE!! 💓