A Tale of Two Ladies--"May I Present...Lady Wisdom & Lady Folly!" Proverbs 9:1-6; Proverbs 9:13-18

 

In my mind when I make these introductions, I'm picturing a boxing ring.  "In this corner, wearing a wreath and pendants---Lady Wisdom! And in this corner, dressed as a prostitute---Lady Folly!"  The typical good girl/bad girl contest, wisdom and folly personified.  

I did a Bible study exactly two years ago on Proverbs, and this is how they explained the difference between these two "ladies".  Folly is doing what is right in our own eyes.  Wisdom is living God's way in God's world.  None of us inherently know wisdom's voice.  None of us are exempt from the allure of folly.  

We will see them both, presenting their cases in various areas of our daily lives...in our conversations, in our finances, in our relationships, and in our actions.  They will call out, making their case of why we should follow their advice. We will spend the next two weeks fine-tuning our listening skills, so when they call--and they both do--we will know which one to follow.  (Proverbs 1:21 and Proverbs 9:15) 

 

The book of Proverbs is poetry.  It's a book of principles, not promises.  Proverbs can seem repetitive and redundant.  It's because we forget and we falter and we fail.  And in His stubborn, unwavering, patient, loyal love for us, God repeats and repeats and repeats.   Wisdom--the fear of the LORD--is both the template and the trophy.  So we will look for her first!!!! 💓💓💓