Proverbs 9:13-18 — Congrats on being tempted! Means you're still in the game!
READ THIS: Proverbs 9:13-18
13 Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, 15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way, 16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” 18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?
This whole section parallels what we read about Lady Wisdom and what she calls out (as we discussed here). They BOTH call out to simple people from a high point in the city. But, something that is very different about Lady Folly is that she calls out to the people who are going straight on their way...people who are actually doing what they are supposed to do.
If someone is already messing up, they don't often need assistance to continue messing up. There's a saying that goes "the devil doesn't waste his time on a lost cause." People who are already ensnared in sin don't need any more convincing to sin. It's the people who are trying their best NOT to sin that the enemy likes to target, especially with lies like what we read in verse 17. Somehow the enemy and/or Lady Folly tries to make sin sound appealing so that people will fall for it. If we KNOW it is bad, we often don't do it. We just need to convince ourselves that it isn't actually that bad...but what we find out when we finally convince ourselves of this is that we are walking a path of death. We are less free, less happy, and less in tune with God overall.
In contrast to what we read here, Lady Wisdom in the beginning of this chapter calls out to ALL people. EVERYONE needs wisdom. People who are walking along the right path need wisdom to continue refusing Folly's calls, and people who are deep in sin need wisdom to understand how to stop falling into the same traps.
THINK ABOUT IT:
1. Who do you listen to more? Lady Folly or Lady Wisdom?
2. What is something that you convinced yourself was okay even though you know now it SO was NOT okay?
TRY THIS:
Don't beat yourself up for messing up and choosing to listen to Folly and buying some lies. It is confusing and hard, but Jesus is with you every step of the way. Try reading this scripture from Romans 7 and seeing how much you relate with what Paul (one of the most hardcore Christians ever) says:
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
Comments
Post a Comment