“’Let all who are simple come in here!’ she says to those who lack judgment” (Proverbs 9:4, 9:16).

This quotation is from two different women, Wisdom and Folly. They say it from the same place, “the highest point in the city” (9:3, 14), and they say it to the same people, “those who lack judgment.” The difference is that Wisdom offers food, wine, and life, but openly asks for repentance (9:5-6). Folly offers a lie which she presents as a free gift: “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” (9:17).

Wisdom gives life. Folly offers immediate benefits, which are “sweet” and “delicious”…  “But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave” (Proverbs 9:18).


*Excerpted from Being Christian. To purchase, visit ccmbooks.org/bookstore

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