Wisdom And Folly

Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city. “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding. (Proverbs 9:1-6)

                 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious! (Proverbs 9:14-17)

I wanted to make very sure that I put these verses in marked juxtaposition.

Wisdom	Folly
Builds her house
Prepared her meat and mixed her wine
Sent out her maids
Calls from the highest point of the city	Sits at the door of her house on a seat at the highest point of the city calling out to those who pass by
“Let all who are simple come in here!”	“Let all who are simple come in here!”
Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.”	“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious”
Leave your simple ways and you will live. Walk in the way of understanding

That is what the verses say. Now, let’s consider what they mean. Wisdom builds her house. She either owns it, or at least has considerable interest in it.  We don’t know where it is, just that it is. Folly has a house, but we aren’t told anything about her relationship with it. All we’re told is that it is at the highest point of the city.  I suspect that’s the high rent district. I’m not saying anything against renters. It’s just one piece of the puzzle.

Wisdom prepares a meal using her meat and wine. Folly doesn’t prepare. Wisdom send out her maids. Folly doesn’t. She may have them, but they aren’t dispatched.    

Now we come to the interesting party. Both wisdom and folly call from the highest point of the city, and they begin with the same message. I have no doubt that both think they are offering the very best thing they can to those who listen. That’s what we face in our society today, both wisdom and folly start out sounding alike. They both make offers to benefit the hearers.

But that is where the similarities end. Wisdom offers her food and wine that she mixed. Folly offers water that doesn’t belong to her, and food that must for some reason be eaten where no one else can see. This, too, sounds familiar. Lots of people are generous with other people’s money. They think it entirely right that they should decide how much money someone else should be allowed to keep, and anything beyond that, well, they will find uses for it.

The next interesting thing is that Wisdom tells those who come to her to leave their simple ways and walk in the way of understanding. Folly, on the other hand, doesn’t have any suggestions that might be thought critical of those who come to her. Hers is the “inclusive” call, not because Wisdom doesn’t welcome everyone, but because Wisdom challenges those who come to her. There are people who reject wisdom just because she does challenge our thinking. It’s not that they (or others) can’t meet those challenges. Some people seem to think it wrong to issue challenges. Everything must be at the lowest possible level. Everything must be provided for those who can’t or won’t meet the challenge. That’s why stolen water is sweet.