August 9

Aug 9 - Today from Proverbs 9 we look at verse 13
"The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge."

The Teacher uses the literary technique of personification to better clarify the attributes of foolishness. Folly is the characterization of the attitude of foolishness in man. The first thing we note is that Folly is loud. She must be loud in order to drown out the voice of proper reason. People who indulge in an area of foolishness appear to be void of any semblance sound reasoning in that area.
Back in the early 60s, when I was at the tender age of about thirteen or fourteen, I was determined to take up smoking. I am not sure why. I guess because it was a 'grown-up' thing to do, and it was impressive amongst my peer group. This is the loud voice of folly. I never thought about the fact that I was lighting some mildly toxic plants on fire and intentionally sucking the tar-laden smoke into my nice pink lungs. The first few times I tried, my body fought against the notion. My lungs rejected the acrid smoke by coughing. My brain tried to signal me that there was something unnatural about this as I became a bit dizzy. But I persevered, and overcame the objections of my physical body. I soon joined the impressive ranks of the smokers in our society - but I still couldn't do it openly because it was against the law at my age and my parents would never approve of such behavior. Boy - talk about rejecting sound reasoning. . .
As years went by, the medical profession noticed that the majority of lung cancer victims were heavy smokers. They conducted controlled studies and discovered that smoking was not only the leading cause of lung cancer, but of heart disease as well. In fact, smoking was a very harmful habit to the human body. What a surprise for the unsuspecting public! Imagine, lighting a tar-laden, drug-laced (nicotine is a drug), substance on fire and sucking the smoke into one's lungs on a regular basis might be harmful! Who would have thought? "Get thou behind me, sound reasoning!" Fortunately for me, Folly was at my side shouting all the louder, "The Surgeon General be damned! He never conducted his studies on your body. Not everyone who smokes dies of lung cancer. You can smoke if you want." - And I wanted. "Thank you Folly. You're such a true and agreeable friend. You always have a way of allowing me to live my life the way I want."
Over fifteen years later, at the age of thirty, I met the Lord Jesus for real, and in His grace He delivered me from smoking. I don't know why me and not others. I have numerous Christian friends who truly love the Lord, and they continue to struggle with the habit. I can tell you this though, they regret having ever started the habit.
I use this personal experience only as an example. I do not condemn smokers - I still have my own areas of foolishness that I have to struggle with. It is so appealing to listen to the loud voice of Folly rather than the still small voice of sound reasoning which abides in every believer. The voice is that of the Holy Spirit, and one way He speaks is through our conscience. Our conscience is fortified with knowledge of God and is the source of discipline in our walk with the Lord. Folly is undisciplined because she either avoids or ignores the knowledge of God. As one develops such knowledge and discipline, Folly looses her voice and diminishes.
Folly entices people to live for themselves, and to live for today. Such people ignore the voice of sound reasoning. Reasoning provides for the future. The foolish either avoid thinking about the future; or, they believe that they are the exception to the future consequences of foolish living; or, they believe they can handle the future as it comes. They continue court and frolic with Folly as she leads them down the merry, carefree path of life. "But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave." (vs. 18). This is not only true of the end of their physical lives - but the foolish are actually the walking dead. They are separated from useful and purposeful living, and are spending themselves into nothingness rather than investing themselves into the lives of others, into the future - and even into eternity. As believers, we are to renew ourselves in the knowledge of God, and repent of dead works. We need grace to live in such a manner, and He offers abundant grace in Christ Jesus.