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Two women have set up their houses for the simple and naïve.
They are “Wisdom” and “Folly” (Prov. 9).
They both urge the simple to come to them for instructions in the way of
life.
Wisdom says, “ Leave you simple ways and you will live; walk in the way
of understanding.”
But Folly gives the ignorant and naïve this philosophy:
“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” (NIV).
Wisdom sets up her school and Folly sets up hers next door to defeat the
teachings of Wisdom.
And guess who has had the most influence on the people of the world?
Folly!
Most sins are conducted on the adage that illicit pleasures are sweeter
than those that are legal.
On this principle are built all the adulteries in the land.
Eve followed this principle.
While she and Adam could partake of any of the trees except one -- the
tree of Good & Evil -- she wanted that tree because it was “pleasing to
the eye”, looked good for food and was desirable for gaining wisdom.
But what was its wisdom – “Stolen water is sweet.”
This is Folly’s teaching not Wisdom’s!
This is another proverb with similar teachings to that of Folly.
“Bread of deceit is sweet to a man…” (20:17).
Bread, food or material things gotten by deceit, not worked for, not
earned is sweet.
But the rest of the proverb warns, “but afterwards his mouth shall be
filled with gravel.”
Gravel is coarse sand and grit.
It will lacerate the tongue and gums and then lie in his stomach like
lead (Job 20:14).
Why is it that stolen waters seem sweet?
First, people may not like or be contented with themselves and thus
nothing they have is as good as what someone else has.
“The grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”
Second, some people develop an early core belief that goes like this:
“I never get what I want.”
Thus, if I want it I can’t get it.
If I have it, it must mean that I don’t want it since I never get what
I want.”
I have a hunch that this early core belief comes from either being denied
everything or on the contrary, given everything in childhood.
If one is denied everything, one gets the feeling that “I never get
what I want.”
If one is given everything one wants, then nothing really satisfies and a
belief is developed that I still never get what I want.
The 10th commandment says, “Thou shall not covet” what is
your neighbors’.
Here is the language of discontent: “I wish that man’s house were
mine and his wife mine, and his estate mine.”
Why does what he has look better than what you have?
Low self-esteem, feelings of inferiority,
and discontent are at the core of some of this.
This commandment targets the inner person – one’s thoughts.
The command against murder didn’t target thoughts until Jesus gave His
expounded definition by saying that if you hate your brother you are a murderer.
In the originial ten commandments, You could hate as long as you did not
actually murder a person.
You could lust as long as you did not actually commit adultery.
But this command forbids the lust and the coveting of what is not yours.
In reality it is saying be contented with what is yours and don’t covet
what is someone else’s.
Certainly it is lawful to work harder to gain more of what legally
becomes your own.
But it is wrong to want what is another’s.
Which philosophy do you follow?
Wisdom’s or Folly’s?
--- David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries