Folly is Sin

 Read Proverbs 24

Do not envy the wicked aka It’s back to Billy Joel.  I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.  The sinners are much more fun.

Why would we envy the wicked if there was not some allure to the way they live?  Why?  We bought the package—the sinners are much more fun.

The problem with envying the wicked does not come from what the wicked do.  It comes from thinking that they are getting away with something and we are missing out.

This saying of the wise—which is very much in concert with what Solomon has been telling us for some time—is that the wicked are up to no good.  There is nothing but trouble in their hearts and trouble in store for you if you desire their company or long for their ways.

The next few sayings of the wise are wisdom metaphors.  Wisdom builds a fine house. Understanding anchors it to the solid rock.  Knowledge fills the rooms with the best treasures.

What did people value in Solomon’s time?  Surely large herds of fine cattle or sheep or goats, but not everyone was involved in agriculture.  Everyone did have a house and this quip of wisdom describes the finest of houses and compares it to wisdom.

We have been through other comparisons such as silver and gold.  This saying simply uses the imagery of a house to convey the value of gaining wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  Don’t extend the metaphor.

Just understand that wise people fear the Lord and love knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and though not mentioned here, discipline.

The next saying shifts from the image of a house to one of strength.  What is one measure of strength?  It is surely the ability to wage and win wars.  Strong nations defeated their enemies.

You need strength but the best army can be cut to shreds without wisdom.  The wise leader maintains many counselors.

OBTW—those counselors must be as courageous as the first warrior into the fight.  Those who advise the leader must always speak the truth.  Tact may prompt you to speak privately with the leader, but sugar-coated counsel is treason.

To shift times and metaphors, a good counselor must be able to tell the emperor that he has no clothes.

This next nugget will be hard to swallow in our age of everyone is entitled to have a voice.  Wisdom says, except the fool.  The fool in the king’s court is there only for amusement.  He has no voice in matters of state.

Surely the fools need be given no voice in the assembly of God’s people.  The one who has declared in his heart that there is no God doesn’t have a say in the matters of God’s people.  We are foolish to give him one.

Here is an interesting saying. It’s number 24.

Whoever plots evil

    will be known as a schemer.

The schemes of folly are sin,

    and people detest a mocker.

I started with Billy Joel but will end with Dire Straits.

Oh, that ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Get your money for nothin', get your chicks for free

We have been down this road before.  Get rich quick schemes, trickery, bribery, money for nothing schemes are folly and folly is sin.

Let’s not wrestle with this.  Folly is sin.

Wasting time pursuing foolish schemes when God created us with purpose is sin.  It misses the mark.  It transgresses from the target.

In a life given to us with God-given purpose, living without purpose is sin.  Folly and foolishness and trying to shortcut wisdom is sin.

Sometimes we think of murder, adultery, and stealing as sin.  We should because they are, but sometimes we don’t think that just wasting our time amounts to sin.  It does.

Again, I remind you that rest is not sin.  We are designed to work and to rest.

Again, I remind you that spending time with God is not wasting time.  It is truly an investment in renewal.

Again, I remind you that there is no Sabbath to take in a life lived without purpose.

I believe that like the servants in the Parable of the Talents, we will answer a question when our Master returns.

What did you do with what I gave you?

I buried it in the ground.  I wasted the gift with which you trusted me.  I plotted and schemed but never put to work the gifts you gave me.  These will not be good answers.

Master, you gave me 2 talents.  See I have earned you 2 more are the investments that earn us a well done good and faithful servant.

To wrap up these few verses, the sinners are not much more fun and their schemes must not become ours.

We embrace wisdom, knowledge, instruction, and discipline.  We embrace the strength that comes from living in God’s wisdom.  We embrace living God’s way.

Amen.

Stolen Water is Sweet

 Read Proverbs 9

Solomon had more wives and concubines that we can imagine.  He also introduced us to many women.  He used women to personify the good and the bad.

The first was Lady Wisdom but he also introduced us to adulterous women and prostitutes, with warnings attached, of course.

There is another woman that we should come to recognize.  She is the woman Folly. She is known by her lack of discipline and lack of knowledge.

Those shortcomings don’t stop her from advertising.  She calls out to any who will hear to come and sample here ways.

She promotes theft and deceit and surely wickedness.

“Stolen water is sweet;

    food eaten in secret is delicious!”

Maybe the modern-day equivalent is by Dire Straits.  Get your money for nothing and your chicks for free.

There is an allure to getting something for nothing.  The sinful human nature causes us to consider how much sweeter stolen money or goods are than having to work for them.

Something for nothing—or at least not having to work for it—tickles our sinful nature and the woman that Solomon personifies as Folly beckons you to try her ways.

Folly is something of a crack dealer who runs a crack house for her customers.  The first hit is free.  Then you might get a BOGO—buy one get one. Everything seems good at first, but if anyone had looked around when they entered the house, they would have seen people who are dead or dying.

The writing on the wall proclaims death.

The wise would not go it, but if they glimpsed inside, they would say, “I see dead people.”

Folly leads to destruction.

The easy way is often the deadly way.

Minefields are set on the easiest paths.

Folly is a drug dealer and the drugs will kill you.

 

Amen.