Going Up or Down?/Think About it

Remember your first taste of independence?
Did it come to you with your driver's license? How about when you headed off to college? Or, maybe it was on the day you moved out of your parent's house and into your first apartment?

Now imagine going back to that place, with the knowledge you have now about the world and all that's in it. What advice would you give yourself? How would you describe the journey ahead? What would you say about the choices that lay in front of you? And how would you do it in a way that would make an impression?

That was the task before Solomon as he penned Proverbs. How could he warn young men against one life direction that is so seductive (yet harmful) and at the same time encourage young men to follow a different path that is so much more rewarding even though it may seem harder and less appealing?

As he introduces young men to wisdom and foolishness, Solomon paints a picture of two roads--one that continuously goes up, leading to a bright future. The other one goes down in a death spiral to a very dark place.

Got your attention? I believe that's what Solomon had in mind. He speaks in stark contrasts between the road called Wisdom and the downward trail called Folly. The first is light and life. The second is darkness and death, literally.

It doesn't always seem that way in real life, though, at least not on the surface. After all, look at Hugh Hefner. He seems to be having the time of his life. Yet, from an eternal perspective, he's a dead man walking.

So what Solomon is trying to give his pupils are "eternal eyes." Not an easy task. But let's learn by watching him do it. We've already talked the past two weeks about the choice between Wisdom and Folly. What I want to cover this week are the very distinct outcomes of walking each path that Solomon outlines to his students.

It's like walking through a field and without even trying you pick up all manner of seeds that attach themselves to your pants and shoes. The same thing happens as you walk these two very different roads. Each road yields very specific consequences in a life.

As we study the outcomes, maybe you'll recognize something that's been happening in your life. And in the process determine you may have strayed onto the wrong road.

A Picture of Wisdom/Go Deep

Foolishness also is a woman, according to Solomon.
Her name is Folly (Proverbs 9:13). She is, of course, vastly different from the lady Wisdom.

Let's start by looking at her place. Like Wisdom, Folly is in a highly visible location; but unlike Wisdom, notice that Folly is not in the public square. Her house is on a side street.

She can see the main street from her vantage point. But she dares not go near it. Instead, she boisterously calls out to people who are walking a straight path, hoping to entice them and divert them to her crooked ways.

Instead of engaging people in the productive pursuits of life--like meaningful relationships, just governmental affairs, or honorable civic or professional duties--Folly offers diversion.

Secondly, notice Folly's posture. She's sitting (verse 14). Folly eschews hard work, because she is undisciplined. And she lacks knowledge, because that would just crimp her pursuit of pleasure.

The thing she does that most closely resembles work is the sales job she applies as she recruits cohorts—people who will buy into her “live for today” philosophy.

That's the third characteristic I want you to note--her pitch. Notice that she doesn't sell based on the benefits of her product. Benefits are the long-term rewards (or values) that are gained by taking advantage of a product or service.

Folly can't afford to talk about the outcomes of her types of diversions, because they are disastrous and of no value in the long run. Instead, she promotes the short-term pleasures, the instant gratification, the excitement of trying something forbidden.

Folly is like the prostitute that sells the sex, while failing to mention the sexually transmitted diseases and the broken relationships. Or like the drug dealer that sells the high, but skips the part about brain damage, addiction and jail time. And yet, she seems to be quite convincing.

Solomon describes Folly (as he did Wisdom) as if observing her from a high vantage point, somewhat detached. From there, it's easy to see the problem with following Folly.

But, what happens if you're at eye level, in the thick of the battle so to speak? Will you clearly see the truth of Folly's place, posture, and pitch? Or will you divert from the straight path?