And she sitteth at the entry of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
Wisdom has built her house, set her table and sent out her invitation. Now a rival takes up position on the same street. She calls the same passers-by with almost the same words.
The folly of this woman is not low intelligence. It is indifference to God, and one commentator names who keeps it alive.
We must not think that this folly means a weak mind. It is the absence of care or thought, of heart or conscience, toward God — and Satan encourages it in darkened man. "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God,'" and so he neither seeks nor calls on Him.
She does not walk, work, or build. She sits — and she picks a spot where everyone can see her.
She sits in lazy self-indulgence at the door of her house, or on a seat in some prominent place in the city. From there she calls to those who pass by (vv. 14-15). She has no interest in maintaining a reputable household, but the opposite.
Her seat is a throne. That decides what happens to anyone who accepts her invitation.
These are the appeals of evil and of good. But genuine love acts differently. It does not invite us to selfish enjoyment. Wisdom prepares, and sends out to invite to blessing. The "clamorous woman" sits "on a throne, at the door of her house," and makes the one who comes the slave of her own lusts.
Set the two women side by side. One has real resources to give. The other has nothing behind her call.
Wisdom is not "clamorous" as folly is. But she does cry out and lift up her voice. Understanding is hers, and she has immense value to pass on from God and for Him, and no less to man. She does not sit on a seat or throne at the door of her house. Even more than folly, she stands at the top of the high places by the way — a cheerful giver who knows the ample resources for all who come. Not so the foolish woman. What house had she built? She had cut out no pillars. She had no animals to kill, no wine mixed, no table furnished.
There is a kind of wisdom she can still offer. One writer names it from the letter of James.
While this woman appeals to the simple ones, she has not true wisdom to offer them... What then has this foolish woman to offer? Is it wisdom to the simple ones whom she calls? If so, it can only be the wisdom which James in his letter warns us to avoid. "This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic," James 3:15.
She aims her invitation at people who are already walking the right road. That choice of target is the sinister part.
Clamorous, simple, and ignorant! Who would listen to her? But she will allure those who are not entirely careless. She calls those who pass by, going straight on their ways. Not the indifferent. She can let them pass on. They go on to judgment without her aid. She appeals to those who seek a plain path.
Wisdom sent helpers out through the city. Folly has none, so she does her own calling.
Wisdom had her servant girls to send out, and she cried out herself, because she was eager to win people for the LORD and to bring His warning; and she sought the highest places of the city. Folly had no such servants, and none of wisdom's generous provision either... Yet both are pictured making their appeal in strikingly similar words — but how opposite their wish and aim! "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here" (vv. 4 and 16). And notice that the foolish woman in particular calls to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways. What malicious pleasure to lead such people astray!
One writer reads this woman as a picture of the world itself.
We believe this "foolish woman" describes a world system where God's wisdom is unknown, and where people are openly hostile to God.
So what keeps a traveller safe?
If travellers who go straight on their ways want to keep going that way, they will need to close their ears to this woman's appeal. So they refuse to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
- Seated. Folly builds nothing and prepares nothing. She takes a seat in full view and lets the traffic come to her.
- Copied. Her words nearly match wisdom's invitation. But behind them is no house, no pillar, no table set — only earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom.
- Targeted. She ignores the careless. She calls the person already walking straight, because leading them astray is her pleasure.
- Enthroned. Her seat is a throne: whoever turns in does not become her guest but her slave.
- Passed. The one defence is not debate but movement — keep going straight on, and close your ears.
to call passers-by who go right on their ways
Proverbs 9 sets two invitations side by side, and both women call from the same street corner. Folly sits in public and calls out to travellers who are already walking straight — what does she want, and what can she give them?
She has picked a spot where the whole city walks past, and she stays in it.
She sits in lazy self-indulgence at the door of her house, or on a seat in some public place in the city. From there she calls to those who pass by. She has no interest in keeping a respectable home — the opposite is true.
So why does she call at all? Not for the good of the people she calls.
This is not the activity of love which seeks the good of those who are ignorant of good. She is loud, sitting in the high places, at the door of her house. She seeks to turn aside those who go straight on their way. She lures those who have no understanding into the paths of deceit and sin. And they do not know that her guests are the victims of death.
Her words are nearly identical to Wisdom's — the same address to the simple, the same high place in the city. What she lacks is anything to serve.
What house had she built? She had cut out no pillars. She had no animals to kill, she had mixed no wine, and she had set no table. Wisdom did all this with a heart that delights in good and in doing good, where the need was great, the dangers endless, and the evil beyond measure.
Wisdom sends out helpers with her call. Folly has none, though the two calls sound alike.
Wisdom had her servant girls to send out, and she called out herself. She was in earnest to win people for Jehovah and to give His warning, and she sought the highest places of the city. Folly had no such servants... Yet both make their appeal in words that sound very much alike. How opposite their wish and aim!
The phrase "who are going straight on their way" is the sharp point of the verse. She is not fishing among the already lost.
Clamorous, simple, and ignorant! Who would listen to her? But she will lure those who are not completely careless. She calls passers-by who go right on their ways. Not the indifferent. She can let them pass on. They go on to judgment without her aid. She appeals to those who seek a plain path.
Her choice of target is malice, not need.
It is worth noting that the foolish woman in particular sends her call to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. What malicious pleasure to lead such people astray!
If she calls people off a good road, she must be offering something better. She is not.
We note here that while this woman appeals to the simple ones, she has not true wisdom to offer them... "This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic" (James 3:15). Notice again, this woman calls to those who go straight on their way... What does she offer? "Stolen waters and the bread of secrecy." She may say they are "sweet... and pleasant." But anyone who takes up her invitation will find that her sweets turn bitter.
A free gift is the problem for a heart that prefers what it has to steal.
But wisdom's appeal needs grace before a man will welcome it. Her rival's invitation suits the dark heart of man just as he is. He enjoys what is forbidden, what he can only grab by trickery or cunning. He distrusts what is given free of charge, and cannot understand the greatest good as a gift of grace.
Since her method is a voice, the defence is the ear.
Do those travellers who go straight on their way want to keep going straight on their way? Then they will need to close their ears to this woman's appeal. That means they refuse to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
- Seat. Folly does not come looking for you. She sits in public on the busiest road, and your own route brings you past her door.
- Copy. Her call sounds almost like Wisdom's. But she built no house, cut no pillars, killed no animals, mixed no wine. The invitation is real; the table is empty.
- Target. She lets the indifferent walk by; they reach judgment without her help. She aims at the person now walking a plain path.
- Bait. She serves stolen water and secret bread. It tastes sweet only because it is forbidden. The human heart trusts a stolen pleasure more than a free gift.
- Ear. The traveller who keeps going straight is the one who refuses to listen. Those who turned in never knew that her guests are victims of death.