We have been studying the women in the Book of Proverbs, this week. Solomon describes thirteen different women in his proverbs. Today, we are going to study the foolish woman and the fair woman which is without discretion.
The foolish woman – Prov 9:13-18 – in this passage we find several things about the foolish woman which should help us really understand her.
- She is clamorous – v.13 – clamorous is speaking and repeating loud words; noisy. She’s like a hawker. You get the impression that she’s talking all the time and yet saying nothing. She’s just filled with a lot of chatter.
- She is simple – v.13 – she’s silly, weak in intellect, and not wise. According to Prov 9:9, when a wise man is instructed, he will be wiser; and when a just man is taught, he will increase in learning. You won’t get wisdom or knowledge from a foolish woman. Contrast her with the prudent and wise woman. In Prov 9:6, you are to forsake her. Because of her foolishness, she will destroy her home [Prov 14:1].
- She is ignorant – v13 – she knoweth nothing. She’s shallow. Her shallowness comes from ignoring the truth. She won’t be instructed. She won’t learn.
- She is idle – v.14 – she sitteth at the door of her house. But she is in the “right” spot to be be seen and heard. She’s on display. Contrast how wisdom, personified as a woman in Prov 9:1-6, has worked diligently to prepare a feast. Contrast the foolish woman with the virtuous woman of Prov 31, who is industrious and never idle.
- She is seductive – v.15 – to call passengers. She entices men by her charm or attraction. She’s alluring and tempting. What she has to offer is what the passengers want. She’s putting herself out there. She wants to see whom she can turn.
- She is loose – v.17 – she offers stolen waters and bread eaten in secret. She lacks moral restraint. This is partly what makes her so enticing; she’s off limits. Paul said he wasn’t tempted with covetousness until he was told that he couldn’t covet [Rom 7:7].
- She is deadly – v.18 – the dead are there. In Prov 21:16, “the man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” How many young men leave the Bible and church, find a foolish woman, and never return to the way of life.
- She is evil – v.18 – her guests are in the depths of hell. See Prov 7:24-27. She doesn’t know Lord, Rom 1:20-22.
The fair woman – Prov 11:22 – the woman in this proverb is without discretion, so she is like a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout. She’s pretty, she’s innocent and she is gullible enough to believe that infatuation is love and that her boyfriend is really interested in more than her body. Therefore, she ends up in the wrong place with the wrong guy. She’s like Dinah in Gen 34:1-4.
Conclusion: you can be someone other than this foolish woman if you will follow what the Bible says about being a wise woman. You certainly won’t find your role models in Hollywood. And if you are a gentleman, know better than to get hooked up with one of these foolish women.