Today, I am reading and commenting on Proverbs 9-13.

I debated for awhile about what I wanted to write today.  I know I have talked about this previously, but I wanted to look at the way in which the writer compares wisdom and folly.  I want to start by talking about how this passage could be used to support the argument that the Bible, and in particular the Book of Proverbs, is misogynistic.  The writer says that “Folly is an unruly woman:”  If you read that without paying attention you might think the writer was denigrating women.  However, that overlooks the fact that he also anthropomorphizes wisdom as a woman as well.  In any case, I like the fact that the writer tells us that both wisdom and folly call out to people from the most prominent position possible.  Their invitations are the same,  “Let all who are simple come to my house!”  Wisdom does not invite those who think they are wise, she invites those who know they are foolish.  If you think that you are wise, you will not listen to what wisdom has to say.  However, if you know that you are foolish, but wish to be wise, you will respond to wisdom’s invitation.  Those who take pleasure in wickedness will prefer what folly offers without realizing that all she really offers is death.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.