I really am fascinated by the woman in the Bible. I have a book right now that's a devotional focused on these women. Don't get me wrong guys, you all do some amazing things too, but I just never heard as much of the woman as I did the guys, so I'm making up for lost time.
My young adult Bible study is reading a chapter of Proverbs a day and focusing on some verses that really stood out to us. In the process of this, I had a revelation. Solomon refers to wisdom as a "she" for most of the Proverbs. He also compares Sin to an adulteress woman. Let me show you passages that compare Wisdom and Sin. It may help you understand more of when one is speaking to you more than the other.
Wisdom:
Proverbs 1:33-"But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
Proverbs 2:12-15-"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways."
Proverbs 4:6-9-"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor."
Proverbs 8:1-11
Verse 1, 2, & 3-"Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand....she cries aloud."
Verse 6-"Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right."
Verse 8-"All the words of my mouth are just; none of them crooked or perverse."
Verse 11-"for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her."
Sin:
Proverbs 5:3-6 "For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharps as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not."
Proverbs 6:25-26-"Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life."
Proverbs 7:10-23
Verse 11-"She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;"
Verse 15-"So I came out to meet you..."
Verse 19-"My husband is not home..."
Verse 23-"...little knowing it will cost him his life."
Proverbs 7:27-"Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death."
Proverbs 9:13-18
Verse 13-"The woman of Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge."
Verse 15-"calling out to those who pass by..."
Verse 16-"'Let all who are simple come in here!'"
Can you see a distinct difference? If we follow our own desires fully, we will only see the "drip of honey" that looks so appealing. We will ignore when Wisdom calls out to save us. She is persistently fighting to keep us out of Sin's way. Notice that Sin calls out to us too. Part of Sin is secretive and hiding, but she steps out as well and calls to the simple. How can you keep from being simple? Being simple can be avoided if we remember the constant reminders of "To fear the Lord is the beginning of understanding." Also, don't be the man from Proverbs 7:10-23...Sin met him in the shadows at her corner. He put himself in harms way, and she met him. Keep yourself from Sin. I find it interesting to think of these two as individuals...especially with this passage about Wisdom...it's too long to type out so please open and read your Bible:
Proverbs 8:22-31
If God could have a wife, it would be Wisdom. Ladies, whether single or married...read verses 30 and 31.
"Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." This is an excellent example of how we as wives submit and serve our husbands, as well as how we as the Bride of Christ should respond to Him...with sure delight in his craftsmanship.
I don't know about you ladies, but I know I want to be more like Wisdom: protective, honorable, loving, peaceful, supportive. I would rather have this in my life than the qualities of Sin. So men and women, seek Wisdom. Yearn for her, desire to desire her as instructed. She was in the beginning when God created everything, so she knows God. If we do so, our reward will be worth the wait and pursuit. I tell you...I will wait for this reward...hopefully someday I can be this "wife of your youth."
Proverbs 5:18-19-"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer-may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love."
Have a blessed week.
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