Proverbs 9:13-18 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 9:13-18, which read,

v.13-15 - The woman of folly is boisterous, she is naive and knows nothing.  She sits at the doorway of her house, on a seat by the high places of the city, calling to those who pass by, who are making their paths straight:...

The side by side comparison is given by Solomon to his sons so that they can know the characteristics and actions of a person who is foolish.  The first description is "boisterous."  A boisterous person is one who growls or murmurs in a negative way.  She positions herself in a place to be heard like the doorway of her house to those passing by on the street or the high places of the city where her voice would carry over a crowd that has gathered there.  Position is key to getting out this negative, growling message.

She is calling out to those who are making their paths straight.  She is calling out against those who are doing the right thing.  She is calling out to those who are upright and lawful.  Why would she be calling out to these type of people and what is she growling at them?

v.16, 17 - ..."Whoever is naive, let him turn in here."  And to him who lacks understanding she says, "Stolen water is sweet; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

There is an invitation to leave the straight path.  Obviously if you are on the straight path then you are missing out on something.  What you are missing out on is sin and the effects of it so she will dress that sin up as something attractive.  She says it is sweet and pleasant.

The temptation to sin has been an invitation of Satan from the Garden of Eden.  Satan as the serpent gave an invitation to Eve to leave the straight path.  She must have been missing out on something if she could not eat from this tree.  He wanted her to eat something that was stolen and that no one would know because God wasn't around at the moment to see her eat it.  We know that not to be true about God but the scheme of the Satan is to get us to act against what God has said.  He will shine up that piece of fruit, sin, to make it look so good and promise you that nothing will come of partaking of it but good to you.  The foolish are already eating of the tree so the call is going out to those who are not.

v.18 - But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Those who are on the straight path need to be reminded that sin leads to death.  Those who participate in sin and follow after Satan will end up where he will end up.  Those who turn in to her invitation will soon find out that the direction this is going and another decision will be fast on their heels to stay or make an about face.  God was in the garden calling out to Adam and Eve and questioning them about their daily activities that day.  He was pressing them with the truth but they continued to follow the ways of Satan by pointing the finger at each other and at God Himself.  

That is a crucial moment when you realize that you have fallen for a scheme of Satan and eaten something of sin that you should not have.  You are at that point to go deeper and linger or turn around and repent.  Know from wisdom that sin never leads to life and never brings you back around to life.  It is not in its DNA to produce that result.  Only repentance puts you back on the path that is straight.  Only returning to what God says and obedience to it puts you back in step with Him.  

Maybe you are at that point this morning.  You have accepted the invitation to sin and have gone against what God has said.  You see where this is headed.  In a way it was sweet and pleasant to you at the moment but it has consequences that harmful to you down the road and harmful effects to others around you.  What will you do?  God is walking in your garden right now calling out to you and you will either point fingers at others or even at Him or you will find your way to your knees to bow to His wisdom.  God's sweet and pleasant is not temporal but everlasting and it is not harmful but helpful to all.  Let's pray.

"Lord, another chapter to look at the destruction of answering the call of the foolish who are yelling at us to follow Satan's ways instead of Yours.  Help us to see through the schemes that look so good.  Help us to look at You and what You say and also at the others You have placed around us so that we know that Your command of us to love them will not be fulfilled by this action.  May we desire what truly is sweet and pleasant to us and others that comes from You and leads to life.  Amen."

Pastor Adam