Proverbs 9: Who is Wise and Who is a Fool?

We are responsible for our own conduct. "if you are wise, you are wise for yourself, if you scoff, you alone will bear it." (vs. 12) You either seek and obtain wisdom or, according to Provers 9, you get folly. The difference? Well we are are told wisdom built her house with 7 pillars (symbolizing completeness in scripture) and her wine was mixed which means she was upright. So wisdom is complete and upright. Wine at that time would have been mixed at an 8:1 ratio to be free of bacteria but not strong enough to cause intoxication.Folly, on the other hand, sat at her door with the came calling, but with the "forbidden delights of stolen water and bread eaten in secret". Well, as we all know, this is more fun and pleasurable because its risky, and sin is always fun - at first. If we are bing honest with ourselves we need to look ahead at what will happen next though, and it is never pretty.

Proverbs 9 doesn't only compare and contrast the above, it also gives another indication on how to tell a wise man from a fool and it's in how they take criticism. Verses 7-9 state, “ whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse; and he who reproved a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.” I love when the Bible give clear clues on who to stay away from and when the compare/contrast is so clear!

The Bible is there to instruct as well as give great stories - we would be wise to heed what God wants us to know.