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In Proverbs 1-9 Solomon spends a great deal of time telling us about two different kinds of women: Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly. We have already learned from Proverbs chapter 1 that we must avoid the way of evil men; we must also be warned that the way of evil has its seductive women. In chapters 1-9 Solomon has much to teach us about the differences between these two kinds of women. In addition, we will find that these two women personify two ways, the way of wisdom and the way of folly. Let us listen carefully to the warning of Proverbs concerning the wrong kind of woman.

A Contrast of Character

The most prominent theme of Proverbs 1-9 is the contrast between Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly. Both the way of wisdom and the way of folly are personified by women.  Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly are literary tools to teach the young man a lesson on two levels, the literal and the metaphorical.

Let us first contrast the character of these two women. Madam Folly is not a prostitute, but an adulteress (2:16, NASB). She “leaves the companion of her youth” (2:17). The one who is foolish enough to become involved with her must deal with an angry husband (6:29-35). She must assure her victim that her husband is not at home and won’t return for some time (7:19-20).

Madam Folly is godless and immoral. She “forgets the covenant of her God” (2:17). She is often called a “foreign woman” (2:16, NASB, margin), suggesting that her religion is pagan, rather than a vital faith in Israel’s God. This term “foreign woman” is also used in I Kings 11:1 of the “foreign women” Solomon married, who turned his heart from the Lord. Madam Folly is senseless and simple (9:13). She does not consider her path or the fact that it leads others to death. She is shameless about her sin: (4:6).

This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wrong” (Prov. 30:20).

Wisdom, on the other hand, is personified as a virgin, whom the wise son should pursue, and with whom he should seek a wholesome, yet intimate relationship. While a young man should avoid Madam Folly, he should pursue wisdom as he would the woman who would be his bride.

She is more precious than jewels, And nothing you desire compares with her (3:15).

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While Dame Wisdom speaks only the truth, Madam Folly brazenly proclaims folly. She does not apologize for sin or seek to excuse it. She flaunts sin, for it is because a relationship with her is illicit that makes it so appealing. Stolen water, she suggests, is sweeter than “drinking from your well” (cf. 5:15). It is sinning that is exciting to the fool, and she does not hesitate to capitalize on this.

Madison Avenue has nothing to teach Madam Folly. She knows that it pays to advertise. Her methods are no different, and not one whit inferior, to those of the most sophisticated advertising agency. She appeals to the fleshly desires of her victim. She offers him a sumptuous meal and a sexual encounter that matches his wildest fantasies. She assures him that there is no danger of being caught. She emphasizes momentary, short-lived pleasure, and minimizes long-range consequences.

Have you consciously analyzed the advertising on billboards and television screens lately? Everything from deodorant to dishwashing soap is sold by women who are clad in sensual garb, and who appeal to our basest appetites. We are encouraged to satisfy our desires now, and not to wait until later. We are given little plastic cards so we do not have to wait for what we want, and we are not encouraged to consider that month after month we will end up paying for something we didn’t need. Madison Avenue and Madam Folly both would have us live today as though there was no tomorrow, offering us short-term thrills at very painful and long-term prices.

Taking these two women, Dame Wisdom, and Madam Folly, at face value, there is one lesson we should learn: The priority of sexual purity. Solomon knew that there were few dangers greater than that of sexual impurity. He and the other writers of Proverbs had much to say on this subject. We know that this was the area of Solomon’s downfall (I Kings ll:lff.), as well as that of David, his father (II Samuel 11). Foreign women were a snare to Samson (Judges 14–16) and to the nation of Israel (Numbers 25:lff.). Sexual purity is a priority for those who would be godly and wise.

Proverbs remind parents that we should not be prudish about teaching our children candidly the dangers of sexual sin. Sex is spoken of openly, yet discreetly. If we have reservations about our children learning about sex on the street or in school, let us be sure that we do as this wise father did, who taught his son about the kind of women who should be sought, as well as those who should be shunned.

I am the father of five daughters. I do not have sons who need this warning. But the teaching of Proverbs is just as relevant to my daughters. If Proverbs instructs a young man about the kind of woman to seek and the kind to shun, it teaches my daughters the kind of women they should strive to be, by God’s grace. The world is reinforcing the model of Madam Folly. The popular movie stars, the glamorous models, the women who advertise–all are those whose moral life is sinful, and whose wiles and flattery are like that of Madam Folly. Girls are told that they can find approval by flaunting their bodies, wearing provocative clothing, putting on sensuous perfumes, adorning their eyelids, and so on. The godly woman, Dame Wisdom, is not the model our young women are familiar with. The words of chapter 31 have a foreign ring, when we read,

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised (31:30).

Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly are worthy of consideration by every man and woman who desires to be godly. Women are warned that they can contribute to the spiritual downfall of a brother in Christ. Christian women are instructed not to be preoccupied with outward adornment, but with inward character (I Tim. 2:9-10; I Peter 3:1-6). When Christian women are insensitive about their clothing and their conduct, they can cause a Christian brother to sin by tempting him in thought and action.

The Book of Proverbs is required reading for men who desire to be godly and free from immorality. Proverbs exalt wisdom, and it reminds us not only of the danger of Madam Folly but of the value of a godly wife (18:22; 19:14; 31:10-31). We are encouraged to find sexual satisfaction in the purity of a marital union (5:15-23). And when we find an immoral thought coming to our minds, let us give serious thought to what Proverbs informs us is the inevitable end of immorality–shame, dissipation, and death (2:18-19; 5:7-14).

The Two Women are Two Ways

Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly teach us valuable lessons in the area of sex and marriage, but I believe they teach us much more than this. In addition to providing us with instruction about two kinds of women, they personify the two ways of life–the way of wisdom and the way of folly. I will try to demonstrate five lines of evidence that indicate to the reader of Proverbs that Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly were intended to represent the two ways of life.

1. BOTH DAME WISDOM AND MADAM FOLLY ARE IDENTIFIED AS “WAYS” IN PROVERBS. In Chapter 1, Wisdom warns those who reject her that they will be “satiated with the fruit of their way” (v. 31). In chapter 2 Wisdom is said to keep a man from the way of evil (v. 12), which is expanded on in the following verses. The way of evil is the way of wicked men (vv. 12b-15) and the way of the adulteress woman (vv. 16-22). In verses 12-22 the word “way” or “path” is found eight times, stressing the fact that the evil way is the way of wicked women and violent men. Repeatedly in the first chapter of Proverbs both wisdom and folly are described as “ways” (cf. 3:31; 4:11,14; 5:21; 6:23; 7:24-27; 8:13,20; 9:6,15). The conclusion must be that Dame Wisdom and Madam Folly are not just women; they are the personification of two ways, the way of wisdom and the way of folly.

2. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN DAME WISDOM AND MADAM FOLLY IS NOT BETWEEN A GOOD WIFE AND A BAD ONE

3. THERE ARE NOT JUST TWO KINDS OF WOMEN

If Solomon wanted to teach us about women, he would have to describe many more kinds of women than just two. I once heard Bill Gothard remark that in Proverbs it was always the woman who was the aggressor, the seducer. I had the impression at the time that Bill concluded that this is the way it always is in life. I don’t think so. Most of the infidelity I have had the unfortunate experience of observing in Christian and non-Christian marriages has not been initiated by the woman, but rather by the man. I do not think Solomon intended for us to conclude that it is most often the woman that seduces the man. Rather, I believe Proverbs pictures Madam Folly as the aggressor because she personifies the evil way. While not all women seek to seduce men, Satan is aggressively seeking to draw men away from God and into the evil way. In other words, it is a woman who is the seducer in Proverbs because she, Madam Folly, personifies sin.

4. PROVERBS SPEAKS OF DAME WISDOM AND MADAM FOLLY METAPHORICALLY

Anyone who reads Proverbs as wisdom literature recognizes that much of what is said is not be understood literally, but metaphorically. For example, in 9:1-6 Dame Wisdom is described as a virtuous and industrious woman who has built her own house, prepared a banquet, and sent her maidens out to invite men to eat with her. Few people would insist that we should take this passage literally, in that wisdom really wants to feed men. The banquet is a figure, a metaphor, illustrating the bounty of what wisdom has to offer and of the universal invitation for men to partake of it. Why then do we feel it is necessary to take the bed of Madam Folly as always literally when we take the banquet figuratively? While we must avoid the bed of Madam Folly, is that all that the way of evil has to offer? I think not. The bed of immorality must be avoided, but there are many other manifestations of wickedness besides adultery.

5. following. Those who follow him, like those who follow Madam Folly, will suffer the consequences of their leader.

Madam Folly is not just a seductive woman, nor an immoral woman in general–she personifies a system that leads men and women along a path of destruction. Those who are on the way of folly do not necessarily rob innocent victims or willfully cause injury to others (1:10-14), but they do choose to reject the way of wisdom. They choose to follow a way that seems to offer them pleasure in the present while ignoring the future.

In the Book of Colossians, Paul warns the saints about being taken “captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). This system is false, first and foremost, because it rejects Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). It does not openly advocate violence and greed; it does not even promote immorality. In this case, this adulterous system seeks to establish human righteousness by asceticism and self-denial (Col. 2:20-23).

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using)–by the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence (Col. 2:20-23).

Satan does not care which lane you are in on the freeway to destruction. Some may choose the lane of violence and greed, while others may choose that of self-denial and asceticism. Satan will openly tempt some to commit sin and immorality, while others he will deceive with overly strict rules and regulations (of. I Tim. 4:1-5). The distinguishing characteristic of the way of folly is that it begins with a rejection of God, with a refusal to “fear the Lord” (Prov. 1:7,29). Satan allows men to be very creative in the way they go to hell. He does not care how you live, so long as you live trusting in yourself, rather than God, following your way, rather than the narrow way of wisdom.

Revelation was to fill in that outline; meanwhile, the bare assurance that one’s labor was, in some unspecified way, ‘not in vain in the Lord’ inspired a hope that eventually was to seek and receive a fuller answer.” Derek Kidner, The Proverbs (Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 1964), P. 56.