13 The foolish woman is noisy; she is simple and open to all forms of evil, she [willfully and recklessly] knows nothing whatever [of eternal value].
14 For she sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the conspicuous places of the town,
15 Calling to those who pass by, who go uprightly on their way:
16 Whoever is simple (wavering and easily led astray), let him turn in here! And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
18 But he knows not that the shades of the dead are there [specters haunting the scene of past transgressions], and that her invited guests are [already sunk] in the depths of Sheol (the lower world, Hades, the place of the dead). (Book of Proverbs, Chapter 9, Verses 13-18)
Please reread verse 18, the last verse. Imagine the lair of the foolish woman. It may appear inviting until you realize that it is simply a vestibule whose entrance is tempting but whose exit is a spider hole from which victims rarely escape.
Why is the foolish woman out in the public places enticing others to come in? Why? She is a predator. She feeds on the folly of those she lures in.
Spiders hunt and capture prey. The majority feed on other insects and other invertebrates, but some of the largest spiders may prey on vertebrates such as birds. The true spiders of the order Araneae comprise the largest group of carnivorous animals on Earth. (http://insects.about.com/od/spiders/a/10-Fascinating-Facts-About-Spiders.htm) (All subsequent citations on spiders in this post are from the same source)
Did you know that “with the exception of one family all spiders are venomous?”
When a spider bites its prey, muscles around the venom glands contract, pushing venom through the fangs and into the animal. Most spider venom paralyzes the prey.
If you enter the pleasant vestibule of the foolish woman’s life, her venom will paralyze your judgement. Once the venom has taken full effect, you will lack the will power to escape. Then, begins your ultimate demise. The caustic enzymes of the foolish life will turn your resolve to jelly. The foolish woman will have but to suck in all you have worked for, all your future promise, and absorb it for her sustenance.
Before a spider can eat its prey, it must turn the meal into a liquid form. The spider exudes digestive enzymes from its sucking stomach onto the victim’s body. Once the enzymes break down the tissues of the prey, it sucks up the liquefied remains, along with the digestive enzymes. The meal then passes to the spider’s midgut, where nutrient absorption occurs.
The foolish woman targets all genders, luring them close, catching them, paralyzing them, and consuming them. However, if you are a male, be particularly wary. In your quest for female companionship you may be placing your life at risk.
A hungry female may consume any invertebrate that comes along, including her suitors. Male spiders often use courtship rituals to identify themselves as mates and not meals. Jumping spiders perform elaborate dances from a safe distance and wait for a female’s approval before approaching. Male orb weavers(and other web-building species) position themselves on the outer edge of the female’s web, and gently pluck a thread to transmit a vibration. They wait for a sign that the female is receptive before venturing closer.
So what’s the take away on this extended analogy? Seek wisdom as your companion. Folly may be fun at first but ultimately it is painful, deadly, and above all a tragic lose of promise and potential.
