“It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one until you have read an old one in between.” No book is written in a vacuum. When we read books, if understanding the maximum amount of the information is important, then it is similarly important to understand why the book was written. The ideological assumptions of this particular author are summed up in the Torah. The Torah was the basis for all Christian thought at this time.
When most people hear the word Torah, they probably have no idea what it means. But when most Jeopardy contestants hear it, they immediately associate it with Pentateuch, and many would say that it is a synonym with the word "law." As a graduate of law school, I have a very unique relationship with the law, but I think it is fair to say that almost all scholars do not view the Hebrew law in the same way they view the statutes of the United States government.
Whether you are Dispensational, and view that the law does not apply today, or Covenantal, and view that laws pointed to Christ and are not necessary in the same way, almost all scholars look at this "law" as though it is no longer followed or enforced in the same way. One thing that is undeniable is that these laws are good, wholesome, and from God. So, if someone you for a word to describe things that aren't enforced as law, but are a nice way to live, a great word would be wisdom.
As we are looking at the wisdom of the Torah, Solomon clearly uses it as the basis point of where wisdom comes from. Solomon is proposing that this is the secret to Israel's success. He paints a picture, where two women are vying for our attention throughout Proverbs with worship connotations. Both of these ladies offer a path to wisdom through the allegory of food.
Lady folly is enticing sinners through the means of an adulteress. We know that adultery is evil, but this would be adultery from the groom of the Torah - God himself. And being unfaithful to him is not missing a word from a memory verse. The effect of the Torah is where it changes your life. While I am committed to Scripture Memorization, it is quite evident that the ratio of application to number of verse learned is not a mathematical constant. Some people may as well just memorize Shakespeare.
Similarly, making a singular mistake may make you guilty of the whole law, but it does not disqualify you from a life of following the Torah. When one's life is living out the Torah, that person shows an ability to live out a life of wisdom. This is why, Dr. Sam Horn once said, "The opposite of wisdom is not ignorance. It is wickedness." Someone who does not live and apply the Torah is, in fact, wicked.
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