“By fearing Jehovah one turns away from bad.” — Proverbs 16:6
 

A Scriptural Consideration Entry

She stands at the crossroads, veiled in perfume and praise. Her words drip with flattery; her smile promises ease. And for the one wearied by battle—by loneliness, by shame, or simple curiosity—her invitation feels strangely warm. “Come in here,” she says. “No one will know.” But the wise can already hear the echoing silence in her house. It is the silence of souls lost, of warnings ignored. Her table is set with shadows.

In Proverbs chapter 9, Jehovah’s Word draws a vivid contrast: two women, two voices, both calling out to the inexperienced. Wisdom builds her house with pillars of truth. She prepares nourishing bread and mixed wine and offers life to those who accept her call. “Leave behind your inexperienced ways and live,” she says, “walk in the way of understanding.” (Prov. 9:1-6)

But just a few verses later, we meet a very different figure. The “stupid woman,” loud and ignorant, lures the naive with secret promises and forbidden indulgence. She mimics wisdom’s call—but what she offers leads not to life, but to the grave. “Those powerless in death are there.” (Prov. 9:18)

The danger is not abstract. It’s real. Today, Satan’s world markets immorality with ruthless precision. Images, stories, and voices designed to ensnare flash across every screen. Many around us have “abandoned all moral sense” and are “practicing every sort of uncleanness with greediness.” (Eph. 4:19) The wayward woman still calls—only now, she does so with algorithms and endless scrolls.

So what about us? How can we guard our hearts? The answer is not found in our own strength, but in godly fear. “By fearing Jehovah one turns away from bad.” (Prov. 16:6) It’s not terror, but reverence—an awe that moves us to act. It helps us to see where that road leads before we’ve even taken a step. And it gives us the strength to turn—again and again—toward what is pure, and honorable, and true.

Proverbs 2, 5, and 7 repeat this caution in earnest tones. The immoral path may glitter, but it sinks into death. “None who go in to her ever return, nor do they reach the paths of life.” (Prov. 2:18, 19) But there is another path. A narrow way, yes—but one bathed in light. It is the path of those who fear Jehovah. And along that path, no step is unseen. No prayer for help is unheard.

So when the world whispers to us, “Come in here,” may we instead hear the voice of wisdom: “Walk in the way of understanding.” May the fear of Jehovah stir our hearts to flee what is bad—not just because it is dangerous, but because we love what is good. We love Him.

After all, by fearing Jehovah one turns away from bad. But even more, one draws closer to the Giver of life.

He sees. He hears. And he blesses every trembling step toward what is right.

—The Watchtower, June 2023, pages 21-22, paragraphs 6-7