“Folly is a rowdy woman; she is gullible and knows nothing. She sits by the doorway of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths: “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here! ” To the one who lacks sense, she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty! ” But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” (Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭13‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

We have talked many times along this journey already that wisdom is searching for us. She wants to be found. She positions herself in places where anyone who gives even the remotest amount of effort can discover her and gain her benefits. But wisdom isn’t the only one searching for us. Folly is too. She searches just as eagerly, hoping to ensnare us in her trap so that we suffer all her consequences. Of course, she doesn’t sell it that way. Let’s take a look at this concluding section of Proverbs’ challenging opening.

The other night I was out walking and saw two young people walking arm-in-arm. Normally, I would say it was cute, but the guy I have observed to be trouble. My first thought was: why is a girl like that walking around arm-in-arm with a guy like him? What is the attraction of girls to “bad boys?” Don’t they know better? I’m mean, sure, the guys can hide it, but you can only hide character for so long. After that, the other person has to just ignore it.

For that matter, guys make some pretty dumb decisions when they encounter a pretty girl. We don’t often look any deeper than the skin, and downplay a whole world of trouble if the skin is attractive enough. Why would we voluntarily walk down a path everyone around us can see is foolish before we even get started on it?

There are so many times in life when we walk boldly into situations that are utterly foolish. A half a second’s worth of rational thought would have us turning—no, running—in the opposite direction. But we don’t. And, although we do sometimes wander into a place we shouldn’t blindly, only to discover later the mess we are now in, we march in with our eyes wide open far too often. It’s almost like the trouble is seeking us out.

Well, as it turns out…it is.

In this final part of the lengthy opening section of Proverbs, Solomon changes things up on us. Having spent so much time speaking with the voice of a personified Wisdom, and talking about the ways Wisdom is seeking us out, he takes a sharp left turn and brings us around to look at Folly, Wisdom’s opposite. He imagines Folly as a woman as well, but this time, instead of a wise and discerning woman who is looking to invite us urgently, but gently into a life of abundance and sophistication, we have a loud and brash woman who is just looking to party.

“Folly is a rowdy woman; she is gullible and knows nothing. She sits by the doorway of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths: ‘Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!” To the one who lacks sense, she says, ‘Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty!’ But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”

Look at these descriptions, and think about when you’ve met someone like this before. Folly is a rowdy woman. The foolish person is often one who delights in causing trouble. This isn’t necessarily major or legal trouble, but they live on the edges of acceptable social or moral behavior, and always with a smile on their face. They represent the kind of illicit behavior that seems like fun from the outside looking in, but once you’ve joined in, isn’t so fun the next morning. They’re often the life of the party at the beginning of the party, but the longer the party goes, the worse their ideas become.

The foolish person here is also gullible. They are taken in by whatever the crowds are doing. They’ll join any movement, especially if it is new or edgy, as long as it’s what everybody is doing. They live online and are deeply influenced by social media. Whatever the latest influencer they are following says is the Gospel truth. But the reality is that they know nothing. They’re clueless about how the world works. They are clueless when it comes to seeing through to the outcome of their choices. Their slogans are YOLO and FOMO, and self-control doesn’t seem to be something they are capable of exercising.

The trouble here is that for all Wisdom offers real life and lasting success and sustainable wealth, Folly offers what seems at a glance like nothing but a good time. Who doesn’t want a good time on occasion? It’s certainly easier to lay hands on than what Wisdom is selling. It takes almost no effort. You just show up and go with whatever the crowd is doing. And you have an open invitation to the party. Folly is there out front inviting everyone to join her. She is calling out from the high places to make sure she is seen and heard.

She is “calling to those who pass by, who go straight ahead on their paths.” It’s not just the troublemakers who get Folly’s invitation. She actively goes after everyone, but especially those who aren’t already caught up in her chaos. You may be diligently walking on a straight path toward Wisdom, but Folly is there to call you away from it. She is working overtime to get you to stop just for a minute and have some fun with her. Then you can be on your way.

Folly promises to help you know more of the world. After all, what could be a better teacher than experience? You need to loosen up and live a little. “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!” You’ll be shown a good time and learn about how the world “really” works. Plus, what kind of reward doesn’t come without at least a little bit of risk involved. When you have some skin in the game, you’ll enjoy the outcome all the more. “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty!” Folly is flashing lights and neon signs and the ever ready promise of a good time.

But it doesn’t last. Oh, it will be fun at first. It has to be or no one would accept the invitation. But the fun doesn’t last. It doesn’t deliver on its promise. It’s all show and no substance. And if you get suckered in by the invitation, you’ll soon find that out on your own. “But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” There’s nothing to be had there beyond suffering and death. There is only pain and heartache. There is only frustration and bitterness. Unless those are the things you are looking for, don’t set foot on Folly’s alluring path.