Proverbs 9:13-18

 Proverbs 9:13-18 (NIV) 13 Folly is an unruly woman;

she is simple and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

Here we are ending with Madame Folly, Lady Folly or Woman Folly. She is also inviting the simple but it's "stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious" and it ends with death, "the dead are there". She is idle, sitting at the door of her house whereas Lady Wisdom had built her house and carefully prepared for her banquet.

"She does not send forth her maidens; she does not stand in the streets and proclaim her mission. Vice has an easier task; all she has to do is to sit and beckon and use a few seductive words." - Pulpit Commentary

Wisdom offered the fatted calf and mingled wine to her guests; Folly offers bread and water. It is only attractive because it's forbidden. Adam and Eve found the fruit, from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, attractive because it was forbidden by God. The only fruit they were forbidden to eat, was what they wanted. And it ended in pride, disobedience, sin, death.

When the authority is acceptable to you, you will obey because you love the authority figure. You respect and trust the authority figure. But when you disobey an authority figure, you are rejecting the person in authority.  You want to be your own authority. And you will do exactly the opposite of what the authority is asking you to do.

1 Timothy 6:2-5 (NLT) 2 Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. 3 Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. 4 Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. 5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

Madame Folly will end in judgment and eternal damnation as will all who follow her. Woe be it to her and to any of her followers who cause others to go the same path:

Mark 9:42-48 (NLT) 42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’

"Her guests are deep in the realm of the dead". All who listen to Madame Folly and reject God, will find they are dead men walking and their companions are also dead. You may think you are at a raucous party full of people but, unless they turn back to God, they are dead people with hell for eternity. It may taste sweet for a moment but it will bring consequences you never wanted and will end in eternal damnation unless you turn to Jesus!

Madame Folly's house is but a facade. A cardboard cutout to make it look good. It's a fake because once inside, you will find the filth and depravity would make a hovel look good.

Remember, you can turn to God. As long as you are still breathing, you can repent, ask for forgiveness and seek Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. You can be saved. And the moment you are saved, the Holy Spirit will come and dwell within you to help you get out of the pit. God loves you no matter how sinful you are. He wants you. There is no sin that Jesus cannot forgive except the sin of refusing His invitation to be saved through Him. The only unforgivable sin is the sin of rejecting Christ.

• Can you think of an example of something that looked really good on the surface but was shockingly fake?
• Explain where the term "forbidden fruit" comes from. Why is forbidden fruit attractive?
• Has satan ever called to you, presented something that looked so good and fun, only to turn out to have bitter consequences?
• Look up synonyms for false and list them. Ponder on how it pertains to temptations.

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