Wisdom is calling us to eat meat and drink wine(drinking alcohol NOT for all of us!), adult fare, not at all suitable for children. Prov 9:2,5
The ‘two invitations of Wisdom and Folly’ are outlined for us in Proverbs 9 and include some similarities but also huge differences and outcomes.
Both Wisdom and Folly have their own houses, both appeal from the highest point of the city(where the people can see). They speak to the same audience;
“Let all you are simple come in here!” she(both) says to those who lack judgement. Prov 9:4,16
What they’ll give you to eat is vastly different, Wisdom gives us ‘Meat and Wine’ mentioned twice for emphasis! Folly’s invitation, “ Stolen water(water keeps us alive, but it’s stolen, wine is for celebration, weddings) is sweet; food eaten in secret(has to be hidden, perhaps it too is stolen) is delicious!”
Wisdom’s invitation brings Life, while Folly’s leads to Death. Tragically many who refuse the Lord’s invitation to Life end up in death, often premature death.
The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. V13 Folly is often Loud, the louder the more people, maybe young people, who are attracted to join in but it can be a ‘slippery slope’ to misfortune. The invitation of Folly is really a Trap to ensnare poor unsuspecting people into a ‘house of death’, it’s only the Lord’s mercy that rescues many of us.
The last part of Wisdom’s invitation is a command;
Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding. Prov 9:6
We can’t follow two paths, we must walk in one or the other and Wisdom is the path to Life. I believe there is more to this invitation than the choice of Life or Death. Paul speaks of the Corinthian Church only being ready to drink milk(spiritual babes, still on first principles), not ready for meat of the Word and the things of God. Where there is Life we expect things to grow and for the Christian that should mean meat, not just going over the same ground again and again. We shoul pray that we may be able to, ‘eat the meat and drink the wine’ in the things of God, that we might go on to maturity in the Lord.
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Heb 5:14
God bless and keep you this day.