The book of Proverbs to a congregation is mostly a collection or anthology of individual proverbs which helps to lead a good life. Otherwise, it calls to pursue “wisdom”, also wisdom is personified as a noble lady from chapters 1-9 of Proverbs. At the same time, folly also portrayed as a woman. In chapter nine, the reader encounters two women Wisdom and Folly.
In Proverbs 9, Wisdom’s house established on the “highest point of the city.” In ancient West Asia, the gods of the city had the license to live on the tallest spot in the city. Even in Jerusalem, the temple of Zion was the tallest construction at that time. This view verifies that Lady Wisdom stands for the wisdom of God and conclusively for God himself. In contrast, Lady Folly’s house too located “at the highest point of the city” (Pro. 9:14). Woman Folly also persists for the divine, however, in this case for all of ancient West Asia’s deities stood against Yahweh. There was a humongous temptation situated among the Israelites to worship gods like the Babylonian Marduk and the Canaanite Baal. Finally, the congregation has a choice to choose between Wisdom and Folly. In other words, Will it be Yahweh or Baal? The brightest people in the world may acquire tremendous insight about the world, even about God, and still not know him. The wisdom offered in the book of Proverbs is wisdom rooted in the personal knowledge of God. Ancient Israel confronted by this situation regularly between two choices Yahweh worship or Baalism. “It is a matter of life and death.” Proverbs 3:18 tells us whoever embraces wisdom embraces life. But the striking truth about Dame Folly is that she is a murderess: “her guests are deep in the realm of the dead” (Pro. 9:18). Who do we choose? Worldly money, sex and power or the life giver Yahweh?