Proverbs 7.1-3
“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Solomon is relentless in encouraging and admonishing us to hold the Word of God close. The Lord’s revealed truth should be THE central treasure of our life. The passage says that your eyes, heart, and hands should be directed by God’s truth.
The Word gives discernment to help you see with your eyes.
The Word gives discipline to help you think, feel, and choose with your heart.
The Word gives diligence to help you do things with your fingers/hands.
Proverbs 7.4-5
“Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.”
God’s Word and God’s wisdom is what keeps us from being led astray by the seductive strategies of those who seek to deceive us.
Proverbs 7.6-9
“For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.”
We see many people today behaving with sexual recklessness. They have abandoned God’s standards for sexuality and have adopted the world’s behavior patterns. They are “taking the road to her house,” that is, they are following the path of promiscuity and the spirit of the age.
Proverbs 7.10-12
“And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.”
Sexual misconduct is everywhere in Western culture: the street, the market, and at every corner. It is dressed up to be seductive, and it is sneaky, scheming, and streetwise. It knows how to attract your attention.
“Wily of heart” means, literally, “guarded of heart.” She is shamelessly revealing in her dress, but she is guarded and reveals nothing of her true motives.
Proverbs 7.13-20
“She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him, “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.”
The adulteress is aggressive; the text says “she seizes him.” Many people today have been “seized” by sexual sin and captured by the spirit of the age.
The seductress is so bold, that she openly declares that she has come from worshiping and offering sacrifices. This is a person who professes faith in God! The fellowship (or peace) offering is described in Lev. 3 and 7:11–21. There we see that it is a sacrifice emphasizing the communion one has with God and fellow worshippers. Only a small part of the sacrifice is given to God, while the most edible parts are available to the worshippers.
Leviticus 7 says that the offered meat must be eaten on that day. The woman mentions it to the man to entice him not only with sex but also with a meal. This is how shameless she is. She is not only engaging in illicit sex; she also blatantly disrespects the holy things of God.’
She promises the delights of love; what she actually delivers is death.
“With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.” (Proverbs 7:21-27)
Did you catch that? Did you get the warning? “Many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng.” The seductress is a deadly serious enemy, and to defeat her requires the full armor of God. It is a battle you must fight.
