Avoiding the adulterous woman - Part 3

In this devotion concerning the adulterous woman we will focus on several things. We will look at some of the tactics that she uses to lead her victims into sin. And we will talk about the severe consequences that follow. Please open to Proverbs chapter 7 so you can follow along.

In verses 1-5, as in previous chapters, we see that cherishing the teachings from the Bible is necessary if the son is going to avoid sinning with the adulterous woman. He must treasure the sound teachings and think upon them both day and night.

In verses 6-9 the father observes unwise decisions made by a naive young man. He sets himself up for failure by taking a path that goes near her house. And to further compound the problem he goes near her house at the worst time of the day. So he increased his chance of failure by going to the wrong place at the wrong time. And verse 23 tells us that these bad decisions can result in the loss of his life.

In verses 10-21 we see her use a variety of tactics in order to lead him into sin. Her tactics aim at many of the physical senses and even include some phycological appeals too.

In verse 10 her tactic is to appeal to his sense of sight. She dresses inappropriately and entices him visually.

In verse 11 we see that she is rebellious and does not stay at home. If the young man had any sense he would not want to enter into any type of relationship with her. Even if her husband died and things somehow led to marriage it would be nothing but bad. Since her nature is stated  to be rebellious then living with her will be difficult. Also, if her feet don't stay at home then what kind of mother will she be to their future children. On every front this woman should be avoided.

Verse 12 seems to have some similarities with Proverbs 6:26. Both verses show her as a predator seeking her prey.

In verse 13 her tactic is to appeal to his sense of touch. She is aggressive and forward and grabs and kisses him.

Verse 14 may refer to the peace offering found in Leviticus 11. If so it would suggest that she would have food left over from the peace offering to serve him. So she may also be luring him by offering a good meal.

In verse 15 she uses flattery. She tells him how earnestly she has looked for him. She is making him feel like he is the most wonderful man in town and no one else could compare to him. A man is hard wired for respect. So words like these are absorbed just like a sponge and draw him yet closer to the trap set for him.

Verse 16 appeals to his sense of sight. Colored linens from Egypt were supposedly of very high quality and were costly. This paints an aesthetically pleasing picture for him. Additionally she may be enticing him to come experience a wealthy setting that is very comfortable. If he does not live this way day to day he may be lured by this rich lifestyle.

Verse 17 appeals to his sense of smell. She allures him with these appealing aromas.

Verse 18 appeals to his sense of touch and his sex drive. She describes only the benefits and not the painful and possible deadly consequences.

Verses 19-20  are very important. She tries to take away his fear of consequences. She makes it clear that they won't be caught. Her husband won't be back for a long time. And taking away the fear of consequences was one tactic the serpent used in the Garden of Eden in order to lead Eve into sin. We find that account in Genesis 3:4-5   ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it  your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”


Verse 21 shows that she did not limit herself to just one approach. Her persuasions were many. And flattering lips is mentioned yet again as a powerful tool she used to seduce him. 

Verse 22-23 uses words that refer to being trapped and losing one's freedom. It also shows that falling into sin with her will lead to discipline or even death.

Verse 24 once again shows one of the antidotes. Pay attention to God's wisdom. Keep thinking on the godly teachings day and night.

Verse 25 - The words "Do not" direct him to make a determined choice. He must exercise self control so that he won't let his "... heart turn aside to her ways..." Or allow himself to " ... stray into her paths."

Verse 26- 27 shows how numerous are the men that have been led into sin by this kind of woman. It  also shows the deadly consequences they experienced.

So to sum things up we see that many of her tactics relied on her speech and also her being close enough to grab and kiss him. So the son needs to avoid going near her. He can't go near her dwelling. He must stay out of her reach. He must also stay away from  her visual enticements and he must stay away from her seductive words. Instead he must guard himself from her by meditating on the wisdom in God's Word both day and night. He must think past the pleasure of right now and maintain a healthy fear of painful consequences and possible death. He must realize that resisting her will require a determined choice. So he must exercise self-control.


Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)
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Avoiding the adulterous woman - Part 2

In part 1 of avoiding the adulterous woman we finished chapter 5. The text we will be studying in part 2 is Proverbs 6:20-35.

In verse 20-21 we see a prerequisite for avoiding the adulterous woman. There has been a theme running throughout the previous chapters that continues here. It is imperative that the son pay attention to the fathers godly teachings. He needs to continually keep them in the front of his mind.

Verse 22 shows some of the benefits of having these teachings continually before you. Throughout the day you will have guidance. Even in your sleep they will watch over you. And when you awake and you haven't shaken off the tiredness yet they will speak to you.

Verse 24 shows that keeping these godly teaching continually before you will keep you from the adulterous woman and her smooth speech.

Verses 25-26 shows the need to resist the pleasant enticement that flows from her outward beauty. For she will bring you financial harm. She will reduce you to a loaf of bread. Verse 26 also demonstrates that she is a predatory female. She hunts her prey. And her prey is the precious life. In Proverbs 5:8 the son was warned  to stay away from her house. Here he has the additional warning of being on the alert. She will not just stay at her home. She will leave her dwelling and actively hunt her prey.

Verses 27-29 speak of the certainty of painful consequences. All those that touch another man's wife will be punished.

The man who is hungry and steals in order to satisfy his hunger found in verses 30-31 is compared to the one who commits adultery with a woman in verses 32-35. The man who steals is punished. He suffers severe financial consequences for his sin.  But even though he is punished  the community does not despise him. They are able to downplay the crime since he did it out of his desperate circumstances.  Similarly the man who acts on his lusts also suffers financial harm as we already mentioned in verse 26.  And in sharp contrast to the community's view of the thief,  the one who commits adultery is viewed negatively. He is despised. And in addition to his disgrace  he will also experience wounds. One obvious way for him to be wounded is from encountering the jealous man. He may injure him when he finds out that he had been with her. And the response of the jealous man could escalate beyond inflicting wounds. He may even kill him.

Here is a quick recap of some of the points in this chapter that will safeguard the man against this type of woman.

1. Continually keeping the teachings of scripture in his mind.
2. Knowing that she will cause him financial loss
3. Knowing that all who touch her will be punished.
4. Knowing that he will lose his good name. He will be disgraced within the community
5. Knowing that he will experience wounds
6. Knowing that he could be killed by the jealous man

Continue this study by reading Avoiding the adulterous woman - Part 3
Or go back and read Avoiding the adulterous woman - Part 1

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)
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Avoiding the adulterous woman - Part 1

In this multi-part devotion we are going to talk about avoiding the adulteress. In part 1 we will be drawing our text from Proverbs chapter 5. Please open your Bibles and make sure my comments agree with the scriptures.

In Proverbs chapter 5:1-3 we see a spiritual battle being played out in the realm of words. Through speech the father gives wisdom to the son that can prevent him from falling prey to the adulteress. But also through speech the adulteress tempts the son by her sweet, smooth, and enticing words.

In verses 3-4 we see the importance of not being a short term manager. If all he thinks about is the moment than he can fall prey to her wiles. He must think like a long term manager. He must look past the pleasure of the moment and keep in the front of his mind the future consequences. Embracing her will have a bitter end and one that leads to death.

Verse 8 provides a way to protect the son from her. Don't go near her. One of the ways this will protect the son is it will keep him away from her speech that can entice him and trap him.

Verse 10 provides an additional deterrent. Don't go after her or you will suffer financial loss.

Verse 11 again talks about being a long term manager. Don't go after her for the end result is that you will groan when your body and flesh are consumed.

Verses 15-19 provide a God given way to satisfy the sons desires and thereby reduce the tempting lure of the  adulteress. Through marriage the son is actually encouraged to take pleasure in his wife. And it is evident in this text that the purpose is not merely to produce offspring but it is also for mutual enjoyment.

Verse 21 gives the son an additional deterrent by making him aware that God is watching everything he does. And God who watches also orchestrates consequences for every man's deeds.

Verse 22 warns the son that sin itself can capture and hold him. Here is just one example of how his sin could capture him. He could lose his freedom through an increased work load. If a divorce occurs he could be forced to work a second job in order to keep up with the child support payments.

Verse 23 shows that the consequence of this sin is great. If he does not pay attention to instruction then he will die.

Continue this study by reading Avoiding the adulterous woman - Part 2 and Part 3

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)
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Some spiritual dangers in seeking riches

Some of us would love to be rich and not be in any need for the rest of our lives. But can riches, or even the longing for riches, hurt your relationship with God. The answer is clearly yes. The first passage we will look at is in Proverbs 30:7-9

 ⁷Two things I asked of You,
         Do not refuse me before I die: 
    ⁸Keep deception and lies far from me,
         Give me neither poverty nor riches;
         Feed me with the food that is my portion, 
    ⁹That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?"
         Or that I not be in want and steal,
         And profane the name of my God.

In verse 8 Agur actually prays that God would not give him riches. Why? Agur was concerned about how he would react if he was no longer dependent on God to have his needs met.  In verse 9 he foresees the possibility of  becoming full and denying God.

Even if we don't have riches, just longing after wealth can stunt our Christian growth. One passage that warns us about our growth being stunted is "The Parable of the Sower"  This parable is found in more than one Gospel but today we will look at a portion found in Mark chapter 4. There is no getting around it. Notice that  ".... the deceitfulness of riches..." is listed among things that will keep the Word of God from bearing fruit in your life.

 ¹⁹but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Also when our priority is to get wealthy we are setting up an idol in our heart. It can consume us and steal away our love for God. In fact our love for God can be replaced with despising Him or even hating Him.

Matthew 6:24

²⁴"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)
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