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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