Proverbs – Day 7
Scripture: Proverbs 7
My son, keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.
At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.
He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
at twilight, as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
(She is unruly and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)
She took hold of him and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:
“Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.
Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to what I say.
Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths.
Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng.
Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.
Devotional:
Are more warnings against adultery really necessary? Well, as a Bible author and the wisest king of all time, Solomon probably has a good reason for repeating his warnings and we’d be wise to pay attention! This time, Solomon uses the story of a foolish young man he spies outside his window, wandering down a street at night alone toward the house of woman who is probably wealthy and known to be of ill repute. Why is he out at night? Why is he alone? Why is he walking down this particular street? There is only one conclusion; he’s intentionally seeking out the attentions of this woman. Solomon probably was less making this story up, then he was adapting his own family tale, that of his parents, David and Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 11, we read the story of King David who, for unknown reasons, stays back as he sends his troops into battle. As a result, he gets bored and decides to take a walk late one evening. He spies a woman bathing, falls in love, gets her pregnant, then arranges to have her husband killed. As punishment, God allows the baby to die. Now married, David and Bathsheba conceive another son and, nine months later, Solomon is born. And you thought your family had some bad history!
We learned in chapter 5 that the best course of action is to flee away from sexual temptation, yet both David and the young man in Solomon’s tale willingly walks toward a temptress with her “smooth talk.” These men obviously did not think through the consequences of their decisions. David’s decision led to a cascade of lies, resulting in the death of an honorable and loyal soldier. Solomon says this naivete is like an ox being led without struggle to slaughter, to a deer willingly stepping into a noose to be shot, and to a bird flying directly into a trap. If I witnessed an animal give up its own life, I would think it had no sense or instinct. But before I can cast any judgment on David or the young man, God reminds me of all the times when I, too, foolishly walked into situations because they “seemed right to me” (Prov. 12:15) and I was enticed by promises of good things and ignored the voice of God telling me to turn around and walk away.
Key Verses:
“Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your kinsman; they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.” ~ Proverbs 7:4-5
Questions:
- Have you ever looked back on a decision and seen how easily you could have been trapped?
- What measures can you commit to that will help save you from walking into a trap of temptation?
