Read Proverbs 7:1-27.

Introduction⤒🔗

According to Greek mythology, sirens (or, sea nymphs) inhabited certain coastal areas of the Mediterranean. As ships passed by, the nymphs sang such enchanting songs that the sailors, drawn by the music, would jump overboard and be drowned. On one occasion the Greek hero, Odysseus, was on board a vessel that had to pass through these alluring and dangerous waters. Aware of the powerful allurement of the nymphs and their song, he ordered that he be bound with ropes and tied to the mast and that the crewmen’s ears be sealed with wax to block out the tantalizing music of the nymphs.¹

That is one way of dealing with the seductive nymphs of Greek mythology, but how are we to deal with the seductive allurements of sexual immorality we encounter in our present-day society? Let us turn our attention to this seventh chapter of Proverbs and heed the counsel our heavenly Father gives us on How to Avoid Sexual Immorality.

Don’t Go Looking for Trouble←⤒🔗

In Proverbs 7 the “eye witness camera” of Scripture shows us a “video” of a young man who goes out looking for trouble (vs. 6-9). He passes through the streets near the home of an adulteress. He intentionally turns in the direction of her house. He passes that way in the twilight, the evening, the middle of the night. In contemporary terms, he is “hanging out” with men and women, guys and girls, who are “sexually active,” (who engage in sexually immoral conduct). He is attending parties that feature a heavy emphasis on sexual activity. He is frequenting those nightspots that feature immoral entertainment, and guys and girls eager to engage in sexually immoral conduct.

Verse 10-11 indicate that trouble found him. She was “dressed like a prostitute,” (dressed in a seductive, enticing way), with “a cunning [or, guarded] heart;” i.e. she was devious, concealing her true intentions, not about to openly share her heart]. “She is loud and defiant.” “Loud” (or, clamorous, turbulent) here means to be restless, discontented; as is evidenced by the fact that her feet do not remain in her own house. She is roaming the streets, looking for trouble. Maybe she is neglected by her husband, note verse nineteen, where she tells the young man, “The man [her husband] is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.” “Defiant” means to be resistant to authority; some commentators render this Hebrew word, סָררַ , as “ungovernable.” She catches this young man and kisses him (vs. 13). Her behavior is very aggressive and shameless: she pounces on her prey and begins to seduce him.

Note carefully the terms used to describe this young man. He is one of “the naïve” (vs. 7). That is to say, he is gullible, lacking discernment and judgment; he has poorly developed faculties for making moral decisions. Compare Proverbs 14:15, “The naïve believes every word, but a prudent man carefully considers his steps.” The naïve (or, the simple) is aimless and drifting; lacking strong moral convictions and a commitment to Christ and His truth; he is easily influenced by the immediate, without considering the long-range perspective and consequences. This young man is further described as being one who “lacked sense” (vs. 7); literally, he is described as “lacking a heart.” There is little spiritual and moral sensitivity; either he is not aware of the potential danger, or else he is not concerned; note Proverbs 6:32, “He who commits adultery with a woman has no sense; it is done by the man who wants to destroy himself.”

How do you avoid sexual immorality? You do so by observing the tragic example of this young man and being careful not to imitate him: Don’t go looking for trouble. One of the purposes of Proverbs is to teach the naïve how to act carefully, how to evaluate people and situations, how to build their lives upon Christ and His Word, how to develop a long-range perspective, how to no longer be naïve. Note Proverbs 1:4, which states that one of the purposes of Proverbs is “to give prudence to the naïve.” As a Christian, you are called to become the opposite of the young man described in this passage:

Flee from fornication. Every other sin that a man commits is without the body, but he who commits fornication is sinning against his own body. ¹⁹Do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; ²⁰you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:18­-20

Flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Tim. 2:22

Don’t Fall for Seductive Words←⤒🔗

According to verses 13b-14, with an expression of contemptuous boldness on her face, she explains that she has offered her sacrifices and paid her vows. The sacrifice of peace offerings was an expression of peace and fellowship between the worshiper and the LORD.

But the adulteress interprets this as a peace to be sinfully exploited, a peace that leaves her free to practice sin without fear of retribution. God forbid that we should adopt her sinful reasoning and allow ourselves to view Christ’s saving sacrifice as a means of providing us with a license to practice safe sin! God forbid that we should be like those whom the LORD rebukes through the prophet Jeremiah:

Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, ¹⁰and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, 'We are safe'—safe to do all these detestable things? ¹¹Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.

¹²Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.Jer. 7:9-12

In verses 9-11 of Jeremiah seven, the LORD rebukes Israel for thinking that they could be in fellowship with Him and at the same time continue in their sins. He rebukes them for converting His sanctuary into “a den of robbers,” (i.e. a safe haven for robbers). In verse twelve, He reminds them how He allowed the temporary dwelling of His tabernacle at Shiloh to be destroyed because of the sins of Israel in those days. In summary, He reminds them that those who continue to live in sin cannot live in fellowship with Him; on the contrary, they will be subject to His judgment.

Let us ever remember that Jesus not only died to forgive our sins, but also to save us from our sins:

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matt. 1:21

I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? ²God forbid. We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Rom. 6:1b-2

In verse fifteen, we learn that the adulteress tells this gullible young man that she has been looking especially for him: she makes him feel special, as though he were the special object of her desire. She may even be indicating that she wants him to share with her in eating her sacred peace offerings, thus covering up her true intention.

Verses 16-17 indicate that she entices the young man with a sensuous, romantic, exotic description of the bed they can share. She has spread upon her bed soft pillows and exquisite coverings imported from Egypt, and it is perfumed with sweet spices. There they can take their fill of love, (literally, find ecstasy), “until the morning.” Note that the adulteress herself warns the young man that this is not a lasting love, but only a moment’s pleasure, it is only “until the morning.”

In verses 19-20 she assures the young man that they can get away with their anticipated act of immorality, they can engage in this night of sexual misconduct without fear of detection. They can do so because “the man is not at home.” (Note that she speaks of him as “the man,” as opposed to referring to him as "my husband”). “He is gone on a long journey,” that means there is no chance that he might come home unexpectedly and catch them in the very act of adultery. “He will not return home until the full moon.” In other words, it will be days before he gets back, and they will know by the phases of the moon exactly when that will be, so they can relax and enjoy themselves without fear of interruption. In contemporary terms, the adulteress assures the naïve young man that no one will ever know of their immoral conduct, they will be able to take the necessary precautions and it will remain their secret.

How do we avoid sexual immorality? We do so by refusing to fall for seductive words.

Bear in mind that disarming seduction is the ploy of the devil:

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the afield that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’ ²And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, or else you will die.’ ⁴But the serpent said to the woman, 'You shall not surely die; ⁵for God knows that in the day you eat the fruit of that tree your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, knowing good and evil.' ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired as a means of making one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it. Gen. 3:1-6

Bear in mind that God warns us that sexual immorality is not a harmless game that can be enjoyed in secret, it is playing with fire—and those who do so will get burned:

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things [i.e. sexual immorality in all of its various forms] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore, do not be a participant with them [in their sins]. Eph. 5:6-7

Don’t Lose Sight of Its Destructive Consequences←⤒🔗

Verse twenty-one reveals that with her “many persuasive words she causes him to yield; with her flattering lips she forces him along.” The Hebrew word, translated, “causes,” ( נטָהָ ), has the meaning, "to stretch, to bend, to incline." Note how the whole process of seduction picks up speed and intensity as it gets out of control: she begins by persuasively inclining the young man to commit immorality and eventually she forces him along.

As verse twenty-two indicates, the young man is far from innocent, he allows himself to be swept along: “He follows her without question, [i.e. immediately, without resistance], like an ox going to the slaughter.” This naïve young man is ignorant of his fate, “until an arrow pierces his liver” (vs. 23).

Verses 25-27 issue the warning:

Do not let your heart turn to her ways; do not stray into her paths; ²⁶for she has wounded many and thrown them down; indeed, she has slain a great multitude [i.e. she has conquered a mighty army; she is exceedingly strong, stirring up and unleashing powerful passions that can sweep you away like a tidal wave]. ²⁷Her house is a highway to Sheol, leading down to the chambers of death.

The message being conveyed is this: Where the heart is allowed to wander, the feet will follow, and eventually the soul suffers the ultimate consequence.

How do you avoid sexual immorality? You do so by never losing sight of its destructive consequences. Ephesians 5:6b warns, “because of these things [sexual immorality in all of its various forms] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” There is a present form of judgment and punishment: sexually transmitted diseases, broken relationships and destroyed families. There is a future and eternal form of judgment:

the cowardly and the unfaithful and the detestable and murderers and the sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars—their place shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.Rev. 21:8

Ephesians 5:7 urges us as Christians, “do not be a participant with them [in their sins].” Do not become involved with them in their immoral conduct and lifestyle, so that you will not join them when they receive from God the just punishment for their deeds. Let us heed the warning the Apostle Paul gives to the Galatian churches:

Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; whatever a man sows, he will also reap: ⁸the man who sows to please his sinful nature, shall reap destruction from the sinful nature; but the man who sows to please the Spirit, shall reap eternal life from the Spirit. Gal. 6:7-8

Conclusion←⤒🔗

In Greek mythology, Odysseus took precautions to protect himself from the fatal allurements of the sea nymphs. In real life, the Word of God warns us to protect ourselves from the fatal allurements of sexual immorality.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What do both Proverbs 5:3 and Proverbs 7:5b have in common? What kind of words might we, as Christian men, expect to hear from such a woman? See Prov. 7:15, 18, 21,

The lips of a strange woman drip with honey, and her speech is smoother than oil... Prov. 5:3

... the seductress who flatters with her words. Prov. 7:5b

I came out to meet you. I was earnestly looking for you, and I have found you! ...¹⁸Come, let us drink our fill of love until the morning; let us enjoy ourselves with love! ...²¹With her many persuasive words she causes him to yield; with her flattering lips she forces him along. Prov. 7:15, 18, 21

2. What “assurance” does this woman give the young man in Proverbs 7:14? How is she portraying herself by means of this testimony? Does she view Christ’s sacrifice as something that has now made it safe to practice sin? What does Scripture say about the view that the forgiveness of sins has now made it safe to indulge in sin? See Rom. 6:1b-2 and Titus 2:14,

I have my sacrifice of peace offerings with me, today I have fulfilled my vows. Prov. 7:14

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? ²God forbid. We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Rom. 6:1b-2

[Christ] gave himself for us so that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works.Tit. 2:14

3. What further “assurance” does she give the young man? See Prov. 7:19-20 What does Scripture warn us about the notion that our sins will not be detected, but can be kept secret indefinitely? See Num. 32:23; Prov. 14:14; Heb. 4:13.

The man is not at home; he is gone on a long journey. ²⁰He has taken with him his bag filled with money; he will not return home until the full moon. Prov. 7:19-20

...be sure your sin will find you out. Num. 32:23b

The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways... Prov. 14:14a

His sinful propensities will eventually produce a lifestyle of sin, which will become evident to everyone.

...there is no creature hidden from [God’s] sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we [must give] account. Heb. 4:13

4. According to the seductive woman, how long will this illicit affair last? See Prov. 7:18a What does Scripture caution us about the pleasures of sin? See Heb. 11:25; Rom. 6:20-21 As a Christian, do you take to heart the warning concerning the adverse consequences of sin? See Prov. 5:3-4,

Come, let us drink our fill of love until the morning; let us enjoy ourselves with love! Prov. 7:18

Moses chose to share ill treatment with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season... Heb. 11:25

...when you were slaves of sin... ²¹What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. Rom. 6:20-21

The lips of a strange woman drip with honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; ⁴but in the end she is as bitter as gall and sharp as a double-edged sword. Prov. 5:3-4

5.  How does the father describe the young man who succumbs to the allurements of the seductress? See Prov. 7:7 How does the father describe this young man’s conduct? See Prov.7:8­ 9, 22 What counsel does the father give his son? See Prov. 7:25; note, also, Prov. 4:23 As Christian men, what prayer should we offer up to the LORD? See Psl. 19:13 and Matt. 6:13,

I noticed among the naïve, I observed among the young men, a youth who lacked sense. (Prov. 7:7)

Going down the street near her corner, he went in the direction of her house, ⁹at twilight, in the evening, in the middle of the night, and in the darkness... ²²He follows her without question, like an ox going to the slaughter, or like a fool bound in chains goes to his appointed punishment... (Prov. 7:8-9, 22)

Do not let your heart turn to her ways; do not stray into her paths... (Prov. 7:25)

 Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it [spring] the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23)

Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me... (Psl.19:13a)

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil... (Matt. 6:13a)