More Word to the World

Prov 7:13-14
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

The requirements of the peace offering are described in Leviticus 7:11-21. It is important to note that from Leviticus 7:16 that this offering was made voluntarily or as a result of the person offering the sacrifice to fulfill a vow made to the Lord. Also, in making this sacrifice of a vow to the Lord as this woman in Proverbs 7:14 said she had done, the person would offer only one part of the animal to the priest for the actual offering and would take the remainder of the animal home to eat that day or the next. The naïve young man saw two things before him. A beautiful and sexually enticing woman made an approach on him by grabbing and kissing him, and that image and act captured his eyes and ignited his passions. Secondly, as if in total contradiction to that, the woman mentioned that she had just completed a religious vow to God. In other words, she said she had just arrived home from church. While the hypocrisy of her actions and words may have been lost to this young man, we should not overlook it. If she was even telling the truth, she was saying that she had just left the temple, offered a voluntary sacrifice that indicated that she had taken a special religious effort that went beyond what was required of anyone, and now inside her house, she had this leftover meat that needed to be eaten that day. What should you do when someone makes advances on you who talks about their exceeding great spirituality yet demonstrates exceeding great carnality? Flee.

Prov 7:10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

We looked at this verse last time but will look at it again with a focus on the “attire of an harlot.” Our first impression of a person is influenced mostly by their appearance and speech.  John T. Molloy released a book in 1988 (Warner Bros.) called, “Dress for Success.” On page 2 of his introduction, Molloy revealed the results of years of research: “The way we dress has a remarkable impact on the people we meet professionally or socially, and greatly (sometimes crucially) affects how they treat us.” Depending on what kind of endeavor you are seeking to be successful in, you can dress in such a manner that will help move you toward that goal. If your goal is to get hired at your favorite business firm, you might want to wear a nice dress suit. A person wearing a nice suit will have a first impression advantage over someone who is dressed in flip flops, pajama pants, and a faded and holy t-shirt. On the other hand, a woman who dresses seductively gives a first impression of intent to seduce. We find that the woman in today’s verse definitely had that intent. Her manner of dress, speech and actions, made her intentions very plain and she was treated in a manner consistent with her dress. While this woman intended to seduce men—that was her profession—what we wear also influences how people treat us. A godly and caring person will not only think of their own personal comfort when they pick out their clothes, but will also consider how their appearance can affect others.

Prov 7:10-12
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

Remembering that our topic is what we should and should not look at, we have a young man before us who needs some help—he is in need of immediate intervention. Depending on whom you ask, you may get very different recommendations. Perhaps one of his young peers who sees things just as he does may wink his eye to his friend and encourage him on. I think the observer at the window (we’ll call him Levi) would have a different perspective though—one more removed from the alluring motions of sin that are attracting this evening street walker. Levi recognizes her as a harlot. He knows that she is crafty, loud, stubborn, unstable, unfaithful, and very dangerous. Let us give some advice to two of the characters in this scene. First, the young man needs to know that taking a second and lingering look at this kind of sexual enticement will bring him no good. He needs to know that God probably has a perfect and godly pleasure awaiting him in a less-hazardous marriage to the right woman. It is worth it to wait! Second, Levi knows of the disaster getting ready to happen yet he merely looks on and writes about it. What I wonder is why Levi is just watching this scene without intervening? We can also grow so used to seeing this kind of thing happen that we do not speak a timely warning to the young person in danger when we have the chance.

Prov 7:6-10
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

We left this story last time with someone looking out the window of his house and observing an intriguing yet ominous scene below. It was night time and just down the street from his house at the corner, a prostitute was conducting “business.” The window observer noticed a naïve-looking young man walking in the direction of the prostitute. This young man was simple. The Theological Workbook of the Old Testament describes “simple” this way: “The basic verb idea is ‘be open, spacious, wide,’ and might relate to the immature or simple one who is open to all kinds of enticement, not having developed discriminating judgment as to what is right or wrong.* Being open-minded is generally thought to be a good quality. However, for the one who lacks discerning skills, open-mindedness can be a very dangerous quality. As the young man approached the prostitute’s corner, this subtle woman met him. From the narrative presented so far, the young man has not yet gotten into any trouble, but the evidence presented appears to be leading to trouble. The simple young man who lacks understanding has taken a walk at night in a bad part of town and runs into a conniving woman dressed in suggestive attire. If the wise window watcher would only warn him of the trouble ahead. “Stop before it is too late!”

* Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.

Prov 7:4-6
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

With Mother’s Day approaching this weekend, when we rightly take time to honor those valuable and virtuous women in our lives—our mothers, our topic today could not be further removed from that upright and upstanding image. We are introducing the topic of the immoral woman, or as the King James Version identifies her: the “strange woman,” “whorish woman,” “harlot,” or “woman without discretion.” It is important to understand that this study is not an attack on women; it is not trivializing women who are broken because of abuse and trauma suffered in their past; it is not seeking to remove blame and responsibility from guilty men; nor ignoring the fact that the high majority of perpetrators of sexual assault are men. We address this issue because the Book of Proverbs spends a good deal of time addressing the temptation presented to a man by the immoral woman and describes the trouble that a man brings upon himself if he should “go unto her” (Prov 2:9). In a society where prostitution was a major source of employment and convenience, warnings like those found in Proverbs were well placed. A couple of days ago we looked at Proverbs 6 which ended with a warning about the woman who would take a man down with her eyelids. Chapter 7 continues the topic. It is interesting how that Proverbs also introduces a character called Wisdom, “thy kinswoman” and “sister”, who constantly advises us to avoid the pitfalls of foolishness. Lady Wisdom cautions us of the dangers of the strange woman. More next time.

Prov 23:33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Prov 23:33 [Under the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things [and loose women] and your mind will utter things turned the wrong way [untrue, incorrect, and petulant].  AMP

The main topic of today’s proverb is the exceeding quantity of troubles that accompany the consumption of alcohol. That is a topic that we will address more fully later, but in the context of our present topic, what not to do with our eyes, it brings up many other issues. People commit many stupid behaviors including criminal conduct while under the influence of alcohol. Today’s verse connects alcohol and sexual [mis]conduct. It is troubling that we can find on most days, an article in our campus student newspaper about a sexually deviant crime that was committed where alcohol was involved. These facts are common in most of those articles: alcohol consumption, late hours, left a party, went to someone else’s dorm, and sexual assault occurred. Proverbs reminds us that while drunk, “thine eyes shall behold strange women.” “Strange women” means, sexually immoral women. Keeping in mind that we are discussing advice to a son, the advice that comes out of all this is: stay away from alcohol for it warps your vision; it causes you to see things and to pursue conduct that you would not when sober. Much regret, damaged lives, and a painfully persistent felony record are often the end results of this dangerous combination. Stay away from it.

Prov 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

Prov 6:25 Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you. NLT

In order for a man to lust after a beautiful woman in his heart, he must first transfer the image captured by his eyes into his heart or conscious thoughts where he imagines a scene that goes beyond the brief image. It is in that imagination stage where the seed of sin is planted and spouts if it is not cut off quickly. Jesus said a man commits adultery in his heart by looking and lusting after the woman (Matt 5:28). If the man does not linger over that sight and if he takes quick control over his thoughts and imaginations, the transfer into his heart will not occur and he can escape the sinful trap.  Paul advised men to “flee fornication” (1 Cor 6:18) and “flee…youthful lusts.” That does not allow for lingering, dwelling on, or prolonging the encounter. End it quickly! Because Lot lingered in Sodom, he was nearly destroyed with it. The angel had to force him out of the city to get him to move away from the destruction (Gen 19:16). One way to escape the effects of an alluring image that walks before you is to quickly look away from her and look at another man nearby. It can be amusing to watch how he stares but at least it is not you captured by the sight.

Prov 6:25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

Prov 6:25 Don’t be tempted by their beauty; don’t be trapped by their flirting eyes. TEV

Beginning in verse 20, we see that the topic of this section of Proverbs is wise, Word-based parental advice to a son. By obeying this counsel, the son will be able to avoid the pitfalls associated with lusts. In today’s verse the son is advised not to lust after this beautiful, yet immoral, woman. In the next several days we will merge two related topics from the Book of Proverbs: what the eye should not look at, and the immoral woman. Before you fret about gender bias, understand that this body of instruction in Proverbs is focused on advice to the son of the teacher, so men will be our primary focus as well. However, a deeper analysis will also reveal that the sin of adultery involves two sinners, male and female, and we will study the actions of both as we move forward. The point of today’s verse is that for the man, this downfall starts with the eyes. Since men are visually driven, men must be very cautious about what they take lingering looks at. While the man cannot stop the automatic, involuntary glance that occurs when that beautiful woman first passes before his line of vision, he must follow up with diligent effort to control his next willful action. In order to “lust not after her beauty”, he must look away and quickly refocus his thoughts onto something pure. He must either remove the lustful sight from before him, or remove himself from the scene. The key to success is to complete this removal action immediately—without any delay.

Prov 23:26-27
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

While on the subject of the eye and what we should and should not look at, we have arrived at the topic of the lustful eye. Today’s verses supply an introduction to this topic. The wise father (which may have been one of Solomon’s counselors of wisdom, see http://bible.org/article/introduction-book-proverbs) counsels his son to observe him. This dad obviously had faced some lustful temptations but did not fall to them. He is instructing his son to follow his example and stay away from lustful engagements. If you are a dad or think you may one day become a dad, this is great advice. Your sons will be watching you anyway regardless if you do well in this area or do poorly. If you have a problem with allowing your eyes to wander to lustful images, whether in various forms of pornography or in the way you take lingering looks at women, remember that what you may think is a private activity often has a way of becoming known to others. If you can teach your son by example that you stayed away from those things, your testimony will be more convincing. Stop it now before you fall into a deep ditch of despair. We will take a deeper look into this topic in the days ahead.

Proverbs 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Proverbs 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

Wisdom is the predominant topic in the Book of Proverbs and we have seen it repeated and emphasized in many ways. In our current anatomy study we have seen that we are to use our mouth to speak wisdom and our ears to listen to it. Today’s verse tells us that we are to seek wisdom even with our eyes. There are many things we can consume with our eyes but among our top choices should be wisdom. So how can we consume wisdom with our eyes? How can we apply, “Let them [words of wisdom] not depart from thine eyes?” The easiest way is to become a regular consumer of wisdom by being a Bible reader. You can access a Bible from many sources. One easy source that my wife and I use daily is the You Version Bible app on our phones (https://www.bible.com/). They offer many reading plans. The one we use is taking us through the Bible in a year by reading approximately fifteen minutes per day. Reading with your spouse and/or children will improve those relationships. Reading alone will improve your relationship with God. Whether reading it alone or with someone else, the Bible is a great resource for keeping wisdom before our eyes and putting it into our hearts. And the best way to keep it there is to keep going back repeatedly. Make it a daily habit.