He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Seduction Of Wickedness: The Danger Of
Ignorance: Prov 7:5-9
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,
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:
INTRODUCTION:
After emphasizing the
important role of God’s Word (7:1-4) in our quest to overcome temptation,
Solomon now begins a case study showing to us the danger of remaining naïve concerning
temptation’s method of operation ….
EXPOSITION:
5) That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.
By
God’s grace, as we properly hear, guard and apply God’s Word to our lives, it
will create a hedge of protection about us guarding us from the seductive
powers of wickedness (vs 1-4).
Please
keep in mind, this section of Scripture needs to be approached in two different
ways. First of all, it should be seen as
a case study seeking to warn us of the many, varied evils involving sins of
intimacy including…
1.
fornication (intimate relations outside
of marriage; the young man is assumed to be unmarried based on the definition
of “young” – vs 7);
2. adultery (intimate relations that break the
marital covenant; the woman is married –vs
19-20);
3. and, possibly, prostitution (payment for
intimate relations; the clothing she wears – vs 10)
But
this account is not limited to its subject matter of sins of intimacy. There is a far wider warning here that involves
any type of sinful acts….
Please
notice in this case study, Solomon is using …
1. a “strange woman” to picture any type of sin –
one that is foreign, one that causes to depart from path. How appropriate! Sinful acts are foreign to the character and
spiritual nature of a Christian; by partaking of them, the Christian is
departing from the path they should be taking.
2. her attempts to “flatter” are a picture of
the attractive nature of any sin. This
reminds us that the temptation to sin, always uses “smooth” words. In other words, it always appeals to the
carnal nature of man, saying those things which are pleasing to hear, promising
pleasure, happiness and benefits.
Therefore,
we can learn lessons about the harmful nature of both sins of intimacy, as well
as any type of wickedness that feeds our fleshly desires.
“[The words] of his mouth
were smoother than butter, but war [was] in his heart: his words were softer
than oil, yet [were] they drawn swords.” (Psalms 55:21)
6) For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
Solomon,
as a narrator is describing himself as uninvolved, only reporting for us what
is about to take place. Being an
eyewitness will lend us to understand that he is truthfully reporting the
events without “spinning” them for his own purposes and motives. He is much like a witness on the witness
stand who testifies to the jury about the events that he sees taking place.
7) And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a
young man void of understanding,
Solomon
is describing the one who is entrap and deceived by sin as…
1.
a simple one – an open, unguarded one
2.
a youth – a relative, an acquaintance (one that we should love and care about)
3.
a young man - inexperienced, and unlearned
4.
void of understanding – one with an empty heart, hollow within (describing lack
of the Word within their mind and desires)
Note
this description shows he is lacking EVERYTHING we are told to have in our
lives (verse 1-4) to oppose temptation. This
person is totally unprepared to face this seductress.
“The law of the LORD [is]
perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise
the simple.” (Psalms 19:7)
“PE. Thy testimonies [are]
wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the
simple. I opened my mouth, and
panted: for I longed for thy commandments.” (Psalms 119:129-131)
8) Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to
her house,
Because
he is unprepared and naïve, this young man is actually seeking this woman,
without any care nor concept of what will lie ahead for him. He is actively putting himself in a position
to be tempted and defeated. Why? Due to a lack of God’s Word in his being… he
is not warned, has no discernment of the nature of the situation at hand
(understanding), and does not have God’s Word applied to his actions (wisdom).
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a
pure heart.” (2
Timothy 2:22)
9) In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
He
goes at night, realizing he has no business there, trying to hide his actions
from the view of others. His conscience
is bringing upon him both guilt and shame, this is the natural reaction to
those feelings.
“They are of those that
rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths
thereof. The murderer rising with
the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. The eye also of the
adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth
[his] face.” (Job 24:13-15)
SUMMARY:
This
young man is inexperienced, and unlearned lacking the teachings of God’s
Word. Therefore, we find him
purposefully seeking out that which he should not touch and desiring that which
will only harm and eventually, destroy him.
What a sad story that is to be presented to us…. By God’s grace let none
of us be caught in this type of condition!
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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