One of Satan’s weapons is falsehood. He deceives his victims, making them perceive nonexistent realities and experience unfelt emotions. Through his lies, Satan implants illusions in minds. He doesn’t initiate his destructive influence in a young man’s life until he has effectively and completely obscured and closed off the young man’s mind with falsehoods.
(We’re by the way continuing the teaching that we began a few weeks ago.)
We concluded the series from last time by saying this:
Young man’s “own God-given sexual desires, not anchored and held by the word of God, bring him no joy. Instead, they only lead him closer to his demise.”
Last time, we observed an immature young man, disconnected from the word of God, passing by the house of a promiscuous woman (Proverbs 7:6-9).
When?
In the twilight! In the evening!
Why?
He believes that darkness conceals him from both man and God. While darkness may indeed obscure one’s presence from another human being, it does not hide one from God, as the word of God says,
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12 ESV
Darkness whispers to the young man, “Now you’re free! No one sees or knows you! I will cover you!” Yielding to this deception, the young man persisted on his journey. Let’s examine what transpired along his path:
“And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.” Proverbs 7:10-12 ESV
If you notice, the passage above reveals the primary identifying characteristics of the woman who sets out to ensnare the young, naive, and immature man. Her foremost trait is her utter lack of shame. How do we know this? The scripture states, “behold, the woman meets him.” The young man doesn’t need to exert much effort to seek out to encounter this woman. She approaches him as if stumbling upon him by chance. Shamelessly, she presents herself to him, saying, “Take me now.” To ensure that he doesn’t object or reject her advances, she dresses provocatively, resembling a prostitute. Though not a prostitute herself, she dresses as one to sexually allure him. Most of her body is exposed as an advertisement.
Another aspect of her character is that she is a woman of the outside world, relishing life beyond the confines of convention. The twilight acts as a beacon drawing her outside. Her behavior mirrors the unrestrained nature of the external world; she is “loud and wayward.” She defies societal norms and principles, openly and loudly expressing her dissenting views.
Another compelling aspect of her character is her availability. The young man doesn’t need to plead with her or waste time aligning his schedule with hers. She is accessible at all times and in any place where the young man might be. He is her target, so she casts her net far and wide, ready to seize any opportunity, lying in wait at every corner.
Then she initiates her powerful and potent game, one that few young men can resist. Her game unfolds as follows:
“She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him,
“I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.” Proverbs 7:13-18 ESV
Wow!
It says, “She seizes him and kisses him” – envision this woman like a police officer who apprehends and immediately handcuffs a criminal. This is precisely what she does to the young man. “She seizes him,” and now he is under her control. He cannot escape because this woman knows how to make him want to stay with her.
I’m sure you’re familiar with “The boiling frog” fable. “The boiling frog is an apologue [a brief fable or allegorical story] describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid [lukewarm] water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.” Wikipedia
The moral of this apologue is to impart the lesson that gradual change can go unnoticed until it’s too late. And the strange woman in Proverbs 7 mirrors this fable with the young man. All her approaches so far were shameless, and now she is poised to speak shamelessly, stating,
“I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;”
She brazenly told him something along the lines of, “I am a devout woman. I had to present a peace offering to God. God answered my prayers exactly as I requested,” referring to “my vows.” (A peace offering is not intended to make peace with God but rather to celebrate the existing peace with Him. Some refer to this offering as a “fellowship offering” because it involves sharing a meal at the tabernacle in the presence of God with friends and family. A big portion of this offering is for the person and their families and friends. So, too much food to eat! The whole animal!).
The woman brought up this specific offering to reassure the young man like this, “Don’t worry about food! There is plenty!” At this point, she effectively captured his attention. Food holds significant importance for a young man (or any man), so she swiftly addressed his stomach-related concerns. She then proceeded to recount the efforts she had exerted to locate him. By inflating and indulging his male ego with thoughts of being wanted and desired by her, she aimed to distract or silence his brain entirely from the situation.
Remember the fable of the boiling frog? Yes! The temperature is now gradually rising as she continues to describe how she adorned her bed.
Bed???
Yes! At this juncture, she transports this poor and vulnerable young man into another realm where he completely forgets about God, his mother, and everything else in life except for this woman. She tells him the brand name of her quilt and the assortment of perfumes she has applied on her bed, such as “myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon” (known for their aphrodisiac properties, stimulating sexual desire), primarily appealing to his carnal pleasures. If he had been aware that both myrrh and aloes were used in the embalming process before laying the deceased in the grave, he would have fled for his life. Unfortunately, at this stage, his cognitive faculties are utterly compromised.
The woman ruthlessly intensified the heat even further, aiming to boil and destroy him alive, as she said to the young man,
“Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.”
Come???
Are you kidding! Who among young men can turn down this invitation? Who?
No one!
How many young men have been cooked, boiled and buried alive like this? Can we even count them? Can any man escape from the clutches of this woman? No! That is why the sage began his advice to the young man by saying,
“My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching 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 call insight your intimate friend,
to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.” Proverbs 7:1-5 ESV . . . Contd. ///