Proverbs 7 - The Trap
Sin sets a seductive trap. Avoid the smooth talk that leads to the grave by staying close to God's Word.
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Proverbs 7 (ESV)
1 My son,
keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you
from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
6 For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight,
in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold,
the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute,
wily of heart.
11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street,
now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch
with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come,
let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as
an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast 23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house
is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
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Proverbs 7 Summary
The book of Proverbs is the story of two women: Lady Wisdom, representing divine truth, and the seductive adulterous woman that we meet here in chapter 7. The wise old father, seeking to guide his son down the paths of wisdom has seen so many others get pulled off of the path, abandoning God's Word in favor of immediate gratification.
Certainly this often occurs through the sexual lust and temptation described so graphically in today's chapter, but it's important to remember that the woman described here represents all of the temptations of the world that keep us from having our "minds set on things above (Colossians 3:2)."
Falling away from God's wisdom doesn't just result in broken lives and relationships, temptation is the highway to the grave (v27 NIV). Death is the ultimate separation from God and His goodness.
This is why our Savior had to go down to the grave, so that He could free us from the eternal trappings of sin that we've been seduced into.
Dig Deeper
The opening words of chapter 7 may seem overly repetitive, as this wise father continues to implore his young son over and over to listen to wisdom and remain immersed in wisdom. It seems like every chapter has opened with similar words as we've been reading through Proverbs.
There's a lesson in this repetitiveness: this world is full of seductive traps, and you must be reminded over and over of God's commandments to help you recognize and avoid temptation.
The father looks out upon so many simple people lacking sense (v7). This is why godly parents and churches repeat the call to keep God's words and treasure up His commandments over and over and over (v1).
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our wise Father, who calls us out of ignorance and saves us from the seducer;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask that God will keep you close to His Word so that you can avoid temptation's trap.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: