Proverbs 7:1-27 the wayward ways of the prostitute

4/19/10

Time Spent: 23 min

Main Idea: The adulteress in her persuasion and her appeal must be denied through hearing the call of wisdom.

What I learned about God: One can only heed one voice: whether it be the way of God or the ways of this world. God is the wise father and we are the adulterers in this passage.

Summary: This wise father had a lengthy discourse upon the ways of sexual purity in the first 7 chapters of Proverbs. He has 4 different lectures highlighting something significant about sexual immorality (cf. 2:16-19; 5:1-23; 6:20-33; 7:1-27). This is the tying end to what was begun in 2:16-19, focusing on the gripping nature of the adulteress. The father first urges the son to listen to his teachings and meditate on the constantly. Next, he begins to share what not to listen to; the alluring message of the adulteress. She is defined as brash, loud, and wayward (v.11). The father's wise instructions will be squelched through the brashness of the wayward woman if one is not careful. Like the previous addresses, the father reminds the son to protect himself against the smooth tongue of the woman (2:16; 5:2-3; 6:24; 7:5). The father ends with the appeal that the unfaithful woman will bring destruction as a stag is lead to a trap (v. 22) and thus is to be avoided at all cost since her end is destruction.

Application: In all of its figurative language; wisdom and adultery are both personified as women who are calling out for attention. To the spiritual gullible and inept, the calling of the adulteress seems more alluring to the one of wisdom. Maybe that is why the father sets his appeal to his son 4 times in the span of 7 chapters. This is a serious idea! When I think about what I am influenced by, I cannot help but partition the hours of my day into facebooking, television watching, and gaming. Now, some of those things are not inherently evil in themselves, but I do think that they could lead me to "waywardness" talked about in these verses. Wisdom, found in God's word and sought in prayer, are not the highlights of my day and I do not dwell upon those. Instead after a long day of studying, I cannot wait to divulge in one of the three mentioned things above. Thus, I want to make sure before I indulge into those three things that I spend at least 30 min in the Word wrestling and meditation on the way of wisdom in which God wants to bring in my life. Soli deo gloria

Amount Owed: $2