Lessons from the Prostitute

An odd title for a blog perhaps...I hope it caught your attention. The underlying idea I wanted to talk about today is our common temptation to sin, and the how we can learn from what the Proverbs say about the temptation of the prostitute.

For decades now, I've been reading through the Proverbs each month, in order of the days, because there are 31 chapters in Proverbs.  And for decades, I have endured the chapters that focus on the prostitute, because I wrongly thought these admonitions had nothing to say to me.  I was wrong about that, and I'd like to share what I think all of us can learn from the temptation of the prostitute...

In Proverbs 5, 6 and 7, the writer spends almost the entire chapter warning against adultery; which, as I've said, has always been a frustrating few chapters for me, because I wanted to move on to a topic more applicable to my life. 

Not very long ago, I asked God to show me what I could learn and apply from these chapters, even though the straightforward topic of "adultery" didn't seem pertinent to me specifically.  Perhaps I should have prayed this prayer years ago, but as it is, I feel He did show me some important things that I hadn't seen before, and that apply to everyone.

In Proverbs 7, the writer tells the story of how an adulteress tempts a man.

At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.  

I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.  He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.

It's important to pick up on several things here; most notably, that the young man (1) lacked judgment, (2) was walking in the direction of trouble, (3) and was headed for trouble as the light faded and darkness began to set in.

Proverbs, as a type of literature, are poetic.  For me, when I slow down and read these words carefully, the poetry is obvious.  It is painting a picture, a vivid picture you can easily see in your mind's eye.  There's a reason God chooses poetry and storytelling to get His message across to us.  We need poetry and stories to help us see what is being said, and to help us connect with the words on more than an academic or intellectual level.

This young man is headed for trouble, and the darkness is setting in around him.  Whether the story of an adulteress, or as it relates to any area of temptation to sin, the story is the same for all of us.  Are we walking toward trouble?  Have we set aside judgment?  Are we moving toward darkness where actions we take are less likely to be seen and known by others?

As the young man approaches the house of the adulteress, she comes out to meet him. She takes hold of him and starts to talk to him:

I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt... (It looks good!)

I have perfumed by bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon... (It smells good!)

Come, let us drink of love till morning, let's enjoy ourselves with love! (It feels good!)

My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey... (No one will know!)

And then the writer says this:

With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.

All at once he followed her,
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping in to a noose,
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting in to a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.

Temptation would not be temptation, for whatever the issue is that tempts you, unless it looked good, smelled good, tasted good, and felt good...to you.  And quite often, if not always, the deception that no one will ever know cinches the deal, and we're hooked.

We act impulsively, in what we believe will be a secret indiscretion, little knowing that sin will cost us our life. Perhaps not today, maybe not tomorrow...but ultimately, and surely, the payoff for sin is death.

The writer of Proverbs uses the story of the adulteress and the young man because we can relate to it, and the imagery of the story is so easy to see.  Many are the victims she (the adulteress) has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.

We are a mighty throng, all of us who are vulnerable to temptation, to impulsive acts that lead to hurt and ultimately death.  What is the solution offered? What is the way out?

The writer says this:

My children, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers; written on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call understanding your friend;
they will keep your from the adulteress,
from the wayward life of her seductive words.

+The Word of the Lord