Posted by Jeff Short on November 3, 2016 · 1 Comment
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
– Proverbs 7:5
The fatherly admonition is designed keep from the strange woman. Wisdom is to be kept, guarded, treasured, and loved. The one who does so will keep from the strange woman. Protection is particularly needed against her words. She flatters or speaks smooth words that appeal to the lust of the flesh. Here again Solomon pits the words of wisdom against froward words the young man will encounter. The froward words here are those in the guise of an adulterous woman. Smooth talk is one of her wiles to be recognized and guarded against (Proverbs 2:16; 5:3; 6:24).
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 2, 2016 · 1 Comment
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
– Proverbs 7:4
In chapter 5 Solomon set the blessings of faithful marriage over against the consequences of adultery. Here he refers to familial love and natural affections. The point enforced is to not only hear and keep wisdom but to love wisdom as one does his near kin. The young man has a special relation to his sister or other close female relation. He treats her with a certain tenderness and attentiveness to help and to protect. The young man must develop just such a love for wisdom to keep from errant paths. Charles Bridges captured the thought in his classic commentary on Proverbs:
Man must have his object of delight. If wisdom is not loved, lust will be indulged. The Bible therefore—not merely read, but the cherished object of familiar intercourse—proves a sacred exorcist to expel the power of evil.
The point is that we do not need or want a heart that is cleaned, swept, garnished, and empty (Matthew 12:43-45). We must fill our hearts and minds with good things (Philippians 4:8).
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 1, 2016 · 1 Comment
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
– Proverbs 7:3
Solomon alludes to the exhortation to keep the law (Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18; Proverbs 3:3). The point of the admonition is not the phylacteries of the Pharisees, but rather that the law may be always at hand and always on the mind. Here the commands of wisdom need to be ready to put to use, i.e. bound to the fingers, and continually meditated on to deepen understanding and application to life, i.e. written upon the heart or mind.
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Proverbs 7:5
Posted by Jeff Short on November 3, 2016 · 1 Comment
That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
The fatherly admonition is designed keep from the strange woman. Wisdom is to be kept, guarded, treasured, and loved. The one who does so will keep from the strange woman. Protection is particularly needed against her words. She flatters or speaks smooth words that appeal to the lust of the flesh. Here again Solomon pits the words of wisdom against froward words the young man will encounter. The froward words here are those in the guise of an adulterous woman. Smooth talk is one of her wiles to be recognized and guarded against (Proverbs 2:16; 5:3; 6:24).– Proverbs 7:5
Listen to the Proverbs sermon series
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Filed under 7, Proverbs, Short Comments · Tagged with Adultery, Commentary, Proverbs, Strange Woman