Posted by Jeff Short on November 10, 2016 · 1 Comment
Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
– Proverbs 7:12
It’s not that the adulteress just wanders about idly and happens to come to trouble. Though she doesn’t want to give that appearance, she is industriously searching. Lying in wait means to lurk or set an ambush. It’s obvious why Solomon admonished the young man to stay away and not go near her door (Proverbs 5:8). While the young man may wander aimlessly, she has a purpose.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 9, 2016 · 1 Comment
(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
– Proverbs 7:11
Loud means clamorous, or talkative and perhaps a little volatile. Solomon later marks this a characteristic of a foolish woman (Proverbs 9:13). Her speech is smooth and there is a lot of it. Much speaking of smooth words leaves little time for thoughtful consideration and is therefore more persuasive. Stubborn means rebellious and could be thought of as selfish. She is determined to have her way. She is also a discontented woman and does not abide at home. She is always gadding about seeking excitement or diversion (1 Timothy 5:13-14; Titus 2:5).
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 8, 2016 · 1 Comment
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
– Proverbs 7:10
Verses 10-12 describe the adulterous woman. Attire means to put on and refers to dress. Her dress was that of a harlot. Harlot is typically an adulterous woman. We are not told exactly what she was wearing. The attire that marks an adulterous woman is different in different times, places, and cultures. Some commentators suggest she was over-exposed or dressed form-fittingly, but I don’t see that in the text and we have the example of Tamar being covered but dressed as a harlot (Genesis 38:14). Whatever her garments consisted of, the point was more in the presentation and advertisement of availability. They were designed to catch attention.
The word for subtil indicates guarded or hidden and points to craftiness. She is outwardly open and inwardly closed. Her plans are concealed, though she comes out to meet him. There is a contrast between her appearance and her heart. This way does not lead to a whole satisfying relationship the way faithful marriage does (Proverbs 31:11). This path is only temporary physical passion and the end is destruction.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 7, 2016 · 1 Comment
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
– Proverbs 7:9
The young man is already in the way to her house and we learn it is also dark at night. Both conditions of opportunity for sin have been met—place and time. Seeking the cover of darkness is a sign of no good motive. It is the preferred time for evil deeds (Job 24:15; John 3:19). Wisdom teaches to avoid such a place and especially at such a time, but this youth is void of understanding.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 6, 2016 · 1 Comment
Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
– Proverbs 7:8
He went the way or the path to her house. One wonders if his choice of route was in anyway influenced in the youth group he left from. We are not told what his designs were, if there were any. We do know that he is walking contrary to the instruction of wisdom (Proverbs 4:14-15). Even if unwittingly, he is putting himself in the way, or in the place, for something to happen.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 5, 2016 · 1 Comment
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
– Proverbs 7:7
Solomon saw a group of young simpletons. The simple in Proverbs are gullible, naïve, and aimless. If not corrected by wisdom, they go on to become full-blown fools. Being young, they are also inexperienced. Lack of experience is one of the great dangers to the young. Of course, they can’t help being inexperienced, but it is all the more reason to listen to the instruction of wisdom, which is designed to inform the simple (Proverbs 1:4). The word for understanding is also translated “heart” frequently. It stands the mind. Solomon is saying he saw a young man without a brain, and that is proven from what follows.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 4, 2016 · 1 Comment
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
– Proverbs 7:6
Verses 6-23 give the dramatic account of the young fool who was snared by the adulterous woman. Verses 6-9 introduce the rattlepated youth. Solomon retells the account as an eyewitness observer—he looked through the window of his house and saw. This account provides a model for obtaining wisdom through observation. Some would say that all things must be experienced for oneself but wisdom knows how to learn from observing the experience of others as well as heeding wise instructions.
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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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Proverbs 7:12
Posted by Jeff Short on November 10, 2016 · 1 Comment
Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
It’s not that the adulteress just wanders about idly and happens to come to trouble. Though she doesn’t want to give that appearance, she is industriously searching. Lying in wait means to lurk or set an ambush. It’s obvious why Solomon admonished the young man to stay away and not go near her door (Proverbs 5:8). While the young man may wander aimlessly, she has a purpose.– Proverbs 7:12
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