Proverbs 7:6-21
The Deception of Sin
1. Solomon is teaching his son about the dangers of sexual immorality.
2. In chapter six, he describes a scene in which a young man is enticed into sin by the strange woman…
a. The person observes the scene from a latticed window… looking out over a city street late at night.
b. He recounts what he saw…
3. This is actually one scene he describes, so we will look at the whole picture at once.
4. Next week we will look at the same scene from the perspective of the young man—at his ignorance, inexperience, folly, and sin.
5. Tonight we will look at it from the perspective of the woman—and notice her methodology in enticing and alluring.
She has Set a Physical Trap…
1. She was out there late at night (vs.9)
• This woman is taking advantage of the darkness.
• If you are going to set a trap, you try to hide or camouflage the trap.
• Thus, this woman hides under the cloak of darkness.
• John 3:19 – men loved darkness because their deeds are evil!
2. She was waiting… (vs. 10) “There met him a woman”…
• As he walked down this street, the woman was waiting for him… anyone!
• That’s how any trap is set. You put the trap out and wait for your victim.
• If you leave a trap in a good location, eventually, you will snag something!
3. She was attired like a harlot… (vs. 10) This is the bait.
• A trap needs bait… something that will allure the animal into the trap.
• Therefore, you have to appeal to the animal’s senses… sight, smell, taste, etc
• That is just what this woman does. She dresses in the attire of a harlot…
• This means her clothing was designed to attract attention to herself… to appeal to this man’s eye…
• Just as you would put a piece of meat in a trap to lure an animal in the forest, so this woman shows her flesh to attract this young man…
• Note here that the Bible acknowledges that there is such a thing as the “attire of a harlot.” Be careful ladies what you wear—and what you allow your daughters to wear! The way a woman dresses makes a loud statement about that woman! Her clothing was bait!
4. But subtlety was in her heart
a. NIV – with crafty intent.
b. Again, like a trap… an alluring exterior… but with ulterior motives… crafty, evil intent…
c. She is exactly like a trap… lying in wait for a victim to come by; her trap hidden under the cover of darkness; alluring bait; but with the intent of taking a victim… crafty intent.
5. She lies in wait for her next victim. (vs. 11-12)
a. First Solomon describes her character.
• A godly woman has a meek and quiet spirit. This woman is loud and stubborn (defiant; rebellious).
• She does not abide in her house… but is out all over the place.
• She refuses to submit to her husband but is stubborn and defiant.
• She refuses to be a housewife faithful to her husband, but is all over town looking for her next prey.
b. The reason she is out of her house is that she is waiting at every corner to meet her next lover. (vs. 12)
c. Now she is pictured as a trap that doesn’t stay in one place.
d. If the fish aren’t biting in one spot, you move to another. If you aren’t getting any beaver or rabbits in your trap, then you move the trap where you are more likely to catch some!
e. This woman could be found at the corner bar… at hotel lobbies… at parties… busy street corners…
f. But wherever she is found, she is on the prowl…
g. That is how Solomon describes this woman. She is determined!
h. The term “lie in wait” in vs. 12 is a word that can be translated “ambush.”
i. It is used in Prov. 1:11 – of men ambushing someone to steal from them. This woman is going to ambush her victim too…
j. The trap is set… and it might be found in any number of places… so be careful! Be aware!
6. She caught him… she is aggressive (vs. 13)
a. Now the young man walks into her trap… and the trap springs on him!
b. Any trap would have a mechanism to spring on its prey and capture them. (a door will shut on the animal; levers will spring shut on his leg; a net falls over him…)
c. But whatever mechanism used, the trap is designed to “catch” the animal off guard…
d. That is just what this woman does. She “catches” this young man and kisses him… throwing him off guard. She’s got him!
e. With an impudent face—sometimes translated “brazen”—Lexicon defines it as “firm; strong; prevailing”—She has the brazen face of a conqueror. She won! She got what she wanted! She prevailed again!
She Sets an Intellectual Trap…
• Unlike an animal in a trap, this young man CAN physically escape if he so chooses.
• The seductress now has to set an intellectual trap for him… and convince him not to flee.
• She has allured his flesh—now she attempts to capture his head too. She appeals to logic… she gives him reasonable arguments why he should stay with her that night.
• Her arguments are as follows:
1. She convinces him that there will be NO CONSEQUENCES… (Vs. 14-15)
a. These verses are difficult to understand… and could be interpreted several different ways.
• Some have suggested that by stating she has just made her offerings, that she implies that she has a great banquet of food at her house, left over from the offering. (Lev.7:15)
• Some have suggested that the woman is telling the man that she is ceremonially clean… and he would not become ceremonially unclean by lying with her—although that is hard to see in light of the gross sin!
• It is more likely that she is telling this young man that she won’t get pregnant. (Lev. 15:30 – speaking of a ladies’ menstrual cycle and the offering made at the end of it)
b. If this last view is correct, then the woman is trying to calm this young man’s fears of ending up with an unwanted child. She won’t get pregnant… not now!
c. Thus, her first intellectual argument to talk this man into sin was that there would not be any long lasting consequences! Don’t worry!
d. We can sin—and there will be no consequences!
• This is an old lie of the devil!
• This is the temptation in any sin—not just sexual sins.
• Satan told Eve, “enjoy the forbidden fruit and you will not die! Don’t worry about the consequences!”
• But that was a lie—and this woman is a liar too.
• Sin deceives us! It exaggerates the pleasure and hides the consequences.
• Sin promises us to enjoy the pleasures of sins and promises we can avoid the evil consequences.
2. She makes the sin as ATTRACTIVE AND APPEALING as she can (vs. 16-18)
a. She describes to the young man how enjoyable it would be if he came home with her.
b. She speaks of beautiful tapestry and carved work to capture the eye gate…
c. She speaks of the perfumed bed—to capture the nose gate…
d. She speaks of the pleasure of the sexual relationship…
• Our fill of love – fill = to be satiated… satisfied… fulfilled…
• But sin does not fulfill. It leaves a person quite empty and guilty…
• Solace ourselves in love – solace = rejoice; delight;
• She promises delight; but the joys of sin are short-lived… followed by feelings of guilt that last a long time…
e. But her appeal is that the pleasure will be worth it all… the pleasures she has described were designed to appeal to his sense of logic—the pleasure will outweigh any misgivings he might have. It makes sense to enjoy. You only live once!
3. She promises him that they will NEVER GET CAUGHT (vs. 19-20)
a. Her husband is gone—on a long journey! He won’t be back. Nobody’s home!
• vs. 20 – day appointed = full moon or new moon…
• NAS & NIV – will not be home till full moon
• He is on business and can’t return before a certain date. There’s no way we could get caught!
b. She convinces him that it is a safe and reasonable plan.
c. She is allaying any fears he may have of being caught.
d. This too is a lie. God knows all. Be sure your sin will find you out! (Num. 32:23)
4. Finally, she flatters… convinces… and conquers her prey (vs. 21)
a. She allured him originally with subtlety and her skimpy, appealing attire.
b. But once she catches him, she then has to convince him…
c. She has already appealed to his senses:
• She alludes to the smell—the spices in her bed
• he felt her embrace—as she caught him and kissed him (vs. 13)
• he saw the way she was dressed (vs. 10)
• He now hears her invitation and flattery… (vs. 14-15)
d. Ultimately, it is her tongue… her reasoning… her cunning speech… her words that were smoother than butter… that convinces the young man to stay.
e. She flatters him… somehow she makes him believe that HE is the one she has been waiting for—even though she was a trap waiting for ANY prey to walk by…
f. She forced him… (force = impel; thrust; drive)
• She didn’t physically force him… it was the force of her powers of persuasion.
• Like a slick salesman, she one by one removes all his reasons for NOT buying her product. There are no negatives—only positives!
• In particular—it was her lips… what she said… her convincing arguments that there would no consequences… it would be pleasurable… and they would never get caught… why not?
Conclusions
1. Solomon is warning his son what he should expect to find out in the world.
2. He warns his son so he is not caught off guard… so he will be aware and alert to temptation.
3. Seduction is a trap… the evil woman sets a trap. Young people need to be aware of such traps—and to be careful!
4. Eph. 5:15-17 – walk circumspectly—for we live in evil days!