Read
6From the window of my house,
I once happened to see
7some foolish young men.
8It was late in the evening,
sometime after dark.
9One of these young men
turned the corner
and was walking by the house
of an unfaithful wife.
10She was dressed fancy
like a woman of the street
with only one thing in mind.
11She was one of those women
who are loud and restless
and never stay at home,
12who walk street after street,
waiting to trap a man.
13She grabbed him and kissed him,
and with no sense of shame,
she said:
14“I had to offer a sacrifice,
and there is enough meat
left over for a feast.
15So I came looking for you,
and here you are!
16The sheets on my bed
are bright-colored cloth
from Egypt.
17And I have covered it
with perfume made of myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18“Let's go there
and make love all night.
19My husband is traveling,
and he's far away.
20He took a lot of money along,
and he won't be back home
before the middle
of the month.”
21And so, she tricked him
with all of her sweet talk
and her flattery.
22At once he followed her
like an ox on the way
to be slaughtered,
or like a fool on the way
to be punished
23and killed with arrows.
He was no more than a bird
rushing into a trap,
without knowing
it would cost him his life.
24My son, pay close attention
to what I have said.
25Don't even think about
that kind of woman
or let yourself be misled
by someone like her.
26Such a woman has caused
the downfall and destruction
of a lot of men.
27Her house is a one-way street
leading straight down
to the world of the dead.
Reflect
I wish the peril was down the street or around the corner from our homes. Those days are long gone. Now, it is as close as the computer you are sitting at or the phone in your son’s or daughter’s pocket.
It is deeply disturbing to see the growing trend in our society. There is a growing movement right now for “soft porn” targeting middle aged women—these books are on the best sellers list. The battle is not just for youth.
I have been raising three sons for 25 years now; my youngest is twenty years old.
Raising boys or girls to grow up to be people who love God and seek to live a life that reflects the heart of Christ is no small task.
The Scriptures are not silent about seduction. In this passage a clear and unapologetic instruction goes out to the youth. The calculated tactics of seductive people are laid out as is the cost of yielding to their perilous invitation. The path that is being offered is poison to the soul. It rots in us like gangrene in a wound. It destroys slowly but surely.
James 1:5 tells us that any who lack wisdom can ask God and he is not stingy with it. That is good news! I have done a lot of asking over the years. Prayer along with open and honest conversation with our children is our strategy.
We are told to fix our eyes on Christ. We are also told that Christ provides for us a way of escape in temptation. “He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor.10:13b NIV)
Respond
Heavenly Father, you promise me that you provide a way of escape when the path is treacherous. I ask you for eyes to see the way provided and the strength to take it. I need you in my life and the life of my family every day and at every moment. Amen.
Donna Dyck
Donna and her husband Bill are parents of 4 adult children and have 9 grandchildren. They have been pastoring at Toronto Alliance church for 28 years. Donna has written 2 books, Confessions of a Not So Average Girl and Confessions of an Unlikely Pastors wife. She has spoken at many conferences, seminars, and events over the years. She and her husband have just written a Devotional called Hope for an Unwanted Journey which will be published soon and is for parents, especially those who are walking through the valley of addiction or mental illness with their loved ones.