Are you beginning to see a common theme. It seems that almost every chapter has something to say about sex and adultery. I wonder why this is? Maybe it’s because sex is so prevalent in society. And so many Christians fail in this area.
In this chapter, Solomon tells a story. It’s a story Solomon saw with his own eyes as he watched the street through his window. In the story a man is seduced by a woman who tells him, “my husband will never find out.” But in the end, he was killed by the husband. So how did it happen.
Some clues are given. First of all, the guy didn’t listen when he should have. Verse six says that he lacked judgment. This means that he ignored the advice given to him by older and wiser people. How many mistakes in our lives could be avoided if we had just listened to people trying to warn us. Yet, so many times, people have a tendency to want to try it their own way.
The text also tells us that this man was in places he shouldn’t have been. He had probably seen this woman before. She had probably flirted with him. He may have seen her through the window. And on this day, he was hanging out at her corner, in the evening. Had he been on the other end of town, staying away from tempting situations, he would not have run in to the trouble that he found. How many times have you failed because you were in a place you shouldn’t have been. Many times young people will blow it sexually because they innocently end up in a place with their boyfriend or girlfriend where they shouldn’t be. Many a married person has shipwrecked their family because they innocently went to a place where they ran in to someone else, or had dinner with a member of the opposite sex when they should not have. Tons of people have become addicted to sexual images and pornography because they innocently clicked on a web search link thinking it would take them to a shopping web site.
Third, he saw things he should have never seen. There he was, hanging outside her house, hoping to see her through a window, and she comes prancing out her door in an outfit that would make any guy wild. Simply put, she looked like a prostitute. And this young man caved in. Guys are especially susceptible to visual stimulation. Women on the other hand tend to be drawn to emotional ideas. Guys should work hard to protect their eyes, while women should strive to defend their heart.
Finally, this guy did things he never should have done. First he allowed the woman to kiss him. Then he went into her house and had sex with her. He fell into her trap. The story says that this young man was like an ox going to a slaughter or like a deer stepping into a trap. He thought he was in for a good time. In the end, he lost his life over his indiscretion.
If only this guy had read Proverbs. Sex is a wonderful thing, designed by God to bring a husband and wife closer to each other. But when done outside of God’s plan, it’s dangerous and the end results can be tragic. This story has been repeated millions of times. Our culture is full of examples of people in popular culture retelling this story and demonstrating its truthfulness. The details may be different, but the end result has been the same.
