PROVERBS

LESSON 6: THE PROBLEM OF ADULTERY

Men, both young and of more mature years need to take the wise council and be aware of the terrible consequences of adultery. Godly women, both young and of more mature years need to be reminded that an adulterous behaves in a certain fashion. No godly woman wants to be like the adulteress.

Enticing speech. "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words" (2:16). "For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil" (5:3). "To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman" (6:24). "Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey" (7:18,19).

Enticing actions. "So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon" (7:13-17).

Provocative clothing. "And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart" (7:10). Clothing itself can be an enticement. This woman is not specifically called a "harlot". She appears to have a home (vs. 11) and a husband (vs. 19). However, she dresses like a harlot as a means of allurement. Christian women must be mindful that provocative clothing can entice in a sexual fashion.

No respect for the authority of home. "She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed" (7:11,12,19,20).

No respect for God. "Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God" (2:17). "Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness" (30:20). Her view of God’s system of morality is so warped that she no longer feels accountability or guilt.

Unstable. "Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them" (5:6). "A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing" (9:13).

Don't allow the heart to dwell on it. "Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths" (7:25). "Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids" (6:25). Lust can begin with the eyes and the heart (Matt. 5:27-28), therefore it must be dealt with there.

Stay out of her company. "Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house" (5:8).

Be satisfied with marriage. "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?" (5:15-20).

Recognize the disgrace to others. "So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts" (6:29-35).

Consider the consequences. "He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death" (7:22-23,26,27). "But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell" (5:4-5).

"Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly" (5:9-14). AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases are a vivid reminder of how true it is that the flesh and body can be consumed by promiscuous behavior.

"For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent" (6:26-29). "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell" (9:17,18). "For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men" (23:27,28).

Questions:

[Introduction to Proverbs] [Lesson 1-The Value of Wisdom]  [Lesson 2-What it Means to be a Fool]
  [Lesson 3- Relationship with God]  [Lesson 4- Relationship with  Fellowman]  [Lesson 5- Marriage Relationship]
[Lesson 7- Parent/Child Relationship]  [Lesson 8-Government ]   [Lesson 9 - Money_Labor.html]
[Lesson 10-Self-Control]   [Lesson 11-Rewards/Consequences]

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Page last updated: March 03, 2003