CATCH THE DRAMA!
Opening Prayer
Father, teach me through today’s reading in Scripture and show me how I can apply it to my life. Use it to encourage me, to strengthen me, to correct me—in any way I need as I seek to walk more closely with you.
Read PROVERBS 7
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
7 My son, keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.
6 At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight, as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)
13 She took hold of him and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
15 So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19 My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[a] stepping into a noose[b]
23 till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.
24 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:22 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew fool
- Proverbs 7:22 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘My foes are ever near me, / around me and within; / but, Jesus, draw thou nearer, / and shield my soul from sin.’1
A woman in her eighties recently told me she did not much like Proverbs 1–9: ‘It’s all about sex and young men’s temptations. It is not relevant to me.’ Proverbs 7 may seem particularly vulnerable to such criticism, for the chapter is a dramatic narrative poem that depicts the seduction of a young man by a brazen adulteress. If universalized, the theme could be misinterpreted to suggest, erroneously, that women are generally seductive or malevolent, or that they are the cause of men’s failings.
Whether for purposes of entertainment or education, a drama presents the reader or viewer with a scene or story. This happens in Proverbs 7. Like any TV series, theater production, movie, or novel, the chapter depicts a situation for the reader’s imagination. You can almost hear the musical score and the changes in the music as the drama unfolds.
Proverbs 7 might therefore be read as a work of dramatic literature, but it seems to have a deeper purpose. It calls to the young man facing sexual temptation to think about the places he goes, the company he keeps, the situations he puts himself in. Yet it speaks, too, to any reader. May not any of us be led away or enticed, by others or by our own inclinations, to act in ways that will prove harmful? At the very least, there may be siren voices that distract us from our given task, our commitments, or covenant relationships. The passage invites us all to recognize the dangers of distraction or temptation. It invites us to turn to the God of wisdom for the strength and grace we need to live a holy life.
Apply
Are you getting too close to someone you shouldn’t? Do you need to set firmer boundaries in your life? Find someone you trust and let them help you.
Closing prayer
Thank you, Father, that you have given me everything I need to walk in ways that glorify you. Bind my heart to yours, keep me steadfast, help me to be faithful in all things.
1 ‘O Jesus, I have promised’, JE Bode, 1869
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