Prostitute

Proverbs 7:1-27

This chapter picks up the other side of sexual misconduct: prostitution. We have been focusing on adultery. Now the writer switches attention to the matter of prostitution. He uses an observer, a third party, to record what he sees: a man hooking up with a prostitute in his neighborhood.

A prostitute reduces you to an ATM machine. You reduce them to an object for your pleasure.

The man is just as much to blame for what happens as the woman. He is heading in the wrong direction at the wrong time (vv8-9). He knows what part of town to cruise. He isn’t accidentally going her direction. He is toying with temptation. And she is ready for him. She is “out there” (vv11-12). She offers him a free sample (v13), and the invitation for more (vv14-20) seemingly without consequences. That pesky husband won’t be around to catch them.

She paints a seductive picture of sexual pleasure. She makes him feel special (v15). She has thought about him and she wants him. She has made the perfect spot for their encounter. Everything is prepared. This isn’t love. This is cold calculated manipulation.

He was toying with temptation and she catches him. He was walking close to the flame to see what heat was like, and he caught on fire. It happened in an instant (v22). One moment he is fine, the next he is caught. This is one good reason to stay further from temptation. You never know the instant you will be caught, the moment you will give in.

And it is a very costly choice, indeed. The young man isn’t special. He is just one more in a long string of victims.

And of course she is a victim as well. She has been reduced to selling her soul and body. We don’t know the reasons, but here she is. Perhaps her husband has abandoned her and she must do this to stay alive, pay the bills. But I don’t get that impression from reading this. There is too much delight in her pursuit of him.

SEX!

Proverbs 5:1-14

It takes two to tango, the old song lyric goes. To put it bluntly, prostitutes would have no job if the John’s didn’t show up and pay. We can’t put the blame on the women. The men are just as guilty as they are.

The next three chapters of Proverbs are filled with exhortation and illustration of what happens when anyone gets involved sexually with someone outside the bonds of marriage. Our culture dismisses this premise, but it is proved wrong by the facts. The best place for children to grow up and the most satisfying sexual relationships are within a lifelong marriage, man and woman. Despite the cultural trend away from marriage, the facts remain the same. So let’s begin to dive into the text.

Verse three give us a poignant picture of the thrill of an elicit sexual encounter. Lips dripping with honey, who wouldn’t want to dive in?  These kinds of encounters must be thrilling in that moment. The pleasure must override all the negative consequences that will inevitably come (vv4-6). Having talked to hundreds of divorced and divorcing couples down through the years, I have never heard of such a breakup that was filled with joy. Even the best, if there is such a thing on the negative side of this equation, have their pain.

If you get involved, be ready for aimless living. The pain will be greater than the reward. The pleasure is short-lived, while the pain is long-lasting. Read carefully the negative consequences of these types of choices. Read it again. Yikes!

Verse eight gives us some good advice, which we will hear stated several different ways in the coming chapters. The writer tells us to avoid even getting close to the temptation. Alcoholics need to stay away from places that sell and consume alcohol. Problem shoppers need to stay away from the places they purchase things. Notice he tells us to choose a different path, one that takes us far from the temptation.

Too often believers try to see how close they can get to the temptation. They want to walk the thin line between sin and righteousness. The writer tells us to do just the opposite: choose a path far from the temptation. We get to choose the path. At the end of your life, you will regret walking over the line. You will probably have lost what is most valuable.