Proverbs 7

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Avoiding the Adulteress

The barriers against sin are lowered when your physical senses are strongly attracted.
The barriers against sin are lowered when your moral conscience is subtly allayed.

In verses 6 and 7, does Solomon teach that the lure of an adulteress is passive or proactive? What is the characteristic of the young man in verse 7 that makes him vulnerable?
The appearance and behavior of the adulteress that should have alerted the young man to the evil of her intentions were the very characteristics that appealed to his physical senses (vs 10-20). List some of characteristics.
Being lured into sexual sin seems to be more prevalent in the darkness of the night. What are other common factors found in the setting for this kind of sin (see verses 19-20)?
What is, perhaps, the most insidious lure that the adulteress uses to sooth the conscience of the young man in this chapter (see verse 14)?

The adulteress “looked” and “saw” and “perceived” the naïve young man. She was clearly proactive and assertive in luring him and tempting him. And in his lack of understanding, he took the path to her house, rather than taking the path of wisdom.
In verses 10-20 we see that the adulteress clothed herself in attractive and sensual attire to lure him, talked loudly and rebelliously to him, left her home frequently to attract him, immodestly kissed him, and made an attractive and perfumed bed for him.
Being alone, or out of the sight of those who know you, and being lured by an adulteress who also is alone and out of the sight of her husband (v 19), are common situations associated with sexual sin.
In verse 14, the adulteress uses the wicked approach of pretending to be religious, seeking to allay the young man’s moral conscience. In this case she was successful (v 22).

Just as in the time of Solomon, evil women are found today on the streets of our cities. Discuss other settings unique to our era of technology where the lure of evil women are found, and specific means for the believer to use in order to diligently avoid them.

Be discerning of the environment where sexual sin is often found. Recognize the characteristics of evil people, particularly evil women, with sinful intentions. Do not pause there for even a moment! Follow the path of wisdom, and flee from them!

“Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin, that they may keep you from the immoral woman.” Proverbs 7:2-5