Scripture: Proverbs 7:6-21
6 At the window of my house
I looked through my lattice.
7 I saw among the inexperienced,
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking sense.
8 Crossing the street near her corner,
he strolled down the road to her house
9 at twilight, in the evening,
in the dark of the night.
10 A woman came to meet him
dressed like a prostitute,
having a hidden agenda.
11 She is loud and defiant;
her feet do not stay at home.
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,
she lurks at every corner.
13 She grabs him and kisses him;
she brazenly says to him,
14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings;
today I’ve fulfilled my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you,
to search for you, and I’ve found you.
16 I’ve spread coverings on my beds—
richly colored linen from Egypt.
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning.
Let’s feast on each other’s love!
19 My husband isn’t home;
he went on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him
and will come home at the time of the full moon.”
21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading;
she lures with her flattering talk.
Observation:
~The woman didn't wait in her house for the youth to find her. She was scouring the city for a likely victim . . . and when she found one, she flattered, manipulated*, and worked on him until he gave in.
~The young man walked her street from twilight until dark. Whether or not he knew what a snare he courted, he hung out in the vicinity of sin, wearing a big sign that said "Hey sin! Come take a crack at me!"
*I suddenly realize why the word isn't "womanipulated". ;o)
Application:
~ Sin is LOOKING for ME. And for YOU. The enemy prowls constantly, watching for a weakness, a chink, a moment when we wander too close to it's home or make a misstep on our path in life. The enemy uses a "take no prisoners" approach--the goal is spiritual destruction and endless torment. No Doofenschmirtz-style camaraderie here when the rubber meets the road.
~How often have I courted some type of sin--sins of omission, sins of fear & despair--without realizing it? (In this case: sin = that which takes us away from God via our own choices. There are other definitions, but that's the one I'm using this morning.) I've never been one tempted by serious moral sins; but the enemy knows me well. Many times I didn't recognize it was sin, cloaked in the name of entertainment or escape . . . when Christ was waiting, arms outstretched, calling my name at the top of His lungs, aching to be the refuge, the joy, I needed.
~Not only do I need to run from the appearance of sin (i.e. when I first see it--not only doing things that might LOOK like sin to others), but I need to keep my feet on the other side of town, in other cities, or (better yet!) on another continent. ;o)
Prayer:
Oh God, I praise You for Your Goodness, and for the Glory and Grace in Your Love for me. I pray You would show me when I'm faced with sin--reveal it in its true character--so I might flee ever closer to Thee! In Jesus name, Amen.
