Proverbs (Part 076) - Pro 7:8-10

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8. Pro 7:8 - "Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house," A. Passing through the street near her corner; i. There's nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9). a. Hookers have been standing on street corners for thousands of years. b. Solomon's warning is just a pertinent today as it was in antiquity. ii. This is where the young man's trouble begins. iii. He walks near her corner. iv. Near adv. - 1. With verbs of motion. Nearer or closer (to a place, point, or person). v. If we never get near where a strange woman hangs out (the street, the bar, the casino, the club, the office party, the frat party, etc.) we will not end up going to her house. vi. Men must remove their way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house (Pro 5:8). a. They must not even enter into the path and the way that leads to her house, but avoid it and pass not by it (Pro 4:14-15). b. "To keep from falling over the edge of the precipice, one should move as far back from that edge as possible." (Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel, p. 134) c. We must make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof (Rom 13:14). d. We must refrain our feet from every evil way (Psa 119:101). e. It's far easier to avoid sin than it is to fight free from its grasp. f. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." (Benjamin Franklin) B. and he went the way to her house, i. Having begun walking down the road near the whore's corner, going the rest of the way to her house was practically inevitable. ii. Once he got near her, she was able to seduce him with sexual advances (Pro 7:13) and flattery (Pro 7:14-21). iii. At that point he followed her like an ignorant ox going to the slaughter straight into her house which led to the chambers of death (Pro 7:22, 27). 9. Pro 7:9 - "In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:" A. In the twilight, i. Twilight n. - 1. The light diffused by the reflection of the sun's rays from the atmosphere before sunrise, and after sunset; the period during which this prevails between daylight and darkness. b. spec. Most commonly applied to the evening twilight, from sunset to dark night. second twilight ii. When the sun goes down, the young man finishes working for the day. a. Idle hands are the devil's workshop. b. So he takes a walk near the harlot's corner. iii. The harlot has been waiting all day for the twilight so she can commit adultery unnoticed (Job 24:15). B. in the evening, i. Evening n. - 1. The coming on of ‘even’, the process or fact of growing dusk; the time at which this takes place, the time about sunset. Obs.; merged in 2. 2. a. As a synonym of even, which it has now superseded in ordinary use: The close of the day; usually, the time from about sunset till bedtime. ii. It's now close to being dark and the harlot is heading to work wearing her uniform (Pro 7:10). iii. He should be at home eating with family, resting, and preparing for tomorrow. iv. Instead he is going to the wrong place at a bad time. C. in the black and dark night: i. Night n. - I. 1. a. The period of darkness which intervenes between day and day; that part of the natural day (of 24 hours) during which no light is received from the sun; the time between evening and morning. ii. Now it's dark, and sinning potential is at its apex because scrutiny from others is at its lowest. iii. Sin often takes place at night (1Th 5:7; Job 24:16-17). a. Sex generally happens at night (Job 3:3). b. Whoremongering especially happens at night (Rom 13:13). (i) Chambering n. - 1. a. The furnishing of a room. 2. a. Sexual indulgence, lewdness; luxury, effeminacy. Obs. (ii) Wantonness n. - 1. The quality of being wanton, in various senses. a. Lasciviousness, unchastity. (iii) Lasciviousness adj. - The quality of being lascivious. (iv) Lascivious adj. - 1. Inclined to lust, lewd, wanton. iv. A virtuous woman stays up after dark (Pro 31:18) and rises early in the morning while it's yet night (Pro 31:15) to make clothes and cook food for her family. v. The strange woman is out at night away from her family fulfilling her lusts (Pro 7:11-12). 10. Pro 7:10 - "And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart." A. And, behold, i. Behold int. - The imperative of the preceding verb, used to call attention; ii. Solomon is calling his son's attention to one of the most obvious indicators that a woman is a whore: her clothing. B. there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, i. Attire n. - 1. Equipment of man or horse, outfit for war. 2. Personal adornment, or decoration; ‘get up.’ Also (with pl.) an ornament. Obs. 3. Dress, apparel. ii. Harlot n. - 1. A vagabond, beggar, rogue, rascal, villain, low fellow, knave. In later use (16–17th c.), sometimes a man of loose life, a fornicator; also, often, a mere term of opprobrium or insult. Obs. 5. Applied to a woman. a. As a general term of execration. c. spec. An unchaste woman; a prostitute; a strumpet. (Very frequent in 16th c. Bible versions, where Wyclif had hoore, whore; prob. as a less offensive word.) iii. Prostitutes wear revealing, sexually provocative clothing. a. They wear low-cut shirts which show their cleavage. b. They wear short shirts which show their mid-section. c. They wear mini-skirts and short shorts which show their thighs. d. They wear tight clothing which shows the contours of their bodies. e. In other words, prostitutes dress like a lot of American women dress today. iv. A Christian woman should never wear clothing that shows her cleavage, belly, or thighs, or clothing that is extremely tight so that the contours of her body can be clearly seen. v. Men, if you see a woman dressed like this, stay away from her (Pro 5:8). a. What a woman says outwardly reveals what is in her heart (Luk 6:45). b. Likewise what a woman wears reveals what is in her heart. c. A godly, submissive woman with a meek and quiet spirit wears modest clothing which doesn't draw attention to herself (1Pe 3:2-6). d. An ungodly, unchaste, loud, stubborn woman dresses immodestly to draw attention to herself (Pro 7:10-11). e. If a woman dresses immodestly showing cleavage, thighs, etc. then there is a high likelihood that she is not a godly woman vi. Christian women should be adorned in modest apparel (1Ti 2:9). a. Modest adj. - 3. Of women, their attributes and behaviour: Governed by the proprieties of the sex; decorous in manner and conduct; not forward, impudent, or lewd; ‘shamefast’. Hence (in later use also of men), scrupulously chaste in feeling, language, and conduct; shrinking from coarse or impure suggestion. b. Of female attire: Decent, not meretricious. b. Meretricious adj. - 1. Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a harlot; having the character of a harlot. c. Therefore, Christian women should not be dressing like a harlot. C. and subtil of heart. i. Subtle adj. - 1. Of thin consistency, tenuous; not dense, rarefied; hence, penetrating, pervasive or elusive by reason of tenuity (now chiefly of odours). 5. Of immaterial things: Not easily grasped, understood, or perceived; intricate, abstruse. 10. Of persons or animals: Crafty, cunning; treacherously or wickedly cunning, insidiously sly, wily. Obs. ii. A strange woman is elusive and not always easy to identify. iii. She is crafty, wickedly cunning, insidiously sly, and wily. iv. She is crafty and deceitful like her father the devil (2Co 11:3). v. Her ways are moveable that thou canst not know them (Pro 5:6). vi. Her heart is full of snares and nets which she uses to catch unsuspecting men (Ecc 7:26). vii. A wise man will stay far away from her (Pro 7:24-27).