Proverbs (Part 078) - Pro 7:14-16

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14. Pro 7:14 - "I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows." A. Having caught him and aggressively kissed him like a slut (Pro 7:13), the adulteress now tries to shamelessly feign religion to deceive the young man. i. Beware of those who try to hide sin under a cloak of religion. ii. We must know people by their fruits (Mat 7:20; Mat 12:33-35) not merely their words (2Pe 2:3; 2Pe 2:18). B. I have peace offerings with me; i. Peace offerings were part of the religious service of the Jews (Lev 7:11). ii. She said this to convey two things. a. First of all it implied that she was religious. b. Secondly, it would have indicated that she was well off because she had the means to offer a beast as a peace offering (more on this below). c. These two things would make the young man think she was a decent woman, not a whore. iii. She had peace offerings with her. a. It was night when they met (Pro 7:9). b. She had paid her vows that day (Pro 7:14) (more on this below). c. The peace offerings she had with her would have been what was left over from the sacrifice and would have been in her house. d. The reason for this is that only part of the sacrifice was given to the LORD (the fat, kidneys, caul, and rump of sheep) (Lev 7:31 c/w Lev 3:16; Lev 3:3-5; Lev 3:9-11) and the priests (the breast and the right shoulder) (Lev 7:14, 31-34), and the rest was sent home with the worshiper to be eaten (Lev 7:15-16). e. This might have been an excuse to welcome him into her house. f. Some whores, especially married ones, actually try to buy men with gifts (Eze 16:31-33). C. this day have I payed my vows. i. Making and paying vows was also part of the religious service of the Jews. a. A vow sometimes accompanied the peace offering (Lev 7:16). b. A peace offering was sometimes made to accomplish (fulfill, perform, or carry out) a vow made to God (Lev 22:21). c. Paying a vow to God is a serious matter (Ecc 5:4-5). d. By telling the young man she had paid her vows she was trying to convince him that she was a godly, pious woman (Psa 116:12-19). ii. She had paid her vows that day. a. She had been to worship at the temple earlier that day. b. This should remind us that it's not only the people that profess to be Christians who are often deceivers, but also those who are regular church-goers. c. These types creep into churches unawares and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jud 1:4). d. Lasciviousness n. - The quality of being lascivious. e. Lascivious adj. - 1. Inclined to lust, lewd, wanton. iii. If this young man had any discernment at all, he would have known that a woman dressed like a harlot standing on a street corner at night is not a godly, virtuous woman no matter how religious she sounds. 15. Pro 7:15 - "Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee." A. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, i. Therefore adv. - II. 2. In consequence of that; that being so; as a result or inference from what has been stated; consequently. ii. She came out to meet the young man because she is a godly, religious woman (Pro 7:14), so she claims. iii. She is so eager to meet a good man that she came out of her house a night to meet him. iv. This would make the young fool feel special. B. diligently to seek thy face, i. Diligently adv. - In a diligent manner; with diligence. a. With steady application; assiduously, industriously; not idly or lazily; with dispatch. ii. Diligent adj. - 1. Of persons: ‘Constant in application, persevering in endeavour, assiduous’, industrious; ‘not idle, not negligent, not lazy.’ iii. Seek v. - 1. a. To go in search or quest of; to try to find, look for (either a particular object—person, thing, or place—whose whereabouts are unknown, or an indefinite object suitable for a particular purpose). iv. The wicked are diligent, often more diligent than the righteous. a. They search out iniquity diligently (Psa 64:6). b. They study destruction (Pro 24:2). c. They sleep not except they have done mischief (Pro 4:16). v. Having a "godly", affluent woman setting out on a diligent quest to find him would make the young fool feel even more special. vi. But had he any sense he should have known that a godly woman would be diligently seeking God (Heb 11:6), not a partner to sin with. C. and I have found thee. i. No doubt this was said with a seductive smile. ii. How important the young man must feel at this point. iii. His guard is now down for what comes next. 16. Pro 7:16 - "I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt." A. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, i. If meeting a woman dressed like a harlot on a street corner late at night who grabbed him and kissed him before she began talking piously didn't cause suspicion of her character and motives, talking about her bed certainly should have. ii. Beds serve two primary functions: sleeping and sex (Heb 13:4). iii. If one of the first subjects of conversation with a woman is her bed, there is a very good chance that she is not just simply tired. iv. People often invest in their equipment to make themselves more productive. a. The strange woman is no different. b. Her bed is decorated finely. (i) Decked ppl. - Adorned, embellished, set out: see the verb. (ii) Deck v. - I. 1. trans. To cover; esp. to cover with garments, clothe. Obs. 2. a. To clothe in rich or ornamental garments; to cover with what beautifies; to array, attire, adorn. (iii) Tapestry n. - 1. a. A textile fabric decorated with designs of ornament or pictorial subjects, painted, embroidered, or woven in colours, used for wall hangings, curtains, covers for seats, to hang from windows or balconies on festive occasions, etc.; especially, such a decorated fabric, in which a weft containing ornamental designs in coloured wool or silk, gold or silver thread, etc., is worked with bobbins or broaches, and pressed close with a comb, on a warp of hemp or flax stretched in a frame. B. with carved works, i. Her bed is adorned with carved wood. ii. This is the kind of adorning the temple of God had (1Ki 6:35). iii. This type of ornate woodwork is very expensive and would possibly lead him to think she is not a cheap tramp. C. with fine linen of Egypt. i. Fine adj. - 1. Of superior quality, choice of its kind. ii. Linen n. - 1. a. Cloth woven from flax. iii. Flax n. - 1. The plant Linum usitatissimum bearing blue flowers which are succeeded by pods containing the seeds commonly known as linseed. It is cultivated for its textile fibre and for its seeds. iv. Fine linen was very costly and precious. a. Kings were arrayed in fine linen (Gen 41:42; 1Ch 15:27). b. God's tabernacle was made of fine linen (Exo 25:4). c. God's priests were clothed in fine linen (Exo 28:39). D. A bed such as she described would be tempting to want to see and sleep in. E. Some whores, especially married ones, actually try to buy men with gifts (or luxurious accommodations in this case) (Eze 16:31-33). F. The allure of the strange woman is building. G. If this young man doesn't run soon, it will be too late.