I want to take a moment and introduce you to the mind and heart of the seductress. As a young man, I met this type of woman many times. As a therapist I have happily witnessed the seductress heal and recover. But I have also heard hundreds of stories of men who were ravaged by her.
Our discussion of the seductress will be based on a verse-by-verse commentary of Proverbs 7, using the New International Version (NIV).
A Father’s Wisdom
My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them in the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman; they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words. -Proverbs 7:1-5
As King Solomon addresses his son, he addresses all men who read his words. He tells us to seek wisdom, to love wisdom enough to be practical about it. He encourages us to write down the words of wisdom that will guard him from evil. This is good advice. The older I get the more I need to write things down that I want to remember.
Here, again, in scripture we see the proactive person is protected from poor choices. If we seek God, obey God and stay close to His word it can inoculate us from seduction. Much like, if we worship God (The First Commandment) the other nine commandments are easier to keep. Have a daily reading of the word, worship time and obey what God is telling you today.
He tells us if we keep the commands of wisdom, we will be safe from the adulterous, wayward wife and her seductive words. In addiction recovery literature there is a concept called “principles above personalities.” This concept is very helpful to teach how you can get caught up in, or attached to, a personality (especially a woman’s) that you throw away wisdom, common sense. You may even choose to violate the principle of God’s Word that teaches, “Thou shall not commit adultery.”
We need to love God, love His Word and base our lives on His principles instead of following a harmful culture that says, “If it feels good, do it” or “Love the one you’re with!” (I personally think it should have been, “Lust the one you’re with!”)
When you live a life based in principles of wisdom, the seductress loses any power she could have over you. Her power is lust when you see her through the lens of God’s Word. But if your heart is open to lust or curiosity, she will always direct you down a path of heartbreak and hardship.