 Chapter seven deals with seduction. That's what we'll be looking at. It's dealing with a continuation of Solomon giving advice to his son. And I chose to entitle this particular chapter study. Simply, she seduced him. Now, some of you know, if not all of you, know that recently I've been doing the Facebook Live kind of thing. And this last week, some of you perhaps saw it, I don't know, I answered a question related to sexual intimacy. And I was considering, because it's like eight minutes, I was considering using that as my introduction because it's a study related, it's actually a Facebook Live devotional teaching related to the proper place for sex, sexual intimacy. This chapter deals with that. And so, I'm not gonna do this all the time, so, but I think it's worth hearing that as an introduction. I do. It gives an awful lot that I'm not gonna give in this study, and so I'd like to just show you our Facebook Live. Tomorrow, I'm gonna be doing a Facebook Live, and I'm gonna be doing it on, so you're single and you want a date. What do you look for? So, I'll do that tomorrow. We're gonna go on between 12 and one. But this was last Thursday. Let me use it as our introduction. Then we're gonna move into chapter seven and speak about seduction. That's what we're gonna look at. So, if we have it ready, let's go. David Rosales, I'm the pastor of Calvary Chapel June Valley, California. Today, I would like to answer the question, is it permissible to have intimate sexual relations with someone that you are engaged to be married to? Well, obviously, we live in a time when the thought of abstaining from sexual intimacy before marriage is considered by the majority of non-Christians to be unnecessary and even ridiculous. The argument often is placed in very basic terms. We have sexual urges that are natural and it is only natural that we express them. So, what is wrong with expressing them with someone that you love? Isn't that the best way to do so? A growing number of Christians express the same sentiment and believe that if they are formally engaged, then sexual intimacy is allowed and because they love one another, they feel that engaging in intimate sexual activity is not sinful because they love one another and because they're planning on being married. Many professing Christians have made the decision to first move in together and then to have a wedding ceremony. They seem to think that it gives them opportunity to see if they can live together and believe that they are working out their relationship in a kind of trial run that they hope will help them to have a better marriage once the ceremony's done and the license is signed. Is this true? One study found that 40% of women living with a significant other for the first time between 2006 and 2010, transitioned to marriage within three years. 32% of those relationships remained the same and finally, 27% of those relationships were dissolved. It would seem that the odds of making it to marriage are not in the favor of those who make decisions to live together, which brings us back to the original question. Is it permissible to have intimate sexual relations with someone that you're engaged to be married to? In the book of First Thessalonians, the apostle Paul in chapter four told the church, "'We urge an exhort in the Lord Jesus "'that you should abound more and more "'just as you receive from us "'how you ought to walk and to please God. "'For you know what commandments we gave you "'through the Lord Jesus. "'For this is the will of God, your sanctification, "'that you should abstain from sexual immorality.'" Interestingly, one of the more common questions that I have heard as a pastor is what is God's will for me? Here is one of the portions of scripture that very clearly tells us what God's will is for us. It is for us to abstain from sexual immorality. When Paul says abstain from sexual immorality, the word used to speak of such immorality is the word prenea. Prenea speaks of every form of sexual practice that lies outside the circle of God's revealed will. It includes adultery, premarital intercourse, homosexuality, bestiality and sexually physical activity outside of the marriage covenant. When Paul wrote this letter, sexual immorality was common amongst the pagans as it still is. It is possible that the Thessalonians had slipped back into this kind of mindset after their conversion. This is not improbable because sexual restraint was almost unheard of in Greek culture. For pagan Greeks, it was unreasonable to encourage people to sexual restraint because it was naturally assumed that a man would find sexual pleasure outside of marriage. Because of this, casual sexual activity was widely accepted as natural and harmless. Some even argued that sexual fulfillment was natural and neutral. For them, it was simply an appetite. Paul addressed this when he wrote the first letter to Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians chapter six, verse 13, Paul quoted the saying when he wrote food for the stomach and the stomach for food, which was the mindset of Corinthians. After writing this, he went on to say but God will destroy them both. The body's not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Sadly, today the overwhelming majority does not believe that sex outside of marriage is sin and it is glorified, make it seem desirable and sophisticated to casually engage in. It is presented as normal, neutral, enjoyable, harmless and permissible in almost every movie, television, program, song and college course related to sexuality. Salome, if ever, do you see the repercussions of casual sex portrayed in movies? Do you not see the broken hearts that are left behind? The shame, the deep loss of self-respect or the depth of conviction at its wrongness. You almost never are witness to the venereal disease ravaging the innocent partner. The HIV AIDS that is contracted, the unexpected pregnancy or the aftermath of the abortion or the broken lives of the babies that are born to such casual affairs. Hollywood pretends to be outraged sexual injustices and then continues pouring millions into producing movies that glorify it in every form. In one year they could impact sexual mindsets by producing movies that held up purity as the preferred model, but are more interested in making money than encouraging morality. And they call Christians hypocrites. Even in the church, there's a tremendous lack of understanding about this subject. The fact is sexual promiscuity is incompatible with the life of holiness or purity. Why? Because sexual sin destroys the foundation of intimacy established in marriage. By virtue of creation, marriage is God's design and is more than living together. Sexual intimacy is intended to be enjoyed with God's blessing between a man and a woman. Genesis 2 24 reads, a man shall leave his father and mother, be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. God's command concerning marriage is intended to produce a godly couple that makes it their aim if they are able to conceive or to adopt children, to raise children who love, fear and serve the Lord. Solomon in the book of Proverbs repeatedly warns his son and future readers about sexual immorality and consistently states that sexual immorality destroys marriages and often leads to divorce and to painfully broken children. Our common culture regards immorality as normal, but God makes it clear that it is normal only in the sense that it is driven by biological drives, but in the end, it is highly destructive. So is it something that believers can casually involve themselves in with no repercussions? No, the writer of Hebrews in chapter 13 verse four wrote, marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept pure. For God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Paul wrote in Ephesians five verses five through eight. This you know that no fornicator, unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater as any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. The Christian is to live a blameless and holy life before God and man, which provides the contrast of the lifestyle of a believer with the one who does not fear God and is unprepared for eternity. It is so important that Paul said in Ephesians five three, do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you as this proper among saints. In 1st Thessalonians four six, Paul said no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter. There are plenty of men who tell the woman that they tell them they love them and will marry them and then after getting bored with them or finding something about them, they find unattractive, they leave them. One day another man meets her and cherishes her and loves her and wants to marry her and finds that she's been taken advantage of and hurt by somebody else. The other man defrauded his brother by robbing him of the virginity that ought to have been brought to the marriage. The future partner of the woman has been defrauded of that which should have belonged to him, her purity. The fact is to have relations with a woman outside of marriage is not only a trespass against God's law, it defrauds a fellow Christian who eventually will take this woman as his own wife or perhaps has already done so. The simple fact is sexual purity reflects on the purity of the whole person. Your character and faith in Jesus is revealed by your obedience to God's word and your obedience is made possible by the help of the spirit of God and your willingness to walk in his spirit. So an answer to the question, is it permissible to have intimate sexual relations with someone that you are engaged to be married to? The answer is the proper place for sexual intimacy is within the bonds of the covenant of marriage. Since God created marriage, it is obvious that God's instructions concerning it should be closely followed. If you have fallen in this area or are presently involved in this kind of sin, it's not too late. You can and you should repent and seek the Lord for forgiveness and for restoration to fellowship with him. If your partner resists you doing so and refuses to do so, you need to ask whether this is the person you should be with. If they are believers, they should desire to do what the Lord says. If they refuse, then you must decide to follow the Lord and trust the Lord in all of this. This is David Rosales, pastor of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California. All right. So we're gonna look today at Proverbs chapter seven. She seduced him. Also, the story of the Hoochee woman. Beginning at verse one. Marie, my wife sits up there and she gives me looks. So I'm not looking at you. Oh, I am. My son, keep my words, treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live in 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, from the seductress who flatters with her words. So Solomon as we enter into chapter seven is continuing his instruction to a son, concerning his son receiving his instruction. Notice as we begin that Solomon continues admonishing him even as a father admonishes a son and he exhorts him. And he's exhorting him to value his instruction because the words that he is giving to his son, the instructions that he's giving to his son have great value. Now, as we've seen, as we've gone through the book of Proverbs, this kind of passionate exhortation is repeated by Solomon often. We saw in chapter three, verse one, how he said, my son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands. Chapter four, verse 10, hear my son and receive my sayings and the years of your life will be many. After five, verse one, my son, pay attention to my wisdom, lend your ear to my understanding. Proverbs six, verse 20, my son, keep your father's command, do not forsake the law of your mother. So Solomon wants to emphasize the value of keeping his instructions, obedience to his commands and valuing them, profits. It profits you today and it will profit you in eternity. He's not saying to him, I want you to simply memorize them for practical instructions and practical value. He's saying you need to value these words in such a way as they are words that you cannot live without. They need to have that great an import in your life. These are not simple suggestions intended to be of moral value to his son. These are spiritual teachings that require faith and a willing obedience if you're gonna benefit from them. These are words given with passion. These are words given with an intense desire for a son to not simply hear but for that son to embrace. Again, it's an exhortation for the son to personally do something because it's the son's responsibility to do the things that are commanded and that's why he uses words and intends to communicate value through the words he chooses to use. Verse one, he says, keep my words, treasure my commands, keep my commands. He says bind them, write them. He uses words to illustrate the depth of importance. The word keep when he says keep my words is a word that means to guard, to keep watch over, to protect the word treasure. When he says treasure my commands, the word treasure means to hide something, to store it up in a secret place. To treasure something is to value something. He had said in Proverbs two, verse one, treasure my commands within you. See, knowing something is really to be expressed by doing something. We have a lot of people today who may know but they don't do. Jesus said, why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the things that I say? And so what the scriptures are intended to do is not simply communicate to us good ideas but they're intended to communicate to us wisdom to live by so that we might live eternally and have a blessed life today. So knowing is expressed by doing. Wisdom is not simply taking a course, some class but it's gained through obedience. In Luke chapter 11, Jesus was speaking in verses 27 and 28 and it says, it happened as Jesus spoke these things that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast which nursed you. And he said, more than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. So Jesus taught us to not just hear his words in the sense of being able to understand the words themselves but if you're really gonna know something you need to put it into practice. And so we decide by faith to obey what the Lord says because we trust that he knows what is best. I've discovered as many of you have that some things you learn only after deciding to trust and obey. It's interesting in John chapter 11 verse four when Jesus was there at Lazarus' tomb that Jesus was speaking to a woman one of his followers by the name of Martha and he said to Martha, John 11 verse 40, did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God. Today we say seeing is believing but Jesus said, no, believing is seeing. And so what we do is we put into practice what he's saying and that's what the father is so intent on. He wants his son to not only hear but he wants his son to value and he wants his son to obey. My son, verse one, keep my words, treasure my commands, keep my commands, live. And he says in verse two, keep my commands and live and my law as the apple of your eye. When he says keep my commands and live and my law as the apple of your eye, Proverbs 12 28 says in the way of righteousness is life and in its pathway there is no doubt. So if you keep my commands, you will live. So he's saying obedience to my commands will direct your physical life and it ought to be even as the apple of your eye. You know, I was looking at that, that's an interesting phrase that's in the Bible and an interesting phrase that's an ancient phrase. Quite obviously, I mean, we have it here in scripture. But what does it mean? The apple of your eye. Literally the apple of your eye means the little man, why? Well, because the ancients would say that when you were looking into the eyes of somebody else, you're a little man, you were reflected in the pupil. And so that became a word that was used to speak concerning the value. And so the apple of your eye speaks about the source that takes in the light and the apple of the eye ought to be valued because it's what gives you the ability to see. And so he's saying the son is to guard his father's teaching because the teachings will provide moral light for him or will provide guidance for him. In Psalm 1828, it reads, you will light my lamp, the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. Psalm 119, 101, I have restrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word. So keep my teachings and they will restrain your feet from evil works. Value them because they're like moral light entering into your life. When he says bind them on your fingers, there's a couple of applications to that. When it says bind them on your fingers, it could speak concerning like a ring on the hand that is always visible. But it also speaks of tying something up and it would be used during that day to store something in the mind, to tie something up in the mind and in the actions. And so binding had a sense of always remembering and it had a way of reminding us of memorizing or storing something up because you value it. When he says write, that speaks of obviously engraving or recording. Deuteronomy 6 verse 6 says, these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. So if you have the capacity to remember, it's valuable to remember scripture, to bind the word in your heart. Hebrews 10, 16 says, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds, I will write them. See in the old time, you had the commands that were on tablets of stone. The finger of God wrote the words out but now God by his spirit writes his word on the tablet of your heart. So the things that you do are not simply by because you're obeying some outside law but it actually has become the inside motivator. The Holy Spirit writes God's word on the tablet of your heart and awakens you to its meaning and directives. And so he's saying, son, value what I'm saying to you, bind them, keep them like a ring, treasure them because they provide life for you. And so as he's saying this, verse four, say to wisdom, you're my sister and call understanding your nearest kin. Why? Well, verse five, that they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words. When he says, say to wisdom, you're my sister and well, this is real practical when you consider it. When he says, say to wisdom, you're my sister, a sister and in its context, speaking of an immoral woman, a sister who truly loves you will warn you, will warn you. A sister who truly loves you will warn you and will warn you against an immoral woman. That's the context, that's the point he's making. I come home as a young man, I have a young lady with me, my sister sees this young lady, goes to school with her, young lady leaves, my sister approaches me later and says, you really need to stay away from her. And I say, why? Well, because she's not a real good girl. And I say, that's why I'm with her. No, she says, she says because she won't be good for you if you're a wise brother and if your sister really loves you, you're wise to listen to her. A lot of guys don't. But he says, listen, you need to see it this way. You need to understand that a sister who truly loves you will warn you and wisdom, you're my sister. So wisdom's gonna warn you against certain things. So now he begins to speak about it, verse six. For at the window of my house, I looked through my lattice. I saw among the simple. I perceived among the youths a young man, devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner. And he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. So Solomon says, I'm looking out my window. And as I look out the window, I see a group of young men kind of hanging around. And as I watch, my eye falls on a young man and a naive young guy who is on his way to see somebody. And he's doing this, by the way, intentionally. This is young man who, verse eight, who passes along the street near her corner and took the path to her house. So he's intentionally going to this woman. He's on his way to see her, that's what he's doing. Solomon says he's a very naive, very naive person. And so he's doing it, notice in verse nine, under the cover of night. Why? Because a lot of sin occurs in darkness. He's doing it under cover because he doesn't want it to be seen by others. But Solomon is in that position where he can see where the guy is going. And so as this is taking place, he continues, verse 10, and there a woman met him with the attire of a harlot and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious. Her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside. At times in the open square, lurking at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him with an impudent face. She said to him, I have peace offerings with me. Today I have paid my vows, so I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face. And I have found you. So there's this woman. Notice verse 10, notice how she's dressed. She's in what he says, the attire of a harlot. So we'll look at this very briefly. The word attire, it speaks of her clothing, but it carries the connotation of form fitting clothing. In other words, she's dressed immodestly. She's dressed in a way that accentuates the fact that she's a woman. She's wearing a very, very provocative, tight dress. That's what the word attire is alluding to. So she's dressed in form fitting, exposing clothing, but he also says, not only does she have this form fitting clothing, she's dressed in the attire of a harlot, but she's got also a crafty heart. So what Solomon is saying here is her body can be seen, but her plans are hidden. You can see her, but you don't see what's inside of her. And she's described in such a way that, well, this isn't real flattering. We'll put it like that. The way he is describing her, and I'll read it again, she's dressed with the attire of a harlot. In other words, an old saying, this isn't a girl you'd bring home to meet mom and dad. When the guy brings the girl home to meet the parents, he doesn't want her to walk in, you know. Anyway, he wants her to look like she just came out of church. He doesn't necessarily want her to come in looking like a harlot, immodestly dressed, you know. And there needs to be sensitivity to that kind of thing, the way that they dress. I was remembering, even as I was preparing this, that years ago we had a celebration here. I think it was our 25th anniversary of our church. And I'm not sure, it could have been another time. I don't remember exactly what the event was, but I do remember this. It was a celebration, no, it was the dedication of the building, so it was years ago. And when we built that new sanctuary, that old sanctuary now, but when it was due and we dedicated it, and Pastor Chuck Smith from Calvary Chapel Coastal Mesa came to do the dedication ceremony for us. And so we had a video presentation of the history of our church up to the dedication that night of the building. And me, you know, I've got a dumb sense of humor, some of you may know that. And I added a picture of Marie when we had gone to the Montclair Mall years before and we'd taken our children. And my kids at that time were small. And my sister-in-law worked in a photo booth, Photoshop kind of thing. And she did those old timey pictures where you would dress up like, you know, like a cowboy with chaps and guns. And they also had these dresses that the bar room girls wore with a hat and a feather. And so Marie took a picture in that holding a bottle of seagrams. So, so I put that in the video. And I had said, I said, you know, before Marie got saved, she was kind of like, well, and there's this picture of her like this. Pastor Chuck was so upset. He came up and said something about Marie, you know, and I didn't say anything. But that's the picture. That's the picture. You've got a picture of a woman wearing form-fitting clothing. He's describing her as an immodest person. She wasn't the kind of girl that you want to bring home to meet the parents. Notice what she's like, verse 10, continuing. She's forward, she's very aggressive. It says, a woman met him. That gives you the picture that she's aggressive. Secondly, notice that she is dressed immodestly. He speaks of her attire as that of a harlot. Verse 11, she's loud and rebellious. Her feet will not stay at home. He goes on to say that she's drawing attention to herself. She is rebellious. She's not only loud, drawing attention to herself, but she's rebellious, meaning her feet will not stay at home. That's rebellious. Verse 12, it says that she was outside at times in the open square, but she's lurking at every corner. So, a fifth thing is she's on the prowl. She's lying in wait, is the point he's making, and it speaks really of having a hostile purpose waiting to ambush somebody. That's what it's speaking about. In verse 13, it says she caught him and kissed him with an impudent face. In other words, she is very aggressive and boldly grabs him. These were not things that were intended to be flattering, by the way. This is a picture of a woman who doesn't know or fear God, and she's seducing him. How does she do so? Well, she boldly comes on to him by grabbing him and kissing him. And what does that do? Well, that makes him aware that she's available. It fuels him. She's openly aggressive. She's available. She's dressed in a way that draws his attention. So Solomon is teaching us what to look for in an attractive woman by using this as a contrast. He's pointing out things that are not attractive. So he's saying the things that I'm pointing out, the way that she is, is really not something you should be looking for. These are qualities that you ought to be looking for instead of aggressiveness. You ought to look for modesty. Instead of somebody being rebellious and on the move, you should look for somebody who's faithful, somebody who has a heart to make a home. Instead of somebody who is sexually unfaithful, you should have a wife who is faithful and devoted to you. Instead of having somebody who's worried about making her outer appearance attractive to not just you, but to everybody else, you ought to have a woman whose heart is beautiful. It's like what Peter said in 1 Peter chapter three, verses three through six, and he was speaking to the ladies when he said, do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, putting on finer peril. Rather, let it be the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. In this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. So he's saying, this is a woman that you ought to be looking for in contrast to what this woman is. Now notice how she speaks to him. She says, I have peace offerings with me. Today, I have paid my vows. Peace offerings are also referred to as thank offerings, and these were offerings that were made because God had blessed them. You see it in Leviticus chapter seven. But why is she saying that? This is interesting. She's using faith as a tool for seduction, and she's presenting herself as a believer. What she is saying to him as she opens a conversation is, I have been engaged in the practice of my faith. When she speaks of peace offerings and paying her vows, she's given the impression that she's a faith-filled woman. Now the offering was a meat offering. She would take a portion of it home for her own needs. She's claiming to be ceremonially pure, so she's able to eat that offering, but it sounds like she's offering him to come over for barbecue. That's the basic. She has the meat that she's gotten from the offering, and in his mind, he would know she's gonna eat that and therefore come out over for dinner. She's inviting him over. And then notice what she does, verse 15. I came out to meet you diligently to seek your face. I found you. So she's saying, I'm right with God. I'm cleansed from my impurity. I desire to fellowship with you. I'm anxious to see you. I look for you. She has eagerness. Now every man knows that when a woman shows an eagerness to be with you, that's seduction. That draws the man. This woman wants to be with me. It's flattering. And the man will think, and that's what she's doing. She's using her words to trap him. I was at the doctors today, and I was waiting to get some information. And I'm standing when a guy who's working at this particular clinic comes walking by and there's a young lady standing right where I'm at. He walks by and she looks at him. She says something about what have you been up to? And he looks back at her and he says, oh, nothing but I'll be going to the mountain to Big Bear this weekend. And she says, are you gonna take me? And I thought, I'll write that into my notes. Because that's how it starts, right? That's how it starts. If a woman says, you're gonna take me. It just has a way of appealing to male ego. She's available, she's telling you that. And that's basically the kind of thing that Solomon is speaking to us about. She uses religion though to snare this naive young man. Now notice what else she says, verse 16. I have spread my bed with tapestry colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with murals and cinnamon. Come let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us delight ourselves with love. I promise you, a night you will never forget. That's what she's saying. We are gonna have a good time all night long. That is what she is saying. Verse 18, let us take our fill of love until morning, let us delight ourselves with love. Till morning, from evening to morning, she is appealing to him saying, I will give you a night that you will never forget. A lot of men would say, count me in. You know that, oh, that is so enticing. And so this is very, very real. And she goes on and listen, verse 19. For my husband's not at home. Yeah, I heard, ouch, I heard that. He has gone on a long journey. He's taken a bag of money with him and will come home on the appointed day. We're not gonna be interrupted. You have no chance of getting caught. He's a great distance away. So forget about any fears. Just think how I can delight you all night long. This is a chance of a lifetime. This is the stuff songs are written about. This is the kind of stuff that the boys talk about in the locker room. And she's offering it to him. Naive, naive young man. I had been ordained into the ministry. I was an assisting pastor in another church at that time. And I was 20, 29. And I'm zealous, I wanna serve God and he's given me the opportunity to serve him. And I'm excited about it. And I get a phone call at my house on a Saturday night. It's a woman. And she says to me, Pastor David. Yes, I go to the church. Yes, my husband's a truck driver. He's a long haul driver. He's out of town. I'm afraid. Can you come over and spend the night? So I talked to my wife Marie. She's 27 years old. I'm 29. I'm a pastor. Just a minute, I put my baby. This lady's afraid that she needs someone to spend the night. Do you mind if I, she's gonna let me sleep on the couch. Do you think it'd be okay if I go protect her? I'll leave you and the kids alone while I take care of this woman. Marie says, well, you know, honey, if the Lord's leading you to do that, no problem. But why don't you call the pastor, Marco and ask him. So that's a good idea. So I tell the woman, what's your number? I'll call you back. Okay. I call my pastor at that time, pastor of the church, Marco. Marco, woman's alone. She's afraid, or give him the story. He says, he's an older man. He was in his 40s. Do you remember that? He was in his 40s. You know, David, I don't think that's a good idea. You probably shouldn't do that. Oh, okay. So I call her back. I say, I'm sorry. You know, I can't help you. To this day, what an idiot I was. What an idiot. But that's naivete. That's this innocent, well, you know, they wouldn't do anything. You know, they're God-fearing people. They go to the church. That's what happened to me more than once. And I learned the first time. I did. But I'll tell you, it's just, and so that's the picture that you have right here. The promises that, all of that kind of thing. My husband's gone, but she's real direct. We'll have our fill of love. It's interesting how sexual sin is called love, when in fact it's sin. But that's what she's saying. And she's saying, look it, this guy's gone and he won't be back. Well, but I want you to notice something because this isn't something real obvious because there are husband's qualities are being spoken of here. We just don't notice. One, my husband is not at home. That gives me insight that this is a man who is sacrificial. He will do whatever he needs to do to provide for the family. He's gone on a long journey. This is a man who's a hard worker because a long journey would be something that would require an awful lot from him. He's taken a bag of money with him. This tells me that he has finances. He provides for the family and he's gonna come home on the appointed day. He's trustworthy, he's dependable. These are things that are qualities that ought to endear this man to her, but these are things she uses against him. He's gone, he's taken money. I know when he's gonna be back. When she said all of these things to him, there was nothing but seduction. Notice in verse 21 how it says, with her enticing speech, she caused him to yield. With her flattering lips, she seduced him. Immediately he went after her as an ox goes to the slaughter as a fool to the correction of the stocks. Till an arrow struck his liver as a bird hastens to the snare. He did not know it would cost his life. She pressures, she prevails, she did seduce. He made the decision. She provoked the decision that was made. Now, of course, you can't be seduced if you don't have a desire for this. He wanted this all along. She simply appeals to his desire, makes it possible. James 1.14 says, each one is tempted when he's drawn away by his own desires and enticed. He was pressured, but he didn't desire to resist. Again, in Proverbs 5.3, the lips of an immoral woman drip honey. Her mouth is swither than oil. So Solomon's saying, son, don't do it. There's always a price that must be paid. It says in verses 22 and 23 that immediately he went after her as an ox goes to the slaughter. Like an ox dreaming of rich pasture or a careless fool receiving proper punishment is what he's speaking about. There's a prize that the pain, there's a prize when they're ambushed. And so there is no such thing as sexual sin with no repercussions. Keep that in mind. There will always be a repercussion to making choices and decisions like this. She seduced him, but he was available. And as he did so, that's an interesting phrase. In verse 22, he went like an ox goes to the slaughter. I've never seen an ox going to the slaughter, but I'm gonna assume that it's a picture of a beast that is just plotting along, thinking that everything's okay until they're killed. And that's what's taking place here. So he says again, it's gonna cost his life. Therefore, verse 24, listen to me, my children. Pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her path. She's cast down many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death. You won't get away with it, my son. Pay attention, son. Don't let your heart turn aside. Don't turn from the path of faith and holiness. You'll end up ruined. Be careful not to allow your heart to think on these things, don't allow your desires to move you into sin. You see, there are worse things than being lonely. There are worse things than not having anything to do on a Friday or Saturday night. There are worse things than to be alone sometimes. I have great sympathy for those who are lonely. My heart is touched by those who've made bad decisions. Yet at the same time, as a pastor, I'm concerned because Christians are often vulnerable to seduction. Christians can be naive, even gullible, because we trust sometimes in the wrong people. We think that because someone puts on Christianity that they must be Christians, they come to church, they carry their Bibles, they go to studies, they're involved, and they can convince you that they're not only Christians, but strong Christians. And then you begin to compromise little things. Then you eventually end up compromising the things that matter, and you're wounded and you're hurt because you trusted somebody who had the veneer Christianity. This woman is saying, listen, I made my offerings. I'm a religious person. And I'm telling you, in this fellowship over the years, not often, but often enough, we have seen people we love make poor choices because they were seduced. Because the things that were said to them were things they wanted to hear. Promises that were made to them were promises that they wanted to be fulfilled in their life. And the veneer was there. They came to church. These people had their Bibles. They prayed and they worshiped. Often their hands were raised higher than everybody else's. They came to the breakfast and they got involved in various things, all along, because you could only see the outside, all along, their hearts were crafty. And then they met that young woman or that young man. And once they were through with them, they're left on the side of the road and their hearts are broken and they wonder what happened. That's why Solomon is saying, pay attention to the words of my mouth. Listen to me because I know what you don't know. Avoid sexual sin, avoid it, run from it when necessary. If you have a relationship with somebody who claims to love you, if they really loved you, they want the best for you. They would want you to love the Lord. They would want you to serve God. They would want you to keep your purity. They would want you to be solid. But when you have somebody who says, yeah, I'm a believer, but you know, that's kind of rigid. That's kind of like legalistic, don't you think? When you start hearing things like that, the Holy Spirit will be grieved in you. There'll be a sense in you. This is, there's something wrong with this. There's something wrong. It's the Spirit giving you discernment, saying to you, run, flee, get out of here. They don't love you. They are going to use you. Loneliness is terrible. It is not good that the man should be alone. That's the first bad thing you see in scripture. Loneliness is a bad thing. We need relationship. We need fellowship. But don't put yourself in the position that you begin to yield your walk with God to somebody who just wants your body. And I'm telling you, you know this, that like a father or a grandfather, I can say, pay attention and listen carefully because all the years that I've been alive and all the ministry that I've done, I have had the sad duty of trying to peace together broken lives, to pick up those broken pieces of the broken heart of that poor little girl or that guy who was used. So Solomon's words are powerful. When listened to, avoid it, stay away from it. It's destructive. And that's what he's saying. He says in verses 26 and 27, and we'll move to our conclusion. She has cast down many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men. The battlefield is strewn with the bodies of those who thought that they were safe. Those who were trusting in their own strength were destroyed. You see, the fear of the Lord and willing obedience and the power of the spirit will make a way of escape because as it says in verse 27, the end result is death and judgment. In Ephesians five verse five of this, you can be sure no immoral, impure or greedy person, such a man is an idolater as any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. That's not a debatable subject. That's pure scripture. Avoid it, avoid it. In Ecclesiastes 726, I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner, she will ensnare. So this is a powerful warning. Let's walk in the spirit and obedience, love God's word and avoid the sin.