Emptiness
Today we
have the fulfillment of the “adulterer” section that we started in the last
chapter. This is really an incredible
chapter for the person who enjoys psychology.
The author of Proverbs really paints a portrait of the adulterer’s
mindset. It begins along this line of
thinking: The prostitute seeks to empty your change purse while the adulterer
seeks to empty your life.
Think
about this for a second. Yes, in God’s
eyes both are indeed sin. Sin is
sin. I’m not going to say one is better
than the other. Both are sex outside of
the marriage bond and I believe that the Bible is clear on the point that such
an activity is against His desire for us.
So fundamentally hear me argue that prostitution and adultery are both
wrong.
However,
the prostitute does what he or she does for the sake of money. They aren’t looking for a relationship. They aren’t looking to consume your life –
they are simply looking to consume a small amount of time with as much passion
as possible so that the payout will be as high as possible. The prostitute is motivated more by money
than by relationship.
However,
this is not true about the adulterer. As
we see painted in this chapter, the adulterer desires to keep you for the
night. The adulterer wants more than
just passion and money – they want relationship as well.
But the
relationship is not genuine. Look at the
words that the author uses to describe the set-up of the encounter.
- “My husband is out of town.” In other words, the adulterous relationship is not a genuine relationship because the relationship can only exist at specific times. Depending on the circumstance, the relationship exists or is denied. Relationships that are situationally dependent are not true relationships.
- “I had to offer sacrifices” and “Today I have paid my vows.” In other words, by day the adulterer appears religious and appears to know God. But the night exposes that the adulterer is not genuinely seeking after God. In this particular case, the woman makes a good show at the temple with sacrifices, but they are merely “dues” that she pays to buy off her conscience at night. The relationship of adultery is shallow because it is something that has to be hidden and disclosed since it is different than how people act “when others are watching.”
- “At every corner she lies in wait” and “she seizes him.” The adulterous relationship is often born out of one person’s scheme. Sure, it may eventually work into both participants equally participating in the relationship – but it usually begins with the adulterer looking for an opportunity. The adulterous relationship is not born naturally – two people growing closer together through a mutually shared and growing relationship. Adultery begins with the married person actively looking for something else besides the one to whom they are married. Adultery begins out of human agenda – not spiritual relationship.
In fact,
as I was researching this passage I stumbled across a neat book called Opening
Up Proverbs written by Jim Newheiser. In
it Jim makes a really neat analogy. His
development is far too long, so I’ll paraphrase. But the credit really goes back to Mr.
Newheiser.
Jim claims
that verses 6-23 reads more like a nature film than genuine human interaction:
- Verses 6-9: Here we see the prey victim. He has strayed too far from “the pack” – that is, the wisdom and security of his parents/family. He unknowingly walks too close to the adulterer’s house. Instead of seeking the company of the “herd” that can protect him, he strays away into the “tall grass” where danger is far more easily hidden.
- Verses 10-20: Here we see the chase. She lies in wait. At every corner she is looking for that prey to walk by. When the prey is in range her claws of seduction sink in deeply. She assaults his eyes with her perfectly proportioned body no doubt aided by the clothing she has chosen. Her painted eyelids seek to capture the attention and the eyes of the prey (Don’t believe me, look back at Proverbs 6:25!). She sinks her claws into his pride by flattering him with her silver tongue. She tells the prey that she has come for him specifically. She knows that the way to capture a man is through physical attraction and a gentle stroking of his ego. She proves to the prey that the visual promise that her attire presents is able to be fulfilled when she kisses him. She promises the allure of safety by explaining that the prey won’t get caught. Her attack is complete. She has stalked the prey, attracted the prey, convinced the prey that it is really safe, and she now sinks her teeth and claws into the prey.
- Verses 21-23: Here we see the kill. Notice how the author of Proverbs talks about the kill? The young prey … er … man … is like a dumb ox going to the slaughter. The ox thinks he’s going out to pasture only to find himself meeting the butcher. In this case the young man thinks he’s going to find genuine relationship only to find a shallow sexual experience that has no chance of being the true relationship that God desires for a man and a woman to have.
Doesn’t
this proverb read more like a nature film than a truly human experience? Is not the description of the adulterer more
like a predator stalking its prey than two humans coming together according to
God’s desire for true community? Is this
not a fair statement about the perspective of sex that the world has to offer?
I have one
final comment that I will bring out before finishing. This proverb has much to say about topics
that apply to today’s culture. We live
in a culture where women are taught at a very young age that their job is to “attract
the man.” Women – young girls, even! –
dress in clothes that are designed to leave nothing of their physical body to
the imagination. Women and girls alike
are trained how to wear facial make-up to attract the eyes of others to their
own eyes. Women and young girls are
being trained to use scent to help capture the attention of others.
Don’t get
me wrong. I’m not saying that women (or
men, for that matter) are to strive for a plain frumpy look. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look
nice and presentable for one’s God.
However, I think in our culture we need to think long and hard about
whether our appearance makes it easier for other people to focus on God or
focus on ourselves. If we are dressing
and presenting ourselves in such a way as it draws people to focus on us
instead of God – do we not have much in common with the tactics of the
adulterer in this passage?
For the
record ... the author ends this with a haunting note. The ways of the
adulterer lead to Sheol (The place of the dead). When we act in common
with these ways, we too are following the path to Sheol and not the path to
God.
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment