Hey Evil Woman

Proverbs 6:23-26:

For the commandments are like a lamp,
instruction is like a light,
and rebukes of discipline are like the road leading to life,
by keeping you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the loose woman.
Do not lust in your heart for her beauty,
and do not let her captivate you with her alluring eyes;
for on account of a prostitute one is brought down to a loaf of bread,
but the wife of another man preys on your precious life.

I can’t help it, this made me think of Electric Light Orchestra’s song, Evil Woman. After you take a look at that, just shake your head and consider these questions:

1. What happened in the text?
2. What do I learn about God?
3. What should I do about it?

1. What happened in the text?
   The text warns against adultery, recommending following wise instruction rather than risking one’s life.
2. What do I learn about God?
   This was a harder passage for me to answer this question. But I think the thing that comes from this passage is that because she is married, there are significant laws of consequences that have been established by God. This passage implies that although a prostitute can ruin you, adultery can destroy you.
3. What should I do about it?
   The most obvious thing is to pass on prostitution, adultery, and friends with benefits.
   A more specific thing is to avoid focusing on someone’s words and appearance if they’re off limits. As a young man I did more “pining” than I ought to have, and whether it led to foolish behavior or not, it never led to good behavior, if that makes any sense.
   Finally, my culture doesn’t like commandments, instruction, and rebukes. My society doesn’t think much of putting limits on one’s sexuality. So I need to consciously think about passages like these, remembering that they are shining light on social and personal problems that my culture is terrible at dealing with.