The Adulterous Woman

Order of Service

• Pastoral Prayer
• Prayer Requests & Intercession
• Scripture Reading — Proverbs 7
• Sermon
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: The Adulterous Woman

Scripture: Proverbs 7

I. The Adulterous Woman's Prey

A. The father observes foolish youths from his window (Proverbs 7:7)

1. The "simple" in Proverbs denotes the gullible — not actively wicked, but easily led astray
2. The simple man is unsuspecting prey; the woman is the predator

B. The young man's folly is in his path and timing (Proverbs 7:8)

1. He passes near her corner at night — not scheming evil, but lacking sense
2. He is likened to an ox going to slaughter, a deer caught in a trap, and a bird rushing into a snare (Proverbs 7:22–23)

C. Wisdom requires avoiding paths that lead to temptation

1. James 1:13–15 — we are tempted when lured by our own desires, which conceive sin and bring forth death
2. The Lord's Prayer: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" — we are to take proper routes in life
3. Though the man is an unsuspecting victim, he is still held accountable; even unintentional sins have consequences

II. The Adulterous Woman's Movements

A. The woman's defining characteristic is that she is away from home (Proverbs 7:11–12)

1. She is in the streets, the market, at every corner — an idler and busybody
2. She is apparently wealthy: Egyptian linens, expensive spices, a husband away on a prosperous journey (Proverbs 7:16–20)

B. Paul warns similarly of women who are idle, away from home, and self-indulgent

1. 1 Timothy 5:6 — the self-indulgent widow is spiritually dead
2. Titus 2:4–5 — young women are to be self-controlled, pure, and working at home

C. She dresses as a prostitute and seizes the man (Proverbs 7:10, 13)

1. Like Tamar in Genesis 38, she uses a veil to entice and conceal her identity
2. She reverses the proper order of biblical pursuit: she is the active pursuer, the man is passive — contrast with the man's courtship of the Shulamite in Song of Solomon
3. The movements and dress of the Proverbs 7 woman are championed in today's culture; the church must recognize them as destructive, not heroic

III. The Adulterous Woman's Speech

A. She invokes a religious pretext to lure him (Proverbs 7:14)

1. Fellowship (peace) offerings described in Leviticus 3 and Leviticus 7 required the offerer to consume their portion that same day
2. If she is a pagan, the offering may involve cult prostitution tied to fertility religion
3. Either way, there is a spiritual/religious element to her seduction — nothing new under the sun; sexual immorality is still spoken of with spiritual overtones today

B. She appeals to comfort and sensual pleasure (Proverbs 7:16–17)

1. Myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon also appear in Song of Solomon 4:14 as euphemisms for the beloved's body — here used in a context of pure lust, not love
2. Contrast with Song of Solomon: there the spices describe a covenant relationship; here it is purely erotic and temporary

C. She assures him there will be no consequences (Proverbs 7:19–20)

1. Her husband is away — she persuades him they can sin without being caught
2. This echoes the serpent's lie: "You will not surely die" — compare Genesis 2 and the warning about death
3. Like Potiphar's wife with Joseph, she will use and discard her prey, even turning him into the predator to protect herself

D. The consequences are real and deadly (Proverbs 7:23, 26–27)

1. "He does not know that it will cost him his life" — her house is the way to Sheol, the chambers of death
2. Many victims — both men and women — have been laid low by the seductress (Proverbs 7:26)
3. Even under grace, sin still deserves death; grace is not a license to walk the path of folly but the gift of ears to hear and heed wisdom
4. The antidote is Lady Wisdom, to be introduced in Proverbs 8 — wisdom ultimately incarnate in Jesus Christ