Discourse 8. Addressed To ‘My Son'. After Appealing To Him To Observe His Words Solomon Vividly Describes The Wiles Of An Adulteress And Warns ‘Sons' Against Her (Pro 7:1-27).
This is the fourth reference to the dangers of the ‘strange woman'. In Pro 2:16-19 the emphasis was on her betrayal of both man and God; in Pro 5:1-23 there was an emphasis on the financial and social loss involved in consorting with the strange woman and the encouragement to look rather to a true wife; in Pro 6:20-35 the emphasis was on the resultant anger of the husband which can only be assuaged by extreme judgment; here the emphasis is on the details of the seduction of the young man in preparation for the contrast with the activity of Ms Wisdom.
For it is surely not a coincidence that this long passage dealing with the woman who seeks to lead men astray is followed by an equally long passage exalting Ms Wisdom (Pro 8:1-36). Just as the adulteress here goes out seeking the foolish young man (Pro 7:10-12) so as to persuade him with words to follow her (Pro 7:14-20), and offers him love (Pro 7:13; Pro 7:18), so in chapter 8 does Ms Wisdom go out (Pro 8:1-4), so as persuade men to follow her (Pro 8:18-21), and offers them love of a different kind (Pro 8:17). And as the adulteress lists what she has to offer (Pro 7:16-17), so does Ms Wisdom (Pro 8:18-19). Both end with a warning of men going down into death (Pro 7:27; Pro 8:36). And this association and contrast is confirmed in Pro 7:4-5 where treating Wisdom as his sister will keep him from the strange woman. We may add further that, in a similar way to the strange woman in Pro 7:14, Ms Wisdom in What is more the direct contrast between Ms Wisdom and Ms Folly is made explicit in Pro 9:1-18. Thus Ms Wisdom is seen as God reaching out to man through His wisdom, whilst the adulterous woman represents the lures of the world and the flesh which lead men away from God. Both are in competition with each other. We can compare how Moses ‘chose rather to be treated badly with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt' (Heb 11:25-26).
Once again the passage divides into three subsections:
· An appeal to ‘my son' to observe his words and his commandments and to take wisdom and understanding as his close female relatives, so as to be protected from the foreign woman (Pro 7:1-5).
· A detailed description of the seducing of the young man by the ‘strange woman' (Pro 7:6-23).
· A further appeal addressed to ‘sons' not to follow her because her way is the way of death (Pro 7:24-27).