Proverbs 7

“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.” (Proverbs 7:14–15, NKJV)

Solomon wouldn’t let it go. He knew how vulnerable young men are to sexual temptation. So he tells his son a story—a dramatization to illustrate the point: don’t go near the immoral woman.

There is great power in good storytelling. Jesus understood this and spoke in parables. If I feel my audience is drifting into Never Never Land, I will tell a story in hope of recapturing their attention.

This narrative was fairly typical of how a prostitute or adulteress would hook her man. She knew the right words to say to stroke his ego and appeal to his senses. It seemed like a night of pure pleasure, but he did not see that he was entering a deadly trap from which there was no escape.

Perhaps you are not vulnerable to sexual temptation, but you do have a weakness. Maybe it is a desire for possessions; maybe you want to control others; maybe you must be the center of attention. The devil studies you. He knows how to present the bait and hide the hook.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9–11, ESV)

Our greatest safeguard against falling into temptation is to live according to the word of God and to pursue holiness rather than pleasure. If we walk in the Spirit, then we won’t gratify the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). May God help us to stay the course and not turn aside to self-indulgence and the chambers of death!