Have you ever wondered how a woman
could breakup someone's marriage and still sleep at night? The answers
are found throughout Scripture, but a total absence of human decency is a major
component. As the "last days" are vividly described in II Timothy chapter three, we
see a particular description in verse three that is a characteristic of the adulteress: "Without
natural affection..." (2 Tim. 3:3a) Not all women would be categorized
as such, since there are some who "wander" into an adulterous
situation without evil intentions in advance. Women who are genuinely
repentant and who turn away swiftly from the sin of infidelity are demonstrating that their hearts have not turned to stone. Those who are
without natural affection are hard-hearted, and that's who we're referring to
in this article.
When you
add up all the other perils described in II Tim. 3:1-5, it's easy to see how and
why we are facing an epidemic increase in adultery today. These are
"perilous times" because people are sinfully perilous! If you are
expecting an adulteress to feel even remotely sorry for you as she lures your husband away from you
and your family, you're expectations are noble but mistaken. Since the
adulteress is without natural affection, you are not in her thoughts. It's all about her.
Here are just five of the common devices of an adulterous woman (there are more, but we have space limitations):
1. FLATTERY: Since
the adulteress uses flattery as her main power tool (if you guessed it was her
body, that's a secondary tool), we need to be mindful of women who seem to be
too dependent upon our husbands, especially those who give abundant praise and
admiration. "With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with
the flattering of her lips she forced him." (Prov. 7:21) Once and a
while, a sincere compliment is normal and is not out of line. Continual flattery from another woman crosses over
into the "vitamin P zone" and no woman but the wife should enter that
zone. That's our very personal zone where we build up our own husbands with the "vitamin" of PRAISE. The key
is to be on guard for the repeat offender. The harlot in Prov. 7 didn't use just a
little flattery; she used "much fair speech" plus flattery.
2. FLESH: If the
adulteress is physically attractive, she will use her body
as "bait" to lure men. This is the woman who likes to "make an
entrance" by arriving late to functions (including church!) and then
taking the long way to her seat, so that she can be admired and observed. Men
are urgently warned to "Lust not after her beauty in thine heart:
neither let her take thee with her eyelids." (Prov. 6:25) Wise men
know not to satisfy this kind of woman with attention; men who are "void of
understanding" not only look longingly, but they may even entertain fantasies about
having such a woman. Notice the wisdom of Job: "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid.?" (Job 31:1) I'll leave it to my
husband to talk to men about the immense danger of going down such a path. As
for us as wives, we need to employ alertness and keep this kind of woman away
from all the men in our family (even our young adult sons).
3. FLIRT: The
adulteress is an experienced "hunter." This reminds me of my fishing technique: to attract the attention of the largemouth bass, I wiggle the tip of my rod just a little, to make the bait dance in the water. The adulteress wiggles her bait, too! "For by means of a whorish woman a man is
brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious
life." (Prov. 6:26) This woman is flirtatious, and she is on the
lookout for a man who appears to respond favorably to her attempts at seduction. "Therefore came I forth
to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee."
(Prov. 7:15) Notice that she is brazenly candid about her intentions. Flirting with men is not at all out of line for the adulteress. It's just part of the hunt.
4. FOR SALE: The
adulteress knows how to use clothing to send signals. "And, behold,
there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart."
(Prov. 7:10) Both then and now, there is a uniform that says "body for
sale." When a
woman lacks understanding about biblical modesty, we must be on guard against
her potentially hazardous behavior. If her clothing is inappropriate, her
behavior may match it. This is also a good reason to teach our daughters about the effect of sensual clothing on men. Garments that are tight or otherwise revealing send signals that are designed to provoke a response. Let's be honest.
5. FAKE: While
she may have you guessing at first, the adulteress eventually makes her motives
clear. "Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us
solace ourselves with loves." (Prov. 7:18) At this point, if a man has lowered his guard, he is headed for destruction: "He
goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to
the correction of the stocks; till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird
hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life." (Prov.
7:22-23) When boundaries are repeatedly crossed, it's just a matter of time before two people who don't belong together convince themselves that they are made for each other.
This is
just a snapshot of the maneuvers of an adulteress. Scripture has much more for
you to study in Proverbs chapters 5, 6, and 7, in addition to other references. As
society continues to decline in their regard for marriage and the family, we are going to have to be "wise
as serpents, and harmless as doves." Pray for the Lord to protect your
marriage from this predator, and be alert to her tactics.
"Such
is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith,
I have done no wickedness." (Prov. 30:20)
Hi there. This Proverbs 'strange woman', sometimes called 'the adulteress'/'adulterous woman'/'adulteress'/'immoral woman'/etc, is likely an adulterous prostitute or serial adulteress. One of the terms for her, zarah/ishah zarah, can mean 'estranged' wife/woman, from/to her husband, having sex with many men. The other main term for her, nokariyah, often means foreign woman, and a foreign woman was likely often a prostitute in ancient Israel. She apparently is not directly called a 'whore' or 'harlot' in Hebrew/KJV Proverbs. The unmarried or professional prostitute is mentioned in Prov 6:26, 7:10, 23:27 (first part), 29:3 (plural). I've researched Proverbs 'strange woman' for many months in various Bibles and languages. You refer to Prov 7:10 and mention a uniform that says body for sale. You are hitting on a right point about her, in my opinion. She, at the least, looks like a prostitute. That often means someone is a prostitute or essentially is, sexually. She likely has a 'foreign aspect' in Prov 7:16 (fine linen of Egypt), and is likely married (verse 19), which may be reason(s) she is not directly called a whore or harlot in the KJV/Hebrew. If you notice, Prov 7:12 refers to lying in wait at every corner, she is much, much more than any mere 'adulteress', but she is more complex than a prostitute, also.
ReplyDeleteI'll send you some of my research:
This Proverbs' 'strange' or 'foreign' or 'estranged' woman is likely a married prostitute, estranged from/to her husband, yet still living in the same house
with him (Prov 2:17, 5:9:10, 7:8-12, 27, possibly 9:13,17-18). If she's not that, she's likely a 'serial adulteress'. Prov 6:24-26 is evidence she is
flattering and might be a prostitute due to the mention of her beauty and seductive eyelids. The words 'her feet', 'her steps', 'give', 'honour', 'years',
'wealth' and 'labours' in Prov 5:5,9-10 sound like they are about a prostitute.
(continued)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe Hebrew nouns which are translated as 'whore' and 'harlot' in the KJV refer to a professional or unmarried prostitute when about a human, in my
ReplyDeleteopinion. Cities (Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16:35, and Ninevah in Joel 3:4) and maybe nations and maybe groups [of people] are called 'spiritual whores', but not
an individual human that I can tell, in my opinion. The Hebrew noun Zonah is the one translated as 'whore' or 'harlot' most often in the KJV. If you read
Lev 19:29 'Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore, lest the land fall to whoredom and the land become full of wickedness' implies a
'whore' is a prostitute. Deut 23:18 ('hire of a whore') implies a 'whore' is a prostitute. Ezekiel 16:33, 'They give gifts to all whores' has to mean
something. The implication is that whores are prostitutes. Micah 1:7 'hire of an harlot" implies a 'harlot' is a prostitute. Isaiah 23:15-18, 'sing as an
harlot', 'harlot', 'her hire', her merchandise', 'her hire', 'her merchandise' implies a 'harlot' is a prostitute. Joel 3:4, 'the multitude of the
whoredoms of the wellfavored harlot', 'selleth', and 'her whoredoms' implies a 'harlot' is a prostitute. Isaiah 1:21-23, 'harlot' and 'gifts' and 'rewards'
implies a 'harlot' is a prostitute. Proverbs 29:3 'he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance' implies 'harlots' are prostitutes. This is
consistent with Luke 15:30 and the parable of the prodigal son and words 'devoured thy living with harlots', with 'harlots' implying prostitutes. In
Revelation, the 'great whore' sounds like a prostitute, in Rev 17:1,15 with the words 'great whore' and 'And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest,
where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.' A prostitute 'gets around', that she has influence over peoples, multitudes,
nations and tongues sound like words about a female prostitute, not a female fornicator or a 'girlfriend'. In 1 Cor 6:16 there is mention of 'members of
Christ' becoming 'members of a harlot'. Christ has many members, and a harlot has many members. Does a harlot sound like a female fornicator or a female
prostitute in that verse? 1 Cor 6:19 mentions a Christian's body being the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is consistent with 'harlot' being a 'temple
prostitute' in 1 Cor 6:19, or at least some kind of prostitute. In 1 Cor 6:20,'price' is more evidence a 'harlot' is a 'prostitute'. One of the better
evidences that 'harlot' means 'prostitute' is Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25 where Rahab is called a 'porne' or harlot or whore or prostitute in Greek, the
Hebrew has 'zonah' or harlot or whore or prostitute, and the 'LXX' ('Septuagint') has 'porne' (whore/harlot/prostitute) in Joshua 6:17, 25.
One other evidence that 'whore' means prostitute is Prov 23:27, 'A whore is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is a narrow pit'. Both the terms 'deep ditch'
and 'narrow pit' imply very promiscuous women. The 'whore' in this verse is likely a professional or unmarried prostitute. The 'strange woman' in this
verse is likely a married prostitute, an adulterous prostitute, a serial adulterous prostitute, a prostitute who is a serial adulteress. Less likely, she
is 'merely' a 'serial adulteress'.
(continued)
A whoremonger means a male who has sex with female physical whores. A whoremonger likely doesn't mean a male who has sex with spiritual whores, pity whores,
ReplyDeletepublicity whores, etc. It is doubtful that a human is called a spiritual whore in the Bible, although cities are (Jerusalem in Ezek 16:35; Ninevah in
Joel 3:4), maybe nations, and maybe groups [of people]. If your own wife is a spiritual whore, that doesn't make you a whoremonger, for the same reason that
if she is a pity whore or publicity whore doesn't make you a whoremonger. Claiming a whoremonger has sex with a spiritual whore, or a spiritual whore (or
pity whore or publicity whore) is a word/whore in the word whoremonger is adding to the Bible and against common sense in my opinion. When people say, 'If
she's a whore, that means you're a whoremonger', the implication/assumption which is rarely specifically said or spelled out is 'If she's a female physical
whore, that means you're [the male being spoken to is] a whoremonger'.