The adulterous woman

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

This Proverb applies so very much to us today.  I was just thinking how I miss the Psalms, the challenging words, and emotion.  But, this is a Proverb that's hard for me to write about. : )  I'll do my best with it.  We have more ways to get into trouble today than ever before don't we?  Now we have temptation on the internet...  There's some great stuff too, like inspirational writing.  And there's a whole library of medical information so I can understand what in the world the doctor was talking about.  Even with that I always check and make sure the site is from a reliable  source.  But, the worst is the porn.  This Proverb is written for men, but I think women can gain from it too. 

When I was participating on a Prayer Forum, it was always so sad to see requests from women who'd been in this industry.  It leaves an ugly scar, a scar that's socially unacceptable.  Forcing them to live with a horrible secret.  But God forgives and restores.  And we can use tools on our computers to block internet porn.  In Windows, it's under the Control Panel > Internet Properties > Content > Parental Controls.  There's other tools available too by searching the web.
 
Proverbs 5

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.

Even associating with adultery can bring tragic results for people.  I think of people who posed for a nude photo years ago, only to have it re-surface and be condemned later.  One of the leaders at New York Institute of Photography wrote that he tries to warn kids that what they do with their cell phone cameras and the internet may come back to haunt them later in life.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”

God has given us all we need in our homes.  If you haven't found your husband or wife yet, don't give up.  Focus on your life, friends, hobbies, the Bible, Church.  We are most attractive to others when we're happy.
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

God sees and knows everything about us.  And is angry when we sin.   But He will forgive us when we confess and repent.
21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
NIV

It's interesting, in the Old Testament women were to blame for adultery.  It wasn't until Jesus came that men were included.  Here's what Jesus said:
27 "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Matthew 5:27-28 NIV