seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Proverbs 2:16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.
20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
a. Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God
Oh boy the commentaries do not like this wicked woman. She must have shattered Solomon's heart. Solomon had 700 wives and concubines. I'm pretty sure none of them were around long enough to enter a real relationship with him.
I'm a Navy Brat. I've said that a bunch... I'm quite proud of my dad's life of service. When we were stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, everything normal went away. Ethan Allen furniture became floral cushions on a rattan frame with matching rattan tables. Our personal stuff didn't arrive for weeks. We lived out of a suitcase. One of the wives was having coffee with mom at the rickety rattan kitchenette.... trying to console my mom.... she said "it takes a good eighteen months to move into a new home".
I wonder... did any of Solomon's wives get 18 months? The math doesn't support that.... 700 wives and concubines.... one of the women Solomon met must have really shattered his heart. I bet it was Cleoapatra!
One other point that I think is important.... Solomon got away from worshiping God. He even built temples for other gods... that he learned about through picking up 700 wives. Seems this is more of a lament [IMHO] that just happens to look like sound advice. Any man with 700 wives should be a real expert... right?
Here are some notes from the blueletterbible.org site.
The seductress who flatters with her words: Before Solomon described the immoral woman in any other way, he wrote of her as a seductress who uses words to seduce. The Song of Solomon shows us that King Solomon knew the power of the female form, but there is also great power in the flattering words of the seductress.
Who forsakes the companion of her youth: The immoral woman Solomon had in mind had a past record of disloyalty and unfaithfulness. This was evident not only among men (the companion of her youth), but even more importantly in relation to God (who forgets the covenant of her God).
For her house leads down to death: This is an important part of wisdom’s protection, to see where a path leads. Time with the flattering seductress seems wonderful, but wisdom helps us to understand where it leads – and that is down to death.
None who go to her return: As with many statements in the Proverbs, this is not an absolute promised, but a true principle. Solomon had seen many go down the path of death with an immoral woman, never to return to the way of wisdom.
Who forsakes the companion of her youth: The immoral woman Solomon had in mind had a past record of disloyalty and unfaithfulness. This was evident not only among men (the companion of her youth), but even more importantly in relation to God (who forgets the covenant of her God).
For her house leads down to death: This is an important part of wisdom’s protection, to see where a path leads. Time with the flattering seductress seems wonderful, but wisdom helps us to understand where it leads – and that is down to death.
None who go to her return: As with many statements in the Proverbs, this is not an absolute promised, but a true principle. Solomon had seen many go down the path of death with an immoral woman, never to return to the way of wisdom.
Ok enough... let's put the pin right in the heart of these verses. Women were used to bring men into the different religions. The whole reason God ordered Saul to kill everyone... not leave one person alive... was so that the Nation of Israel would not be tempted by the little gods the people outside of Israel worshiped. It had nothing to do with AIDS. AIDS is just a symptom.... the cause.... goes back to doing the right thing. Whores just don't decide one day to become a whore. Whores are not evil women from birth.... they are turned. My guess is.... some of Solomon's 700 wives were whores that he tamed.
IMHO... this is a warning... be careful of "wonderful" people selling shiny objects of any sort.... even if it's just flattery.
