PROVERBS 7
16 I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter or as a stag is caught fast
23 till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
– Proverbs 7:16-23
PROVERBS 7 CAUTION ON SEDUCTIONS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, let us be mindful of seductions
In this corrupt world we live in there is an abundance of temptation
Those who do not know the Lord will be driven by their pleasures
It is with caution that God wants us to be constantly aware
The Lord wants us to be soaked in his truth so we are not trapped
When we walk in His Spirit, we won’t be enticed and lured.
In this book, Solomon describes in detail the enticements that the adulteress prepared to lure. Notice that colored linens were used to cover her couch and perfume on her bed. Linens were used in the tabernacle to symbolize purity. It held crucial religious significance and was used by priests during ceremonies. The devil defiled this use of linen by using it on this occasion to entice the young man to sin. Perfumes were usually used to anoint as Mary did with Jesus’ feet. Myrrh and Cassia, were ingredients in the holy anointing oil used to anoint priests and kings. And in this seduction scenario, myrrh was used to lure the man to sin.
These things used for purification were now used for temptation to sin. That’s how the devil seduces. He mocks what is holy. He subtly changes God’s purposes to make us sin.
REFLECTION
- What are some forms of seductions that are so prevalent in our world today?
